Brewhouse & Kitchen ‘veganises’ its beers

Brewhouse-Kitchen-veganises-its-beers.jpg
All inclusive: Brewhouse & Kitchen's Kris Gumbrell says making beers vegan-friendly opens up craft beer to more drinkers

Multiple operator Brewhouse & Kitchen has announced all its beers at one of its sites in West Sussex will be suitable for vegan and vegetarians.

The achievement at the company’s Horsham venue is accompanied with a vegan specials menu for January, allowing diners to try out veganism for the month and still enjoy their time at Brewhouse & Kitchen’s pubs.

Currently, many beers are made using isinglass – a product of the fish farming industry that is used in the filtering process. 

All welcome

Brewhouse & Kitchen co-founder Kris Gumbrell said: “Our message has always been one of inclusion and we pride ourselves on making all feel welcome.

“While we aren’t a vegan specialist brewpub, we believe good beer should be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of your dietary requirements.

“In order to open up the wonderful world of craft beer to more [people], the natural steps was to ensure our beers were all made vegan-friendly.

“It was a challenge ensuring the great taste of Brewhouse & Kitchen’s beers remained just as good as ever but our commitment to ensuring everyone is welcoming in our sites, it was a challenge we were determined to overcome.”

Isinglass troubles

In 2016, isinglass hit the headlines after brewers received calls from agitated consumers, asking them to stop using the beer-fining agent isinglass, after the national press falsely reported a ban by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Rumours of a ban started when the organisation’s Good Beer Guide​ editor Roger Protz called for UK brewers to cut down on the use of the fish-based clarifying product.

However, CAMRA said: “We do not have any policy on the use of isinglass and neither the press release nor Roger’s article made any suggestion that CAMRA is calling for brewers to stop using isinglass.”