IS CIDER VEGAN?
Vegan diets are becoming increasingly popular day by day. Whether it’s burgers, chicken wings, mayo, or even eggs, there’s probably a vegan-friendly alternative available.
Owing to shifting preferences, we are seeing an emergence of vegan-friendly alcoholic beverages, too. While many clear liquors have always been vegan, plenty of beers and wines aren’t. But that’s changing... After all, why can’t one help save the environment & animals and enjoy a nice drink, too?
And that brings us to vegan-friendly cider. One might think that asking if cider is vegan is a silly question (after all it’s just apples right?!) but when it comes to alcohol and veganism, it’s somewhat of a minefield! It can be difficult to navigate what is and isn’t vegan. There certainly is a mass of misinformation and lack of knowledge when it comes to knowing what goes into our drinks, making vegans often surprised to learn that their favorite tipple contains hidden animal products. So, is cider vegan? You might be surprised to learn that the vast majority of cider are in fact not vegan friendly!
HOW CAN CIDER NOT BE VEGAN?
Vegan or not - you might be surprised just what your favourite drink has hiding in it!
Many popular commercial brands such as Kopparberg, Strongbow and Rekorderlig incorporate animal derivatives (such as gelatine) in their manufacturing process, either as an ingredient in the drink itself or used in the filtering process thus rendering the final product unsuitable for vegans.
Some ciders actually contain pork, egg, dairy and fish!. Animal finings such as casein, albumen, gelatin, Carmine and isinglass are used to help remove impurities, for clarity and even for taste. Sorry guys it’s time to put down the Kopparberg…
*Fining is the process by which alcohol is filtered or “refined” during brewing.
So if you’ve ever wondered “is cider vegan”, the straight answer is no, it most definitely isn’t.
SO WHAT ARE THESE ANIMAL PRODUCTS?
You might be wondering about these animal products that make cider non-vegan. Well, there are quite a few products that make it so.
Isinglass: A lot of alcohol (including ciders) is strained through isinglass, which is a form of collagen prepared from dried fish swim bladders (nice).
Gelatin: We’re all familiar with term - it’s often used in sweets but you might have missed the memo that gelatin is actually an animal pro protein derived from the skin and connective tissue of pigs and cows.
Carmine: Carmine is derived from the bodies of dried cochineal beetles, and is used to color drinks. Carmine is also called Cochineal, Cochineal Extract, Crimson Lake, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470, E120, and Carminic Acid so be careful - it’s not always easy to spot this one!
Casein: Casein is a protein derived from milk.
Albumen: Egg white, or the protein contained in it.
Stabilizers/clarifiers: Filtering ciders can be a challenging task as there are so many options out there. While many are natural and produce vegan-friendly ciders, plenty of them don’t. Aside from some of the animal products mentioned above, filtration can also use a substance called chitin that’s derived from crab shells. Sounds pretty disgusting, doesn’t it?
WHAT VEGAN CIDERS TO CHOOSE?
That brings us to the next question for the day—what vegan cider options do we have? I mean, surely there must be some saving grace, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to spot the use of animal products.
But fret not, we’re in luck!
Whilst many commercial ciders use processes that mean they aren’t vegan, many craft ciders tick the vegan box! And we mean that quite literally, as many vegan ciders have proudly display that on the can, box, or bottle.
Whilst many commercial ciders use processes that mean they aren’t vegan, however many craft ciders tick the vegan box! By using more traditional methods, avoiding preservatives and other unnecessary nasties however that’s not to say all craft ciders are vegan - making the world of vegan cider a confusing one! But worry not… we’ve compiled a list of three vegan ciders that you shouldn't miss out on, so you can sit easy that you’re sticking well and truly to the vegan lifestyle.
You could also look for unfiltered ciders as this directly eliminates the odds of picking up a cider that uses animal products for filtration. Unfiltered ciders are on the rise in general, so this gives vegan cider enthusiasts even more reason to celebrate!
Additionally, searching for vegan-friendly cider options on Barnivore and PETA might help. While this list is not complete, it does provide some useful information about vegan ciders. Visit Crafty Nectar Today And Buy our top Vegan Ciders here.