Beer. It's what's for dinner.
Okay, not really. But some styles are so rich and mealy, they can actually satiate the most severe hunger pangs. It'd be wrong if I didn't admit to having drunk several 5-course meals of Germany's finest Weissbiers while visiting friends in Aachen last winter.
Hmm--I wonder what that town looks like without beer goggles...
Thing about beer, though, is that it's not always vegan-friendly. Commonly known ingredients include malt (made from grains such as wheat, rice, barley, and rye), hops (ripe floral buds that grow on hop vines), brewer's yeast, and soft, purified water. But other non-vegan ingredients sometimes make their way into certain styles.
While vegan options like seaweed and polyclar are available, a few brewers insist on using isinglass (made from fish bladders) and egg whites to clarify their beers. Pretty gross, huh?
Some non-vegan beers include Guinness, Belhaven, Newcastle, Bass,
Boddington's, Saint Peter's and Murphy's. Yeah, the Brits are the
biggest offenders. But what did we expect from the same people who
brought us Spotted Dick?
Sick bastards.
Other beers unsuitable for vegans are Red Stripe (Jamaica), Peroni
(Italy), Czechvar (Czech Republic), and Foster's (Australia).
Some vegan-friendly domestic beers include Budweiser, Pabst, Coors,
Michelob, and Miller. But somehow, these popular brews manage to taste
like piss even with the absence of fish bladders. Go figure.
Luckily, Idle Rich Pub carries a large selection of decent beers (and
ciders) vegans can choose from. We can even enjoy a vegan veggie dog to
go with our brews for special events like "Vegan Drinks" on the second
Thursday of each month!
Idle Rich Pub's vegan draft beer selections:
Draught
Blue Moon (USA - Colorado)
Chimay White (Belgium)
Franconia Hefe (USA - Texas)
Franziskaner (Germany)
Maredsous 8 (Belgium)
Sierra Nevada (USA - California)
Spaten Light (Germany)
Stella Artois (Belgium)
Ciders:
Samuel Smith Organic Cider (Great Britain)
Strongbow (Great Britain)
Woodchuck Dark & Dry (USA - Vermont)
Woodchuck Granny Smith (USA - Vermont)
Woodchuck Pear Cider (USA - Vermont)
Woodchuck Raspberry (USA - Vermont)
Woodpecker (USA - Vermont)
Bottled Beers:
Belgium:
Chimay Grand Reserve,
Chimay Red,
Duvel,
La Chouffe,
Lindeman Lambic Ales,
Maredsous Ten,
Orval
Canada:
Blanche De Chambly,
Don De Dieu
Éphémère,
La Fin Du Monde,
Maudite,
Trois Pistoles
Czech Republic:
Pilsner Urquell
Germany:
Franziskaner Dunkel-Weiss,
Lowenbrau,
Paulaner Hefe-Weisse,
Paulaner Oktoberfest,
Paulaner Salvator,
Paulaner Thomasbrau
Great Britain:
Fuller's 1845,
Fuller's ESB,
Monty Python's Holy Grail,
Samuel Smith IPA,
Samuel Smith Lager,
Samuel Smith Nut Brown,
Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
Holland:
Amstel Light,
Grolsch,
Heineken
Mexico:
Corona,
Dos Equis,
Negra Modelo
USA:
Anchor Steam (California),
Breckenridge Avalanche (Colorado),
Boulevard Pale Ale (Missouri),
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (Delaware),
Fat Tire (Colorado),
New Belgium Abbey Ale (Colorado),
New Belgium Trippel (Colorado),
Pyramid Apricot (California/Washington),
Redhook ESB (Washington),
Saint Arnold Amber Ale (Texas),
Sam Adams (Massachusetts),
Shiner Bock (Texas),
Sierra Nevada Porter (California),
Stone IPA (California)
Idle Rich Pub
2614 McKinney Ave.
214-965-9926
