WHAT ABOUT WINES AND BEERS?
Wine is clarified, or cleared, after fermentation. Some of the ingredients used include:
edible gelatines (made from bones)
isinglass (made from the swim bladders of fish)
casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins)
animal albumin (egg albumin and dried blood powder)
In the UK beer (bitter) is also commonly fined using isinglass. Many bottled bitters and most lagers are vegan. Guinness is not suitable for vegans. Most spirits are vegan except for Campari (contains cochineal) and some Vodkas (passed through bone charcoal).
German beers are subject to purity laws, and are vegan. However, it’s worth checking on the label that they haven’t been brewed under licence in another country.
Grolsch is probably the best known vegan lager, but I’ve heard that the crown top bottles may not be vegan (I have contacted Grolsch to confirm this)
Although most cask ales (‘real ales’) are fined using isinglass, CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide has information on real ales suitable for vegans. Some bottled ales (Black Sheep, Fullers, Newcastle Brown Ale,…) are vegan whereas the cask version isn’t.
It’s also really easy to make your own beer. I’ll stick my household beer recipe on the recipe site, if noone has a problem with me corrupting any underage people who may read it?
Though I’m not a big wine drinker, I’m told Co-op label their vegan wines, and many off-licences have vegan lists available. Making your own wine is fiddly, messy, expolsive and sets off peoples’ asthma I have some bottles of “champagne” I don’t dare touch in case they blow… Will keep trying
Well, if you’re Catholic it is the blood Or becomes the blood… I think… [went to a Catholic school for a year - it was a lot to take in!]
Otherwise I guess you could check with someone in the church? There are christian vegan and vegetarian groups, so it must be an issue that’s been addressed at some point.
In fairness, it’s probably me who’s not very good at making wine I made some elderberry wine that dyed everything it touched purple, and sets off people’s asthma bad (some asthmatics react badly to red wine?). The champagne was so fizzy that we had to gingerly loosen the tops in the back garden, and fire the corks into next door’s tree!
Do you have any wine recipes that you could share? It would be good to have another go!
Do you distill your own vodka too? I don’t think we’re allowed to distil spirits in the UK, but it would be interesting to find out how it’s done. Just in case I move somewhere where I can!
Seems like a good reason to me! It would be nice to live somewhere that’s warm in summer, and maybe gets snow in winter I’ld like to grow all kinds of things - my poor herb garden (window box) doesn’t like the current climate…
we didn’t get any - everywhere else in the UK got a little snow a couple of weeks ago, but it missed us! We just got very cold rain Where do you live? (if you don’t mind me asking! - I gather eastern europe somewhere?)
I grow basil (for italian food), rosemary (to sprinkle on roast potatoes) and chives (which I use to flavour vegan macaroni cheese and random mixed stuff). The basil looks very unhappy - I think I might give it some plant food. This year I’m going to try mint, and have a go at tomatoes and peppers too My Dad grows his own vegetables, and I miss fresh veggies lots
I like to call myself an environmental activist
I’m very concerned about global warming.
Even though I’m…just…barely a teenager…
I’m quite interested in global warming.
Lots of people were environmental activists when I was… barely a teenager… (late 80s / early 90s) I had a young persons bank account called “World Savers” which sponsored the WWF and made people aware of global warming / animal extiction / etc. A lot of young teenagers got involved with campaigning against whaling, and promoting dolphin-friendly tuna, and the children’s programme Blue Peter promoted the introduction of unleaded petrol. It was quite common for children and young people to put their schools, and even their parents, under pressure to be a little more environmentally friendly!
I guess it’s not trendy any more?
Global warming is an issue Did a module on environmental engineering at university - will post some interesting info on here
We had a little snow but it got melted quite quickly, we even hadn’t a chance to use our sledge for some fun.
Yes, I’m from Moldova.
It’s great! How much space you’re using for your herbs and how often you’re using them? (What I wish to know is how much space I need to grow my own herbs without buying them from market)
[quickly looks up Moldova on Wikipedia] There are whole websites on Moldovan wine
Only 50km?!?!
The herbs are easy to grow - I use little 3.5" (9cm) diameter pots, and keep them on a west-facing windowsill (so they get some sun, but not too much). The chives grow really well - I can’t eat them fast enough! I only use a little rosemary once every fornight or so, because it doesn’t grow very fast. And I can’t eat the basil often either - it is very small, and the leaves don’t grow as big as you get in restaurants. But it is a mediteranean plant and I think it is too cold here: you might have a little more luck with the basil if you have warmer summers? I used to grow coriander too, and it kept dying because I didn’t eat enough! You have to chop it back quite brutally!
When I take some herbs to eat, I cut the leaves above a ‘joint’ where some new leaves are likely to grow from. This helps the plant grow nice and bushy.
My sister used to grow herbs outside (she lived somewhere slightly milder!) in a rockery, and I know some people just plant herbs in a big terracotta pot in the back garden? As a general rule, I don’t think herbs like frost or snow, and they need good drainage. If you google “herb gardening,” there’s tonnes of helpful-looking sites bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/t … erbs.shtml backyardgardener.com/herb/
I wonder if I should have put this on another thread? Meh, it’s pancake day, I’m off to start cooking
I’ve not been in “Milestii Mici”, but I’ve been in Cricova cellars, there you can drive a minibus inside, there are tours to those cellars.
Thank you for this information on herbs, I’ll try to grow more of my own herbs, especially in Summer.
No, I don’t think so
What does it mean pancake day? Are making a lot of pancakes? And what kind of pancakes are you making, are them thin (like 1-2 mm) or thick (as little finger thick)?
I have some bottles of “champagne” I don’t dare touch in case they blow… Will keep trying 
[went to a Catholic school for a year - it was a lot to take in!]
I made some elderberry wine that dyed everything it touched purple, and sets off people’s asthma bad (some asthmatics react badly to red wine?). The champagne was so fizzy that we had to gingerly loosen the tops in the back garden, and fire the corks into next door’s tree!
Where do you live? (if you don’t mind me asking! - I gather eastern europe somewhere?)
