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St Austell Brewery Tour

St Austell Brewery Tour

Written by Oliver Coningham on 13 July 2017 in Brewery Tour

Visiting St Austell Brewery was a reminder that the beer we enjoy is often less to do with what ends up in our glass and more to do with how it arrived there. Wine experts will talk of 'terroir', the geographical and climatic conditions that influence the wine's character. Crucially what it misses is something else that has an equally important impact on the finished product: the people.

St Austell Brewery is a place where the arteries of its operation are clearly visible for all to see. From the attentive welcome we received upon arrival from Pippa who enthusiastically showed us around the key areas of the new Visitor Centre, to the chef at the Hick's Bar who quickly and confidently came out and assembled a vegan-friendly lunch from the various items on the menu.

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Is yeast vegan?

Is yeast vegan?

Written by Oliver Coningham on 6 February 2017 in Vegan Beer

After explaining to others why beer isn't vegan, some will often question the suitability of yeast. Is this single cell organism with the ability to reproduce a valid reason for vegans not to drink beer?

Yeast are eukaryotic microorganisms classified as part of the fungi kingdom. Neither animal or plant, yeast are a different concern altogether.

Brewers crudely describe the vital role that yeast plays in the brewing process with Nobby's Brewery clearly summarising it on Twitter: "Yeast is ALIVE, it had sex, ate sugar and peed alcohol in your beer." Just as long as the temperatures and conditions are right they will keep going until every last trace of fermentable sugar has been devoured.

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Honest Brew Vegan Beer Review

Honest Brew Vegan Beer Review

Written by Oliver Coningham on 30 November 2016 in Vegan Beer

The number of beer subscription boxes available are close to outnumbering Cloudwater's DIPA releases. Each one offering something unique and enticing for the adventurous beer drinker. Whether you wanting to experience new beers from a different brewery each month or have a case personally selected to suit your tastes. Many of the subscriptions available offer free postage, the ability to change the frequency of your delivery and the option to pause or cancel whenever you like. With all this choice, the only thing missing is a vegan-friendly beer subscription.

It was with delight to see Honest Brew embracing vegan beer with a recent blog post featuring some of the best vegan-friendly beers from their online shop. Bottled beers from Cloudwater, Yeastie Boys and Buxton were featured; all of which are easily standouts from the craft beer scene at the moment.

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