Member Article

Tyne Bank Brewery has gone green!

The Newcastle-based brewery has taken steps to reduce its carbon footprint including offering vegan-friendly cask ales and opting out of using plastic straws in the taproom

Vegan and eco-conscious drinkers rejoice! Tyne Bank Brewery, an independent brewery and tap room based on Walker Road in Newcastle, has gone green – with all of the brewery’s cask ales now vegan-friendly. Whether drinkers fancy a pint of Tyne Bank’s award-winning 4.9% American Pale Ale, Silver Dollar or want to experiment with a 5.7% Crème Caramel, they can do – with a clear conscience.

Julia Austin, founder of Tyne Bank Brewery, says:

“Going vegan was a no-brainer! We’ve replaced the traditional isinglass fining, which is made from the dried swim bladders of fish, with a vegan-friendly alternative. The new fining still gives the same performance, whilst meeting the market need for vegan-friendly beer!”

Traditionally, isinglass finings are used in casks to remove the residual yeast, which causes the beer to have a hazy appearance. At Tyne Bank Brewery, the introduction of a vegan-friendly alternative to isinglass means that drinkers can enjoy a clear beer and a clear conscience.

As well as switching their cask ales to a vegan-friendly recipe, Tyne Bank Brewery has also taken steps towards a plastic-free tap room, with the decision to use an alternative to the disposable, plastic straws so often found in pubs and breweries. Says Austin:

“At Tyne Bank Brewery, we have opted to source an alternative to plastic for our straws. There has been a real backlash around the use of disposable plastics so, as a brewery, we want to demonstrate that we are thinking as eco-consciously as possible.”

Furthermore, the brewery’s recyclable casks are 50% lighter than stainless steel casks meaning that, when delivering beer on a daily basis, the brewery is using a smaller van – and hence a smaller carbon footprint. Add to this the fact that the brewery is working with local food suppliers, hence lower food miles, and that footprint is getting ever-smaller.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Nicky Mckeen .