Brass Castle (gluten-free vegan beer from Yorkshire)

Brass Castle is a beer founded by a group of friends, who mash grains, boil hop charges, pitch yeast and make great beer right in the heart of Yorkshire’s food capital of Malton. Spent grain and hops from the brewing process, are taken to an anaerobic digester, to be made into biogas and fertiliser.

Malton is a charming market town in North Yorkshire, which boasts the site of a medieval castle and was a frequent getaway for Charles Dickens, who is said to have written A Christmas Carol here. It’s known for its monthly food markets and artisan producers.

These beers are naturally vegan (no bone or fish finings) due to use of a house yeast (a traditional English ale strain) that helps to achieve clarity and mouthfeel, without unnecessary additives.

And while many breweries offer one or two gluten-free options, all their beers are free from gluten. They use a tiny amount of an enzyme during fermentation that breaks down the gluten, with each batch tested at certified UK labels to meet strict standards.

Cans are shipped in cardboard packaging, and steel kegs are used mostly (for one-way Keykegs, these are collected and recycled, to minimise waste).

You can find Brass Castle beers in many shops and supermarkets, pubs and restaurants. Or buy online (including mixed cases):

Pacer (a session pale with zesty sweet orange character)
Beowulf (an unfiltered Helles lager, with honeycomb, bread crust & citrus)
Hoptical Illusion (a dry-hopped pale ale with grapefruit & citrus taste)
Sunshine (a pale ale with a fruity citrus bite)
Disruptor (a New England-style IPA for big fruit aroma)
Soursop (a tropical beer with pineapple, mango & guava)
Snow Eater (a Chinook-hopped pale ale)

Brass Castle Porter

Bad Kitty is a porter with chocolate vanilla tastes. Porters are like stout, but use roasted malts. It makes a good alternative to Guinness (now vegan but not local). It’s not even Irish, it was founded by a Protestant who wouldn’t let the Irish government use the harp logo, that’s why it faces the other way). Today it’s owned by a multi-national.

Belhaven stout is also not vegan (filtered with animal ingredients).