Visitors can enjoy a pint - or two - at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland. The company recently announced it will no longer be using fish bladders in the brewing process to make the beer more attractive to vegetarians and vegans. Photo by POM POM/Shutterstock

DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The Guinness Brewing company announced fish bladders are being eliminated from the brewing process to allow vegans and vegetarians to enjoy the company's beer.

The brewery's 256-year-old recipe for its famous dark stout calls for fish bladders known as isinglass to be used as part of the filtration process to help yeast settle and clarify the liquid, but the company said the process is being changed to make the brew more vegan-friendly.


"Isinglass has been used widely within the brewing industry as a means of filtration for decades," Guinness said in a statement provided to ABC News. "However, because of its use we could not label Guinness as suitable for vegetarians and have been looking for an alternative solution for some time. We are now pleased to have identified a new process through investment in a state-of-the-art filtration system."

A Guinness spokesman told The Times of London the company expects "to stop using [isinglass] as the new filtration asset is introduced."

The new filtration process is scheduled to be implemented next year.