For the first time since Guinness started brewing beer 256 years ago, it is turning fully vegan friendly from 2016. It means that Guinness will no more be adding fish bladder in its beer brewing process. The Irish brewer is especially eliminating isinglass, a gelatin made from fish bladders, from its drink.

Isinglass is used to filter yeast particles from the finished product. But from next year, an animal-free method would be used. Not only Guinness, many beer and wine makers use this process. Guinness said, “Isinglass has been used widely within the brewing industry as a means of filtration for decades. 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”.

The company has not shared as how it will eliminate isinglass. Earlier, the company has mentioned that it is looking for a method by which it can maintain the liquid’s quality as well as it remains environmentally friendly.

The company thinks that usage of isinglass stops many people from having their product. Therefore, they are making efforts to make further improvements in the way they make their products.

In 49 nations, Guinness beer is brewed, but the company has announced that the new method will only be applicable at its flagship brewery in Ireland. Experts said that this step could make Guinness to enter a new market and face competition from craft breweries.

While there are consumers who rally to pressure beer companies into revealing their ingredients, Michele Simon, JD, MPH shares there is no law requiring them to do so. The public health lawyer explains, "Ingredient labeling on food products and non-alcoholic beverages is required by the Food and Drug Administration. But a whole other federal agency regulates beer, and not very well. The Department of Treasury oversees alcoholic beverages."

The use of isinglass has been quite prevalent for quite some time. In fact, the listed ingredients of Guinness' famous beer - barley, hops, yeast, and water - does not include the animal byproduct.

Guinness has been using isinglass at its Dublin brewery since the mid- to late-19th century, the Smithsonian Magazine reports. Barnivore, a website that catalogues vegan beers, wines, and liquors, shared snippets from its ongoing email correspondence with executives from the Irish brewery—in one company message from August 2014, a representative said, “Almost all of the Isinglass is removed from the product, but we can’t guarantee that 100% is removed.”

The news follows a longstanding campaign and several online petitions from beer-loving vegans, with many highlighting the fact Guinness and other breweries are not required to state the use of isinglass on the bottle.