Beer Label Confusion

I believe you will find that "beer" or "malt beverages" are not required to list ingredients

 

I'm actually surprised it's not on there - you'd think they'd want it on there as a selling point.

 

Nope, not required to do that either

 

Just my thought, you see a purple beer, you might guess it didn't get that way from hops, water, malt, and yeast. Not blaming you, but if you have special medical issues then you need to be a bit more proactive rather than wanting to blame the brewer afterwards. My 2 cents

 

Well, you misunderstood the word proactive. I've never had or seen the beer, but from reading reviews on this site I know it is purple. If you can post afterwards, you could definitely read a review beforehand. Especially for a person with medical issues, I'd want to know what I'm putting in my body ahead of time.

 

Thinking if you have food sensitivity, you might want to take the extra step. The Lagunitas website does indicate it's made with grapes.

 

From what I have read they do not have to label adjuncts. Unless they are brewed with something as a replacement like sorghum, rice etc....Then those fall under the FDA as they are not seen as malt liquor.

The grapes were part of the brewing process as opposed to being "flavored" by say adding grape juice. From my understanding when most brewers label adjuncts it is as a selling point not because there is a regulation to do so....

 

That information is available on the TTB website. Although it is mostly written for brewers rather than consumers.

 

Eh. It's okay and weren't they bought by Heineken? If so. Do you expect them to be honest?

 

Can you imagine having to research every single thing you consume? At least with foods and medicines they are required to list ingredients. Not sure if grape allergies can be as deadly as nut allergies but plenty of people with nut allergies die every year because they run into nuts where they had no reason to believe they would, and possibly no way to find out.

 

Imagine pineapple or mango allergies. I've witnessed first hand how that'll effect a person.

 

I went to Lagunitas and the 1st sentence on the description was: An experimentally hopped sour ale fermented with dark red wine grapes. I think they were pretty open as to the ingredients. I totally get it was not on the label but if you have allergies to food you should take the extra step to check further if your in doubt.

https://lagunitas.com/beers/dark-swan

 

Thank you for correctly saying "flavored" and not "adjunct".

But seriously, I thought all beer with flavors added mention said flavorings. If it's not already a legal requirement, I can't recall seeing a single one before that didn't.

 

There are no requirements, legal or otherwise, to list ingredients or flavorings in beer.

Sorghum and rice actually are adjuncts; flavorings are not. But still, no requirements to list them.

 

I'm allergic to brett. Guess what? I email the brewer if I even have an inkling that brett may be involved. I have missed out on some great beers because the brewer never got back to me. My point is, despite what the laws and regulations are, because I have a health issue I make damn sure of what I put in my face hole.