Beer that's similar to Harp?

You will like German Helles Lagers. Seek out Hacker Pschorr Munich Gold, Paulaner and Hofbrau Original

 

You will get more useful responses if you are specific with what you do not want. Are you vegan? Is isinglass the issue? Isinglass is widely used (I guess) in the process of making some beer and wouldn't be listed as an ingredient because it isn't one. If that's your concern, you would need to find out which beers aren't put in contact with isinglass.

 

Guess what........Most food and beverage bought at mass market has things in it you dont want.

Enjoy

 

Right, and to clarify (no pun intended ) isinglass is used as a clarifier and won't be in the finished product, so you won't be ingesting it. So more info is needed from the op as to their intentions.

 

German beers that conform to the Reinheitsgebot – which is most of them – are legally required to be made from only hops, barley/wheat malts, yeast, and water. So drink most German beer, and you can be rest assured that there is nothing in there but the basic beer ingredients.

As far being similar to Harp, a good rule of thumb is any kind of lager with a light color is probably what you're looking for. It's not always true, but often enough, especially with German beers which tend to be less experimental than American ones, darker color means heavier, richer flavor, and lighter color, like Harp, means lighter, smoother, easier-going flavor. Again, not a rule, but a good place to start.

 

Well if you like Harp why not just buy Harp?

 

I'll disagree with that regarding beer, but not about food. I was a professional brewer for 15 years, working with craft brewers and larger regional breweries, and apart from a product called Porterine (which was used as a coloring agent at some of the big places) and an anti-foaming agent for the kettle (which the smaller breweries used), I haven't seen anything unusual. As for Isinglass, it's rarely used, and even then, almost universally only in cask beer (it's way too expensive to use in a whole batch!). Irish Moss, or a variation of it, is a different issue, but as TongoRad pointed out it's removed in filtration (and it looks like you're only interested in filtered beers).

Concerning beers that taste like Harp I'll agree with Feel_the_Darkness. Harp used to be a thinner, less malty beer with a pronounced sulphur note but they've changed it. They may have been going for something like a Yuengling Traditional Lager (but that may contain Porterine). Maltier lagers are what you want, but there are probably some Blonde Ales that would work for you too (the problem is you've got to try them and many might be too hoppy). Kölsch-style beers brewed in the U.S. are another option. Generally they're superbly balanced but many of the American craft brewers overdo the malt a bit. Have fun searching!

p.s. - I just remembered Russian beers! I'll totally agree with Giantspace on those, and I'm also skeptical of any lesser known brands coming out of China.

 

Distribution of beers varies by state/province and country so some general information on your location could help people make suggestions. Without knowing your location then I would second a German helles or Munich-style pilsner made according to the Germany Purity Law [or Reinheitsgebot]. Any German beer meeting this definition will state this somewhere prominently on the package, because it is a marketing tool for them. Harp's flavor profile is not terribly unique [don't take that as an insult], so finding alternatives should be too difficult, @nc41 makes a very good point:

Unless you heard something about Harp's ingredients?

I don't know what you heard or read, but I suspect it was directly or indirectly related to quacks, like Food Babe or Dr. Oz, who use pseudo-science, fear-mongering, and click-baiting to generate web traffic and sell their products to ignorant people. Their claims about beer [and many other things] have been thoroughly debunked, so if your concern is really about beer with "fish bladders and unwanted additives" I recommend reading this informative and researched piece on this topic to make sure it's really worth your time and effort: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/vani-hari-a-k-a-the-food-babe-the-jenny-mccarthy-of-food/

 

I saw a show years ago about a brewery in England preparing for a contest. I'm struggling to remember which one perhaps Batemans sounds framiliar, but they showed a guy ladling in a fish concoction into each barrel. Why I can't remember.

I wasn't trying to be snarky , but if you like Harp buy Harp it's everywhere. But a good German lager or Pils IMO blows Harp away, seems like a good place to start. German beers are high on malt and low on bitter, I suppose you wouldn't have much of a problem finding beers at 30 IBUs or lower.

 

This is a place to start
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/37/

And as others mentioned, if you are really worried about "ingredients", you can go for German lagers that conform to Reinheitsgebot
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/21/

 

Just so I know.... Are porterine or isinglass toxic or bad for you? A quick search shows nothing really bad about them.

I won't eat/drink anything that comes from China or is processed there. It is pretty tough to really know what comes from there with the food laws though.

Enjoy

 

These two are the same style as Harp:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/113/778/ - Samuel Smith's Organically Produced Lager
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/113/574/ - Samuel Smith's Pure Brewed Lager

 

Porterine is a natural caramel food coloring that I think is derived from wort (unfermented malt), so no, it's not bad for you at all.

Isinglass is the dried swim bladder of the sturgeon, so again, no, it's not bad for you but it's also not "vegan".

 

Plus, Beer is pretty bad for you if you want to get technical . No doubt worse than some minor additives.

 

From what I've read, Porterine (which has been used - and sometimes reviled* - in the US brewing industry since the late 19th century) is a dark corn-based syrup which adds both color and a roasted flavor. There was also a malt-based version, as seen in this post-Repeal ad, which had a "unique flavor".


A similar malt-based product, Emkamalt, from the above company was used by some brewers to make "Bock Beer" by simply adding it to their regular beer.
"No special brew - no surplus - supply as much as demanded".

* As for reviled, brewers which didn't resort to these colorings and flavorings, would occasionally note the fact, such as in this ad from Reading, PA's Barbey's brewery for their Sunshine Porter:

 

That idiot blog Food Babe was spreading mis-information about the "dangers of hidden ingredients in beer" a couple years ago. This question may be stemming from that.

 

When was Harp changed?

Cheers!

 

There was an interesting presentation at the 2015 NHC entitled: “Homebrew toxicology: Debunking the hidden dangers of chemicals in your brew system”.

Now granted this was skewed to the topic of homebrewing vs. commercial brewing but I suspect that the ‘bottom line’ is the same. The compound in beer that represents the most danger from a toxicity perspective is ethyl alcohol. For some reason beer drinkers do not seem to be overly concerned about ethyl alcohol being present in their beers.

Cheers!