Irish Moss (Brewing Clarifier) — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?

Vegan status: Vegan

Also known as: Carrageen moss, Chondrus crispus, Whirlfloc, Carlson Laboratories Irish Moss

Source

Dried and processed red algae (Chondrus crispus) harvested from the North Atlantic coast. Entirely marine plant-derived and vegan.

Used in

Beer brewing — added in the last 10-15 minutes of the boil to improve clarity by attracting and precipitating proteins from the wort (hot break).

Appears on label: No. Not required on beer labels.

How to avoid

No need to avoid — Irish moss is vegan.

Notes

Irish moss is one of the oldest brewing clarification agents. It is a seaweed (not a moss despite the name) whose carrageenan content binds to proteins and forms large flocs that settle out. Whirlfloc tablets are compressed Irish moss pellets — the standard home brewing form. Not to be confused with processed carrageenan food additive (E407), though they share the same plant source.