Is Guinness Halal?

Guinness is a dark Irish stout, brewed at St James's Gate in Dublin since 1759 and now in dozens of countries. It is beer: water, malted and roasted barley, hops and yeast, fermented to around 4 per cent alcohol in its draught form and more in some export versions. As an intoxicating drink it is Haram, whatever the strength.^[2][3][1]

Why it looks different but is not

The black colour and coffee-like taste come from roasted barley, not from anything added. The creamy head on draught Guinness comes from nitrogen. Neither changes what it is: a fermented, alcoholic beer. For beer in general, see beer.

Guinness 0.0

Guinness 0.0 is brewed as Guinness and then has the alcohol removed, leaving only a trace. Whether a drink brewed as beer and then dealcoholised is acceptable is a question scholars answer differently, and it is covered on its own page: see non-alcoholic beer. This page's ruling is about the ordinary stout.

Guinness in food

Guinness is a popular cooking ingredient in Ireland and Britain, and it is where most people meet it without ordering a pint:

• Beef and Guinness stew or pie, a pub staple,
• Guinness chocolate cake,
• Christmas pudding and rich fruit cakes,
• Guinness bread and some gravies and marinades.

Long cooking lowers the alcohol but does not reliably remove it, and the beer was added as beer. This site treats dishes cooked with Guinness as not Halal. Ask about the gravy in pub pies and stews. A traditional Irish stew of lamb, potatoes and onion has no stout in it, though some pubs add it; see Irish stew.

For the rest of an Irish menu, see the Ireland guide.