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"  Before you take a sip of Guinness this weekend, you might want to know this: there could be traces of fish bladder in your ale. More From Delish: 24 Ways to Cook with Guinness and Other Beers The Smithsonian Magazine reports that the beer, which will sell 13 million pints on St. Patricks Day, is exposed to something called Isinglass, the air-bladder of fish like sturgeon that is added to the beer&amp;#039;s cask to assist in separating the yeast and solid particles out of the final product after it&amp;#039;s been brewed and fermented. The isinglass is a known fining or clarification agent. Explains the Smithsonian, &amp;quot;As the finings pass through the beer, they attract themselves to particles in the fermented beer that create an unwanted &amp;#039;haziness&amp;#039; in the final product and form into a jelly-like mass that settles to the bottom of the cask.&amp;quot; More From Delish: Brewery Tours Around the World This method was described as far back as 1797, in an edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica Volume IX, which cites the research of the process by Pierre Pomet, chief apothecary to the King Louis XIV. Guinness, which began production in Dublin in 1759, starting using isinglass in the mid to late 19th century, reports the Smithsonian. But today, with modern gelatin, isinglass is not frequently used at most breweries. But Guinness made this recent statement: &amp;quot;All Guinness brands are free from animal matter and from contact with animal matter. However, isinglass, which is a by-product of the fishing industry, is used as a fining agent for settling out suspended matter in the vat. The isinglass is retained in the floor of the vat but it is possible that minute quantities might be carried over into the beer.&amp;quot; If this is of concern, German and Belgian beers do not use isinglass in their process due to the &amp;quot;purity laws&amp;quot; that went into effect in 1516. Despite the ruling being lifted in 1987, the purity process is still practiced. Are you going to think twice before grabbing a Guinness this St. Paddy&amp;#039;s Day? Or will you still enjoy a pint (or two!)? Find more great food content on Delish:   Search for the perfect recipe from our homepage Find out the latest food news Get a recipe book to save your favorite dishes Sign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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