Vegan Beer & Chocolate Pairings
Published July 2026 · 5-minute read · by Rich, founder of Unhopped
Going plant-based shouldn’t mean missing out — which is exactly the idea behind NOMO (‘no missing out’). Pair its vegan, free-from chocolate with a vegan alcohol-free beer and you’ve got a treat with nothing left off the table. Here’s how to do it, honestly.
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Is all alcohol-free beer vegan?
Mostly — but not always, and it’s worth knowing why. Most beer is vegan, but a few use animal-derived ingredients: milk stouts are brewed with lactose (milk sugar); some beers use honey; and a small number use isinglass (a fish-derived fining) to clarify. Big Drop’s Galactic Milk Stout, for instance, contains lactose and isn’t vegan. The good news is that many AF breweries are explicitly vegan — so when a brewer states it, you can pair with confidence.
1. Vegan stout × NOMO Fudge
Yes, you can still have the stout-and-chocolate classic. Athletic All Out Stout is rich, dark and roasty, and Athletic state that all their beers are vegan — so paired with a NOMO fudge bar, the whole thing is plant-based from glass to square.
2. Vegan pale ale × salted popcorn
For something lighter, Big Drop Pine Trail Pale Ale — stated vegan-friendly by Big Drop — is crisp and hoppy enough to cut through NOMO’s sweet-and-salty popcorn bars. A brilliant contrast pairing with nothing animal-derived on either side.
3. Vegan IPA × the Mixed Box
Athletic Run Wild IPA — the beer that put NA craft on the map, and vegan like the rest of Athletic’s range — has the citrus and bitterness to bounce off almost anything. The Mixed Box lets you try it against five different flavours and pick a winner.
Why NOMO makes the vegan side easy
NOMO says its chocolate is certified vegan and made free from dairy, gluten, egg and nuts — the brand was built precisely so vegans and people with allergies aren’t left out of the chocolate aisle. That takes the guesswork out of the chocolate half of the pairing entirely. As always with allergens, recipes and factory lines can change, so check the current pack labelling before buying, especially for a serious allergy.
Certified vegan and free-from, five flavours to pair across your beers. Around £14.99.
Shop at NOMO →More pairings
For the full style-by-style logic, see our full beer & chocolate pairing guide. For the dark-beer deep dive, our stout & chocolate guide; and to make an evening of it, the sober night-in guide.