In British pubs, it’s the great Guinness shortage of 2024
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. LONDON : On Saturday night at the Old Ivy House pub, drinkers looking for a Guinness were greeted with an overturned glass dangling over a tap handle. The Old Ivy ran out of the iconic Irish stout on Friday night.
It isn’t the only one. Pubs up and down the U.K. say they are running low on Guinness after a surge in demand that caught the beer’s brewer off guard.
The timing couldn’t be worse, with millions across the country heading to Christmas parties and other gatherings as the festive season here kicks into high gear. Guinness owner Diageo says it has seen “exceptional consumer demand" for the brand in Britain over the past month. In response, the company is limiting the amount of its stout that pubs can buy to prevent stockpiling and ensure supplies last through the peak Christmas season.
The issue affects both cans and kegs of Guinness in Britain. The shortage has become a national talking point in the U.K., generating a wave of publicity for Guinness across traditional and social media as drinkers weigh in on whether the stout’s disappearance is a good thing, a bad thing or just a clever marketing ploy. While traditionally the preserve of Irish pubs and rugby lads, Guinness became Britain’s bestselling beer at pubs, bars and restaurants in December 2022, having won fans among young and female drinkers in recent years.
The brand’s surge in popularity is partly down to a social-media phenomenon called “splitting the G," which requires drinkers to down enough Guinness in a single gulp so that the beer sits halfway across the G on a branded glass. Diageo has also sought to broaden the brand’s appeal, spending more on advertising and launching a successful alcohol-free variant. The
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