Guinness has been surging in popularity and just last week, its owner Diageo was forced to introduce a new limit on the amount pubs can purchase of the black stuff
Pubs across the country are introducing Guinness ration cards after finding themselves running out of Irish stout ahead of Christmas.
Guinness has been surging in popularity and just last week, its owner Diageo was forced to introduce a new limit on the amount pubs can purchase of the black stuff to ease the strain on its supplies. But now, pubs such as the Old Ivy House, in Clerkenwell, London, have been forced to introduce their own rules, to keep stock ticking over.
The landlady Katie Davidson told The Times how customers are only allowed to purchase one pint of Guinness once they had bought two other drinks first, with cards being handed out to prove their purchases. She said: “I normally make sure I have seven barrels per week and I would up that in the run-up to Christmas. But I was restricted to only four [by our brewery].”
The latest data from food and drink research company CGA show volumes of Guinness sold in kegs were up by more than a fifth between July and October, compared to the same period last year. Part of this is thought to be down to a rise in younger drinkers opting for the black stuff, following the “Splitting the G” social media trend.
“Splitting the G” is a drinking challenge where you have to take a big enough first mouthful of the drink, so that the stout comes to halfway down the “G” in the word “Guinness” on a pint glass. Some landlords say pubs have also been “panic buying” Guinness.
A run of rugby union matches during November – of which Guinness has been the official beer since 2007 – was also blamed. England, Scotland and Ireland played four home matches in the autumn internationals series, while Wales played three in November.
Diageo has reassured drinkers that taps will not run dry this Christmas and the company is said to be working at 100% production capacity. It is now believed to be allocating supplies around the UK on a weekly basis to ensure it has enough stock to meet demand over Christmas.
A Diageo spokesperson said: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain. We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”
UK supplies of Guinness – and its alcohol-free version – are exported from Ireland and centred at the famous St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin. A second brewery is currently under construction in County Kildare. Guinness was also previously brewed in London, but this site was closed in 2005.
