Guinness supplies down this month as landlords struggle to meet demand. (Image: Getty)
Landlords are “panic buying” Guinness after distributors limit the amount of stock going to businesses this December. Pub managers across the UK are all facing a shortage of the popular drink, with one owner saying it will “cripple him”.
The landlord of an Irish pub in Liverpool, Steven Crosbie, says that Guinness is his top-selling beverage. He told the : “If I can’t get it in it will probably cripple me.”
Steven typically gets 12 50-litre barrels per week delivered from his distributor, yet last week he said that he could only get one.
This sentiment has been echoed throughout the industry as owners are struggling to keep up with the demand.
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Suppliers are limiting stock to ensure there is enough for Christmas. (Image: Getty)
Operations manager at the Irish pub chain Katie O’Brien’s, Shaun Jenkinson, says how “it’s been hard work”, adding that he is unsure whether they will have enough of the drink to make it through the weekend.
A London landlord, Enda Murray, explains how his supplier has restricted his businesses to just one or two kegs per pub. As this is only 10 percent of what is required, Enda has turned to another distributor to ensure they have enough for the next week.
Guinness is a unique tasting stout of Irish origin which is now owned by the British alcoholic beverage company Diageo. A spokesperson told the : “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in GB.
“We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”
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According to new data from CGA, Guinness sales have increased throughout 2024, with volumes sold in kegs up by more than a fifth between July and October compared to the same period last year.
Enda says: “We’ve seen a massive upshot in young people especially drinking Guinness.” She explained that this is due to “the trend of splitting the G, all the Guinness influencers, everyone seems to want to be a Guinness influencer”.
“Splitting the G” is where drinkers try to take a large enough first gulp so that the top of the stout becomes level to halfway down the ‘G’ in the word on the pint glass.