The beer is a common sight in pubs in the Republic of Ireland. (Image: Getty)
has always been a staple of pubs in Ireland and the UK, with many preferring a “pint of the black stuff” to a lager. Though it’s always had younger fans, some had come to regard it as something of an “old man’s drink” in recent years, until suddenly, almost inexplicably, awakened to its charms on a mass scale.
It’s hard to pinpoint the main factor that led to the drink becoming the go-to tipple for 20-somethings over the past couple of years. Part of it was thought to have been the virality of the “Splitting the G” drinking game. In it, people take turns glugging just enough so that the top of the milky head perfectly fits through the gap in G on the Guinness label.
At the same time, a fetishisation of finding authentic pubs with perfectly poured Guinness was proliferating online.Massive American stars like and Olivia Rodrigo were also reported to have become fans of the drink, further adding to its cultural cachet.
:
Beamish is among Ireland’s biggest stouts. (Image: Getty)
Though it sounds like the kind of surge in interest any brand would die for, Diageo, the British-based multinational that owns Guinness, appeared to be caught off-guard by the surge in popularity – and
, and inevitably publicans started looking for a worthy alternative stout.
It presented an opportunity for , a slightly sweeter rival Irish stout, to become a popular alternative and it’s become a more common sight in UK boozers.
What hasn’t yet caught on in Britain is Beamish, which like Murphy’s is owned by Heineken, and is seen as the third of Ireland’s “big three” where stouts are concerned.
[REPORT]
The stout is common site in Ireland but is a rare find in Britain. (Image: Getty)
It’s been brewed in Cork for over century, with Heineken buying the brand from Scottish & Newcastle in 2009. Beamish is currently produced at Heineken Ireland, formerly Murphy’s Brewery, on the north side of Cork city.
A beer-making hobbyist “closer to the center of the bitter-to-sweet spectrum”, compared to Guinness and Murphy’s, adding, “if Guinness is too bitter for you and Murphy’s is too sweet for you, have a Beamish”.
Some even believe it’s nicer than Guinness, with one : “Just cracked open my first ever can of Beamish and it’s bloody gorgeous.
They suggested it was like the creamiest pint of Guinness they’d ever had “only nicer”.
“If Guinness didn’t have the marketing budget they have I reckon this fella would be the stout of choice of the country,” they said.
Another Redditor was also keen to champion the lesser-known brew, declaring in : “I said it.. Beamish in my opinion is the best stout, its just a shame pubs outside Cork (odd few in Dublin have it) do not sell it.”
Meanwhile, a further social media user joining in a debate on said: “I personally prefer Beamish to all of them. But there are new craft brews in recent years that have come out in Ireland.
He added that the Porterhouse in Dublin “makes their own one called Wrasslers” which he claimed is better than the lot.
However, you may struggle to find a pint of Beamish in Britain, with Heineken announcing its intention back in 2009 to focus on the domestic market.
However, according to the there are whispers of the brand making a push beyond Ireland this year.
The company has been approached for comment.
Guinness previously said that with demand continuing to be at “unprecedented levels” it would “continue to allocate supplies on a managed basis until the end of December, before beginning a phased replenishment of the supply chain in January to ensure a return to normal in Great Britain for the Guinness “, which began on January 31.