Be thankful that you live in Donegal if you happen to be a Guinness drinker.
An upsurge in the demand for the black stuff in the UK has left pubs facing a shortage of Ireland’s favourite brew.
Diageo, the multinational drinks firm that owns Guinness, said it had seen “exceptional consumer demand” over the past month for stout.
“We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible,” a spokesperson for Diageo said.
According to The Times, pub groups warned venue managers of the prospect of limited stock in the lead-up to Christmas, with one saying in an email to venues “we have had to place stock on allocation for you”.
One pub company warned their managers that “quantities may be limited through the festive season.”
In May UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon said demand for Guinness helped it to higher sales over the previous three months.
The company’s founder and chairman Tim Martin said at the time the group had benefited from the rocketing popularity of Guinness – previously pigeonholed to an image of an older generation’s, mostly male drink – and a revival for some traditional ale.
“The gods of fashion have smiled upon Guinness, previously consumed by blokes my age, but now widely adopted by younger generations,” Mr Martin said.
The #GuinnessChallenge, a viral sensation, took over Instagram and TikTok last year with videos of perfectly poured pints filling the feeds of younger drinkers, turning the stout into emblem of coolness.
Women have also helped drive a higher uptake of the stout in recent years.
