Guinness is to raid its Irish reserves to help ease shortages in the UK, it has been reported.
An increase in demand on social media has left pubs across the UK at risk of going dry. But now reserves known as security stocks, usually earmarked for Irish customers, are being used to support landlords in the UK, the Sunday Times reports.
A spokesman for Diageo, which owns Guinness, said demand was at “unprecedented levels” and thanked customers for their patience. They added: “We are producing more Guinness today than we have ever done in our 265-year history, and we continue to work closely with customers across our network to manage Guinness distribution as efficiently as possible, ensuring we maximize supply and minimize disruption for pubs and retailers.”
As the Manchester Evening News reported, some pubs even went to extreme lengths to issue ‘ration cards’ to limit the number of Guinness punters could purchase, to ensure everyone got their fair share. There were also reports that some breweries were starting to limit the number of casks pubs could buy at one time due to the national shortage.
Last week, Jonathon Barnes, manager of Northern Quarter pub Gullivers, said: “We ran out of our last barrel yesterday, the shortage going into the new year, I feel we’re definitely going to lose money on it.”
Guinness, which used to be the drink of choice for older men and rugby clubs, has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. It now has a new, young and hip fan base fueled by online influencers and trends such as ‘splitting the G’, a party trick where drinkers aim to finish their first sip of a pint halfway across the ‘G’ on the Guinness glass.
