Pint-sized panic: Viral Guinness craze drains UK pubs and triggers liquor rationing

LONDON, Dec. 16 — At her London pub, owner Kate Davidson has decided to issue Guinness ration cards, but the beer is still sold out due to a British shortage of Ireland’s national drink.

Bars across Britain, even Ireland, have reported limited stocks of the black stuff since Guinness owner Diageo announced earlier this month that it was experiencing “exceptional consumer demand”.

“I’m a little shocked because it’s Christmas,” said Davidson, co-owner of the Old Ivy House, where an empty Guinness glass upside down signaled that the tap was dry.

“I didn’t expect them to be sold out at this time of year,” the 42-year-old told AFP in a cozy bistro in the Clerkenwell district of central London.

A number of factors have made Diageo a victim of its own success.

Earlier this year, Diageo chief executive Debra Crew said consumption of Guinness had increased by 24% among women, as the company overhauled its marketing strategy to attract new consumers.

So-called “Guinnfluencers” online — including Kim Kardashian, who posted a photo of herself with the beer on Instagram — have been credited with fueling the stout’s appeal among Gen Z.

And a viral online craze where drinkers take a big gulp to try to line up the beer with the glass’s Guinness logo in a challenge called “Split the G” has also helped.

“Guinness Rationing”

Diageo has started restricting the number of barrels of Guinness that British pubs can buy due to booming stout sales.

This dark, creamy liquid, traditionally considered the drink of choice for rugby fans and bearded middle-aged men, has gained popularity among young women.

Davidson first realized there was a problem when she tried to place her normal weekly order of seven or eight barrels, only to be told she could only buy four.

“The brewery confirmed that they were being rationed by Diageo, so they were passing that ration on to us,” she explained.

Davidson and his business partner came up with the idea of ​​introducing the ration card, which requires customers to buy two more drinks before they can buy a Guinness.

He notes “those hard times of Guinness rationing.”

“It’s just a bit of fun, really,” Davidson said. “No one turned around and walked out.”

“Panic buying”

Despite the initiative, the barrels – which each hold 88 pints of Guinness – were empty on Friday evening. The drink will not be available again until the next delivery on Wednesday.

“It’s a bit sad,” tattoo artist and Guinness fan Claudia Russo, 39, told AFP, knocking back a Bloody Mary instead.

Guinness sales by volume in Britain soared by almost 21 per cent between July and October, despite a gradual decline in the overall beer market, according to CGA brand food and drink market research. by NIQ.

“Over the past month, we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Britain,” a Diageo spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP.

“We have maximized supply and are proactively working with our customers to manage distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”

Shaun Jenkinson, operations director at Irish pub chain Katie O’Brien’s, said they had received “around 70 per cent of the stock needed to fulfill orders at present”.

He told AFP by email that he had received “continuous warnings from wholesalers that they do not expect to be able to meet our needs in the run-up to Christmas.”

The Times reported this month that the shortage was encouraging “panic buying” – a deterioration in supplies.

“Stop young people drinking Guinness and there won’t be this problem anymore,” author Howard Thomas, 79, told AFP at Old Ivy House.

“Save it for the old people.” -AFP