In her pub in central London, Kate Davidson was forced to make an unprecedented decision: to ration Guinness, which is in short supply in the country, fueled by a renewed interest in the famous Irish beer.
In recent days, many bars and even some Irish pubs have reported having problems obtaining supplies from their usual suppliers. “I’m a little shocked because it’s Christmas. I never imagined they would be out of stock at this time of year”where pubs are particularly busy, explains Kate Davidson, 42 and co-owner of the Old Ivy House, a pub in the Clerkenwell district of central London. On his counter, an empty Guinness glass signals that the tap is dry.
The Diageo group, which produces Irish beer, has started to ration the volumes it sells to pubs due to a surge in demand. The thick, dark brew, traditionally touted as the favorite drink of rugby fans and men of a certain age, is seeing its popularity grow among young people, particularly young women. Guinness sales in volume jumped by almost 21% between July and October, despite a rather declining beer market, according to figures from specialist firm CGA by NIQ.
“Last month we saw exceptional consumer demand for Guinness”said a Diageo spokesperson in a statement sent to AFP. “We have maximized our offering and are working proactively with our customers to manage distribution […] as efficiently as possible”he added. The company specifies that the problem only concerns Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), and not Ireland or Northern Ireland.
“Guinnfluenceurs”
Kate Davidson realized there was a problem last Monday, when she tried to place her usual order for seven or eight barrels of Guinness and her supplier was only able to sell her four. They “confirmed that they were being rationed by Diageo, and so they were rationing us too”she explains. The owner and her partner therefore came up with the idea of introducing a ration card, which requires consumers to buy two more drinks before being allowed to order a Guinness. “No one turned on their heels and left (the pub)”she assures. Despite this initiative, the barrels – which each contain 88 pints of Guinness – were empty as of Friday evening. And the next delivery will not take place until Wednesday. “It’s a bit sad”recognizes Claudia Russo, a 39-year-old tattoo artist and big fan of Guinness, who opted for a Bloody Mary.
In the north of England, Shaun Jenkinson, director of the Irish pub chain Katie O’Brien’s, told AFP that he had not received any food for two weeks. “only about 70%” of the quantity usually necessary to supply its establishments. And the channel received “continuous warnings from suppliers that they do not expect to be able to meet (his) needs by Christmas”.
Earlier this year, Diageo chief executive Debra Crew said Guinness consumption was up 24% among women as the group shifted its marketing strategy to attract new consumers. On social networks, influencers, renamed “Guinnfluenceurs”, have fueled the renewed success of the famous beer, whose star Kim Kardashian who posted a photo of herself drinking Guinness on Instagram. Some put themselves on stage by trying to complete the challenge of aligning, in a single sip, the quantity of liquid with the bar in the middle of the letter “G” on the Guinness logo written on the glass. To stop the shortage, Howard Thomas, 79, met by AFP at the Old Ivy House, has a solution: “Stop young people from drinking Guinness and there won’t be any more problems. Let’s save it for the old.”.
