British pubs are worried they will run out of Guinness

CNN
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London’s Sheephaven Bay pub, tucked behind Camden High Street, holds more than 50% of Guinness. draft beer sales. Owner Pat Logue told CNN that he has sold double the amount of Guinness this year than he did two years ago.

An Irish stout known for its distinctive warm brown color, creamy head of foam and unique pouring method (a proper pint of Guinness takes 119.5 seconds). throw away), has long been known as the pub drink of choice for rugby boys and men.

However, in the last two years, Guinness has grown in popularity, especially among young people and women.

From July to October, beer sale In the UK it fell by 0.5%, according to figures from CGA food and drink companies. However, at the same time, beer sales increased by 23.2%. For Diageo, which owns Guinness brand Specifically, sales of Guinness in kegs increased by 20.9%.

By the end of October, Guinness It was the best-selling beer in the UK by volume through 2024, according to Nielsen data shared with CNN.

Social media influencers and marketing campaigns have helped dispel Guinness as a drink for older men. Logue thanked the TikTok influencers for making beer trendy and showcasing different pubs through video comments ranking and comparing London’s best pints.

He said it’s no surprise that a group of six young people — three boys and three girls — walked up to the bar in Sheephaven Bay. and order a round of Guinness – which he said was unheard of a few years ago.

“It used to be thought of as an old man’s drink, but now it’s for everyone,” Logue said. “Now that’s a cool drink.”

With the sudden surge in demand, Diageo has told some pub owners that it would impose limits on Guinness allocations to ensure distribution can last through the holiday season.

“We have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness (in Great Britain) over the past month,” a Diageo spokesman said in a statement. “We have maximized supply and are proactively working with our customers to manage distribution as efficiently as possible.”

Allotment limits do not affect all pubs. But pub owners told CNN they are tired of not having enough supply to meet demand, especially during the holiday season, which is often the busiest time of year and vital to weekly profit margins.

Logue, which goes through 40 to 50 barrels a week, got an order for 60 barrels on Friday. He said he was nervous until the shipment arrived, and was relieved to have enough stock for this week.

While growth among distillers and brewers has slowed over the past year, Diageo’s Guinness has bucked the trend, said Morningstar equity analyst Verushka Shetty.

In March, Diageo opened a village marketing campaign With actor Jason Momoa, Shetty said, it helped in the growth of the brand.

“The brand is growing in popularity, especially among women and Generation Z,” he said.

During Diageo’s year-end earnings call in July, CEO Debra Crew said Guinness had a 15% increase in global net sales in the 2024 financial year.

Crew said Diageo had “engaged more Guinness consumers” through marketing campaigns like with Momoa and partnered with influencers to “co-create content and shape the brand”.

In Great Britain, women’s consumption of Guinness increased by 27% from 2022 events to 2023, according to Crew.

As well as working with content creators, Diageo’s Crew said it expects the company’s business partnerships with sporting events such as the Premier League and Six Nations Rugby to continue to support demand.

At The Auld Shillelagh in the London suburb of Stoke Newington, which has been the “House of Guinness” since 1991, shipments of Irish stout barrels arrive two or three times a week. Aonghus Leydon, who co-owns the pub with his brother, told CNN that while they’ve always been known for Guinness, he’s noticed an increase in popularity in recent years.

“Guinness has always been a fairly high-volume product for us. But yes, in the last two years I would say that Guinness sales have increased,” he said. Irish stout now accounts for up to 70% of pub sales.

Leydon, from Roscommon, Ireland, said compared to 10 years ago the number of young people drinking Guinness has increased significantly.

“Our customers are mostly in their early 20s to early 30s and most would be Guinness drinkers,” Leydon said. “It’s pretty mixed gender-wise.”

Drinking in a pub in London’s Shoreditch, Harry Evans, 26, told CNN he loves Guinness because it’s smooth, drinkable and “less gassy” than other beers. “I drink all year round,” he said.

Leydon said in his 37 years in the business he had never had a problem with the supply of Guinness. This explains why some pub owners are concerned that there may be allocation limits.

Leydon has not yet been notified of the allocation limit, but said they have been anxious to receive shipments.

While Diageo cited “unprecedented” demand in Britain, its popularity has also grown in the US. According to Nielsen, Guinness was the most imported beer in the US in the last 12 months ending in October.

In Europe, Guinness 0.0, the alcohol-free version of the stout, doubled net sales in FY2024, according to Diageo.

At The Dead Rabbit in Manhattan, founder and managing partner Jack McGarry said he sold as much Guinness in the first 10 months of 2024 as he did in 2023.

McGarry, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, said Irish culture is having a moment in the public eye, which bodes well for Guinness.

He also said that the young man believes that Guinness is a light and low-calorie beer. A 20 ounce pint of Guinness contains approx 210 caloriesAbout the same as a lager like Stella Artois with about 224 calories in a 20-ounce pint. And Guinness is only 4.2% ABV, comparable to a light beer like Michelob Ultra.

“All of our bars are selling more than we did last year,” McGarry said. The Dead Rabbit also has an outpost in Austin, Texas.

Victor Boyd, owner of Iona Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is originally from Dublin. His bar has been pouring Guinness for 25 years, he said, and he’s also noticed an uptick in popularity recently.

It’s not just among young people, though, Boyd says. He said social media reviews of the best pints of Guinness in New York have helped raise the bar’s profile for many people.

“Others have discovered the satisfaction of a stout with less alcohol and calories than many other beers,” Boyd said.

CNN’s Maisie Linford contributed reporting