Supermarket stout sales soar as pubs battle Guinness ‘shortage’

London: So, it turns out that stout sales in UK supermarkets have really taken off lately. Apparently, there’s been some buzz about a Guinness shortage, and it’s got pubs scrambling. Some places even started handing out “ration cards” for pints during the busy holiday season. Can you believe that?

Retail sales of stouts jumped by 13% in December, which is pretty impressive, especially since overall beer sales dipped a bit. It seems like everyone is trying to get their hands on a pint of Guinness, the UK’s top stout. But with the supply issues, some pubs are feeling the pinch.

Diageo, the company behind Guinness, says the shortage is due to record demand. They’ve been struggling to keep up, and some pubs are reporting that suppliers are limiting keg deliveries. It’s a bit of a mess, but Diageo assures everyone that things should be back to normal soon, especially with the Six Nations rugby tournament coming up.

Interestingly, Guinness sales were nearly 20% higher in the weeks leading up to early November compared to last year. Some folks on social media are even questioning if this shortage is real or just a clever marketing ploy by Diageo. They’ve denied any such claims, though.

Guinness has been shaking off its old image as just a drink for older guys and rugby fans. It’s becoming more popular with women and younger crowds, which is great to see. In fact, it now makes up one in every nine pints sold in the UK, and it even overtook Carling as the best-selling beer in British pubs this year.

With all this talk about Guinness, other stout brands are also seeing a boost. Murphy’s, owned by Heineken, reported a huge spike in demand, and even smaller breweries like Anspach & Hobday are experiencing a surge in interest. It’s like people are discovering that there’s more to stouts than just Guinness.

So, while some supermarkets are raking in the sales, it’s clear that the stout scene is buzzing. It’s a wild time for beer lovers in the UK, and it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the coming weeks.