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‘Our cellar will run dry tonight’: How Guinness shortage has left publicans fearing nightmare Christmas

After UK is hit with a nationwide shortage of the black stuff, publicans fear their cellars may run dry at the busiest time of the year

Amelia Stout
Wednesday 11 December 2024 15:57 GMT
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Patrick Fitzsimons, landlord of the Faltering Fullback pub, in north London, says he is on course to run out of Guinness this week
Patrick Fitzsimons, landlord of the Faltering Fullback pub, in north London, says he is on course to run out of Guinness this week (Citystack London Pub Collection)

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“Our cellar will run dry tonight,” says Patrick Fitzsimons, who has run the Faltering Fullback, a major Irish pub in north London, for the last 23 years.

He’s due to run out of Guinness, the drink of choice for his rugby-loving punters, some time this evening (December 11) - and won’t get another delivery until the end of the week.

It comes amid a countrywide Guinness shortage, brought on by a surge in demand, that is expected to last at least until Christmas. This has seen suppliers forced to ration kegs and, in turn, pub owners like Mr Fitzsimons scrambling to get hold of “the black stuff”.

“It’s been very difficult,” he says. “We’re a very high-volume customer. We normally do 35 to 50 kegs a week and we’re down to 12. It’s not going to be enough to meet demand. Lots of suppliers have nothing in their yards anymore.

“There’s been lots of people stockpiling which has been drying up supply as well. That inflates the price obviously. If I was to go to the wholesaler I’d be losing 20-30 pence a pint.

Pubs fear that problems with Guinness supply could hit their profits over the Christmas period
Pubs fear that problems with Guinness supply could hit their profits over the Christmas period (AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s already a busy time. A lot of planning goes into Christmas then for this to be thrown in at the last minute.”

Mr Fitzsimons thinks next week will likely be a similar story, with stocks running out around Wednesday ahead of a Friday delivery.

It isn’t the first time he’s been short of the iconic meal-in-a-glass drink, with rugby’s autumn internationals and Six Nations often putting a strain on supplies. But the lack of warning this time has made things even harder, he says.

“Two of my suppliers came to me on the same day last Thursday week and said this is happening. Those were the first rumours that came out about it’,” he added.

He hopes the shortage will force customers to consider the other stouts on the market, of which Guinness has historically had the lion share. He expects an uptick in sales of Murphy’s, for example, a brew already popular in Ireland.

But it is Guinness’s brand, not just its taste, that explains its astronomical popularity in recent years, according to the company. Brand director Joyce He told the Irish Times that the recent “splitting the G” trend, had been a driver of sales in the US. This is where drinkers attempt to swig enough of their pint on the first gulp that it settles in the centre of the “G” on their glass.

Guinness has gain popularity recently among younger drinkers
Guinness has gain popularity recently among younger drinkers (REUTERS)

“A lot more young people drink it now,” says Ann Flynn, another publican. She has run The Grapes in Sheffield, which is also facing shortages, for the last 63 years.

Ms Flynn caught wind of the shortage from a supplier a few weeks ago and managed to stock up. But now, even she is floundering.

“We are one of the biggest pubs for Guinness in Sheffield and we are struggling. This week from Carlsberg, no Guinness whatsoever. Koerners, half. At Christmas time, it’s a bit disappointing for people.”

But switching to another stout is far from simple at such short notice, she says. “You’d have to have to go to a supplier and have a new pump put in. You can’t pull Murphy’s through a Guinness pump because it’s a different setup.”

For Sheila Gavigan’s customers at The Cock Tavern, a Celtic supporters’ pub in central London, it’s similarly Guinness or nothing.

“I’m expecting to run out”, she said: “And if people don’t get their Guinness they’re not going to drink anything else so it’s going to affect business big, big time.

“We still have our mortgage to pay and our electricity and gas. Stressful is no word for it at the moment. We’ve never had a problem like this before. Never.”

Ms Gavigan normally gets 20 to 25 kegs a week, but this time has only been able to get eight. And, after a big Champions League fixture for Celtic on Tuesday and an Old Firm Derby against Rangers coming up on Sunday, she says it’s going to be one of the busiest weeks for her pub in “a very, very long time”.

“There’s Christmas parties booked in,” she continues. “There’s a wedding in for Thursday. Right now it’s just absolutely crazy.

“It’s going to be very very hard in the next couple of days. It’s going to be a total nightmare.”

A spokesperson for Diageo told The Independent: “Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in GB. We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”

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