In the UK, warnings have emerged that the popular Irish beer Guinness could run out before Christmas.
Pub owners report implementing rationing systems, while supermarket shelves are empty as beer-drinking Brits panic buy to avoid shortages.
The dark stout’s scarcity is attributed to soaring demand overwhelming the production chain, leaving pub owners surprised by the pressure.
– I’m a bit shocked because it’s Christmas. I wouldn’t have expected them to run out at this time of year, London bar owner Kate Davidson told AFP.
A number of bars across the country are reportedly already running out of the beer, prompting Guinness owner Diageo to start limiting the number of kegs each outlet can buy.
Kate Davidson explains how she tried to order eight kegs – the same number she usually orders each week. However, she was told that this was no longer possible and that she was only allowed to buy four kegs – the equivalent of 88 beers.
– The brewery confirmed that Diageo forced them to ration, she explains.
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This means that Davidson’s bar and many others in the country now have to introduce a rationing system themselves, so that a customer who wants to order a Guinness must first buy two other drinks.
Many UK food and drink outlets are also seeing a clear increase in demand, to the point where restrictions or rationing-like systems have been introduced, but it is not entirely clear what is behind the increased demand for the drink.
The company that owns Guinness says it has maximized beer production – but still can’t keep up. One theory is that the unexpected increase in consumption, particularly among women and young people, is due to a social media trend of filming or photographing oneself taking as big a sip as possible.
