(Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP Images)
Earlier this month, The Morning Advertiser reported that Guinness has begun limiting beer supply to wholesalers and distributors across the U.K. The move follows a 20% rise in consumption over the past year, spearheaded in large part by popularity among younger drinkers.
"Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in GB [Great Britain]," a brand spokesperson told The Morning Advertiser. "We have maximized supply and we are working proactively with our consumers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible."
The situation has grown so dire that some pubs have begun taking matters into their own hands. London-based The Old Ivy House went viral last week after it posted an image of a so-called Guinness Ration Card that required a staff signature before customers could order a pint. According to the pub's rules, guests must order at least two other beers before indulging in the seasonal favorite.
But how exactly did Guinness make the jump from old reliable to fashionable upstart?
At first glance, a 265-year-old beer brand may seem like an odd fit for Gen Z consumers, many of whom are more accustomed to CBD gummies and adaptogenic drinks than they are to a frothy stout. The trend calls to mind Pabst Blue Ribbon's resurgence in the late 2010s. Unlike Pabst, however, which made a comeback thanks to hipsters, Guinness' popularity rests squarely on the shoulders of social media influencers. Or, as many have taken to calling them, Guinnfluencers.
Kim Kardashian jumpstarted the craze last year when she was spotted sipping the beer during a St. Patrick's Day pub crawl in London. Months later, pop star Olivia Rodrigo arrived at a concert in Dublin wearing a tank top that read "Guinness Is Good 4U." Diageo Chief Executive Debra Crew says that these endorsements, both of which appear to have been unpaid, helped accelerate a 24% rise in female drinkers for the brand.
Viral drinking challenges have also had a big role to play. The most enduring of the bunch is "Splitting the G," a trend that challenges drinkers to reduce their pint to the middle of the "G" logo on the outside of their glass. Even Urban Dictionary has penned a write-up. On the less savory side of things, we find the Gonster, a 50:50 split of Guinness and Monster Energy that calls to mind all the hangover-inducing debauchery of a pre-2010 Four Loko.
This string of grassroots successes is now being leveraged into branded opportunities.
Guinness has cemented its appeal in the fashion world with a series of collaborations alongside JW Anderson, Lucky Brand and Over The Pitch. Taking note of the Instagram-friendly cookie craze, the brand recently teamed up with Levain Bakery for a limited-edition cookie tin that paired with Guinness Draught Stout.
From influencers to drinking challenges to merch drops, Guinness has tackled just about every angle that qualifies a successful alcohol brand in 2024. As pubs across the U.K. brace for a winter of supply shortages, upper management at Diageo is almost certainly dreaming up ways to keep the momentum rolling into next year.
“It feels like the toilet roll shortages during Covid — the more coverage that comes, the worse the situation gets!" Richard Hall, the managing director of Inn Express, told The New York Times.
