The Red Lion Hotel in Spalding, is currently on it’s last barrel of Guinness as a result of the UK’s national shortage
A town pub says it is down to its last barrel of Guinness and has been forced to switch to an alternative ale to keep customers happy over the festive period.
As a result of so called ‘guin-fluencers’ setting a new social media trend, the UK is now suffering from a national shortage of Guinness, due to a surge in stout drinkers.
The ‘Splitting the G’ challenge, which is popular on TikTok, requires participants to drink a pint of Guinness in one gulp, so the line between the foam and the stout falls in the middle of the letter ‘G’, on the side of the traditional glass.
The Red Lion, which is located on Market Place in Spalding, is currently on it’s last barrel and is hoping their next delivery will arrive in time for Christmas.
Kirsty Berry, who is the General Manager, said: “We are currently facing an issue with how much Guinness we can sell.
“We are on our last connected barrel and we have to switch to the Camden Stout because we can't get any from our supplier.
“We will hopefully be getting some delivered next Monday, but our supplier told us it will only be one barrel per pub – one barrel normally lasts us a day, so it’s not ideal for the Christmas period.”
The shortage follows the announcement made by the beverage company, Diageo, which said Guinness supplies to England, Scotland and Wales would be limited.
As a result of this, the Spalding pub has made the decision to order extra Camden Stout for customers, and hopes people will understand and enjoy the alternative.
Kirsty added: “Most people haven't complained or noticed too much so we just hope they are happy with the alternative.
“We’re not too worried because we do have a different option, although we have noticed an influx in the number of customers ordering Guinness Zero.
“Our main issue would be if there was a shortage in Guinness Zero, because that is one of our most popular options from the non-alcoholic line that we offer.”
A Spalding-based stout drinker, who wished to stay anonymous, was influenced to try Guinness due to the social media trend and believes it could increase the popularity of other stout options.
He said: “I would be very disappointed if I wasn’t able to get any. I first tried a Guinness in May this year on a night out with some mates and I would probably say I was influenced by the social media trend.
“When I heard there was a shortage I was surprised but I haven’t been affected by it yet. I would like to try other stouts so having a shortage of Guinness might increase the popularity of other stouts.
“Without the trend I probably wouldn’t have tried it however, since trying it I have enjoyed them and tried other options recently.”
Have you been affected by the shortage? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
