A new Guinness stunt is making boozers boom and it is all to do with splitting the G and if you don’t what that means you can read all about the popular trend below
Booming stout sales have been credited with reviving Britain’s struggling pub trade – as new data shows “green shoots of recovery” in the sector.
Demand for the black stuff, led by top-seller Guinness, famous for its “Guinness is good for you” slogan, has soared by 20.6% Sales of the Irish tipple are well ahead of overall draught beer sales, which are up by around 2%.
The figures for the week to November 30 signalled the first signs of a turnaround for struggling publicans after years of decline, said industry analysts Oxford Partnership, which released the data.
A rush at bars for the dark beer is believed to have been sparked by an online trend for “splitting the G”, whereby drinkers try take a big enough first swig of the stout so it comes to halfway down the G in the word Guinness on the pint glass.
Sales were boosted by thirsty shoppers taking pint pitstops between scouring for bargains on last month’s Black Friday.
Other draught stouts popular with drinkers include Murphy’s, Camden Brewery’s Ink and Fuller’s London Black Cab Stout.
Pub app MiXR said it expected a further sales boom next Saturday (December 21) when fight fans pack pubs to watch Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The firm said its data showed pub Christmas bookings were 14% higher than December last year and predicted that visits to inns would increase further as uni students prepared to toast the end of term.
CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker also revealed beverage sales were ahead of the same period last year.
It said beer and cider were both enjoying above-inflation growth rates of 5% and 4% respectively.
But wine and champagne sales were down by 2%, while demand for spirits had fallen by 12%.
Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial lead for the UK and Ireland, said: “It’s always tricky to make year-on-year comparisons at this time of year, but these numbers provide cautious confidence that the on-trade can end 2024 on a high.”
It comes after Guinness makers Diageo was forced to ration kegs following “exceptional consumer demand” at UK pubs.
The company said: “We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”