Pubgoers warned of Christmas Guinness shortage and rationing ahead of busy festive party season

Pints of Guinness are set to be rationed in pubs up and down the country, according to brewery owner Diageo. It comes after a sudden rush in sales of over recent weeks that has depleted stocks.

The pub stock shortage was reported by The Times, with the newspaper stating that the sparsity in pints of Guinness came after a sudden spike amongst women amid the rise of the so-called ‘Guinnfluencers’. It also coincided with a run of rugby union international matches, which saw demand skyrocket.

Diageo said that the number of kegs that can be ordered by pubs were being “managed”. It is believed that Diageo would be assessing allocations on a weekly basis to ensure that pubs across the UK had their fair share of the black stuff over the festive period.

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

The popularity of Guinness has skyrocketed with younger generations in recent years, with trends such as the #GuinnessChallenge, which saw participants try to pour the perfect pint and post the results to social media. Recent advertising campaigns have also included stars such as Lewis Capaldi and Jason Mamoa in a bid to appeal to younger customers.

Guiness has also bucked the trend across the brewing industry overall. While the number of pints pour from July to October dipped slightly, the amount of Guinness pints from the keg served in the same period increased by a fifth, according to food and drinks industry research firm CGA.