Guinness supplies are being rationed over Christmas and New Year as huge demand for the Irish stout threatens to outstrip supply.
Pub bosses are understood to have been told they face limits on how many kegs of Guinness they will receive in the run-up to Christmas.
The rationing comes as Diageo, the company that makes the stout, seeks to ensure there is enough Guinness to supply pubs across the festive season.
Restrictions are in place to avoid shortages over the crucial final weeks through to Christmas and New Year.
Diageo is understood to have stressed that it needs to manage supply after weeks where surging sales of the Irish stout have strained supplies.
Supplies of the stout have also been strained owing to so-called ‘Guinnfluencers’, which have boosted the drink’s popularity among women and young people allied to the act of 'Splitting The G.'
Guinness sales were around 19% higher in the four weeks through to early November than they were last year, according to figures from industry group CGA.
The recent spike in sales is believed to have been driven by the recent Autumn Rugby Internationals matches as well as the cold spell of weather.
However, it is part of a broader trend that has seen Guinness grow in popularity over the last year.
The launch of the non-alcoholic version of the drink has also broadened its appeal.
A Diageo executive said in August that sales of Guinness 0.0 were soaring, and predicted that the alcohol-free Guinness could one day be more popular than its traditional counterpart.
“Over the past month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness,” a Diageo spokesperson said.
“We have maximised supply and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”
Diageo had reportedly been working at 100% production capacity, with supplies being allocated on a weekly basis to ensure adequate stock for the Christmas period.
Guinness is made and exported from Dublin’s St James's Gate brewery, with another facility under construction in County Kildare.
Diageo shares climbed 0.8% on Thursday.
