The world nearly ran out of one of its favorite beers

Supply and demand are constantly in flux but a recent shortage caused a major brand some shock. Guinness, the company behind the world’s most famous dark beer, had to tap into its emergency supply so as not to run out. With distribution to just about every bar on planet Earth, Guinness is one of the largest producers in the land.

So how could the beer possibly stop flowing? It’s been reported that the holiday stretch in Britain took a huge dent out of the draft lines. So much so that Guinness had to retreat to its emergency beer stockpiles in Ireland to keep pint glasses full.

The brand responded by getting a new facility online to brew up the difference. Another operation is set to open in London later this year. It all comes after a stretch that apparently involved bars rationing their Guinness orders to patrons.

We’ve seen shortages like this with cult beverages like Pliny The Elder or rare wines, but it very rarely happens with major operations. Can you imagine walking into a bar where you’re limited to a single Guinness? Or entering a lottery just to get your paws on one?

Fortunately, it’s highly unlikely to happen again. Regardless, it’s a good problem to have for Guinness and parent company Diageo, as the beer netted a 13% sales growth in December of last year. To put things into perspective, something close to 2 billion pints of the iconic stout are poured around the world each year. That’s a lot of beer.

Keep up on all things beer here at The Manual. We’ve got related pieces on porter vs stout and craft beer terminology. Cheers.

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