Heineken UK said Murphy’s Irish Stout is now available on draught at more than 500 pubs and plans to increase that number – and Beamish appears to be throwing its hat into the ring as well.
Demand for Guinness in the UK took off so much in the lead-up to Christmas, owner Diageo had issues supplying enough to the on-trade and some venues even took to rationing pints of the ‘black stuff’ to ensure all customers could enjoy a drink.
Diageo cited statistics from CGA that showed 4.5m more pints of Guinness were sold at pubs and bars in December 2024 than in March 2024 – a period that included two weekends of Men’s Six Nations and St Patrick’s Day.
Furthermore, the festive month saw 6.1m more pints sold than in February 2024, which had three weeks of Men’s Six Nations rugby action.
And despite a 1.2% decline in the total beer category volumes from July to 28 December, Guinness draught grew its volume sales by 21%.
A Diageo spokesperson said: “Demand continues to grow at unprecedented levels but we have made good progress in replenishing stock levels in GB as we said we would throughout January.
“We have a strong plan in place to supply our customers and consumers, not only for February and March, but also as we move into the summer.”
Authentic alternative
However, Heineken UK – which stated Murphy’s is its focus for stout in the UK – moved quickly to fill the void created by a lack of Guinness at pubs.
Heineken UK on-trade director Will Rice explained Murphy’s on draught can be found in more than 500 pubs across the UK and added this number is growing to “meet the demand we’re seeing from consumers and operators”.
He added: “We have seen demand for Murphy’s growing over the past year but we really helped to give this a boost just before Christmas with our Good Things Come To Those Who Are Waiting activity.
“We know the lead-up to Christmas is a great time for pubs, and for beer and stout in particular, and being able to offer an authentic alternative to the market leader and keep stout drinkers happy was fantastic.
“Murphy’s is well placed to build on this growth this year, delivering excitement for UK consumers and sales for UK operators. While we have seen growth across the whole of the country, particular surges have been recorded in the north-west and across London.”
Another brand originating from Cork in the south of Ireland is Beamish and that is also available on draught on UK shores but only at a limited number of sites – and for a short time period only, according to London pubs Daffodil Mulligan and Gibney’s London.
An Instagram post from the two sites does, however, explain they hope to get beamish back on draught on a permanent basis.
Rice quoted stats on Murphy’s – which is brewed in Tadcaster, Yorkshire – swift rise, saying year-on-year sales in December had grown by a staggering 632%.
No flash in the pan
He said: “This certainly isn’t a flash in the pan. The brand has increased steadily over the past 18 months and we’re seeing no indication that there is a move from operators to take Murphy’s off bars in 2025.
“Murphy’s is being listed in venues across the sector. It has good pick up in the Star Pubs estate but it has grown particularly strongly in the independent free-trade (IFT) channel.
“In fact, although across 2024 Murphy’s saw an overall increase in draught sales of a whopping 176%, the IFT over indexed, growing by 236% in 2024.”
A map of where on-trade customers can find a pint of Murphy’s can be found by clicking on this link.
Rice summarised: “With its smooth and creamy taste, along with its authentic Irish heritage, it’s no surprise interest in Murphy’s is surging.
“We’re now stocking in more pubs across the UK than ever before. We’ve seen steady growth over the past 18 months, with spikes over the summer in 2024. The real boost that we have seen has been over the festive period, however.”
There are plenty of stouts available across the UK on-trade – and not just Irish classics. Here, Neil Walker, beer sommelier and head of communications at the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates (SIBA) tells The Morning Advertiser about some of the stouts available for pubs from independent brewers here.
And previously, The Morning Advertiser took a look at why Guinness has become such a phenomenon and how it has caught the eye of many world-famous celebrities., which followed on from an earlier feature on ‘Stout Wars’.
Meanwhile, beer author Pete Brown wrote an exclusive opinion article on the impact Guinness shortages would have on the UK last year.
