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Food & Drink

30th Jan 2023

Guinness is now the best-selling beer in British pubs

Fiona Frawley

queen elizabeth and prince philip smiling in front of a guinness tap

Who’da thought it?

As the aesthetic value of a pint of plain continues to increase as rapidly as the cost-of-living, it’s probably not a huge surprise to many that Guinness is currently the best-selling beer in British pubs.

New figures show that our national stout narrowly beat out top rival Carling in terms of value of sales, and now accounts for 1 in 9 pints in London after enjoying an impressive 19% sales boost in Europe last year.

The research was conducted by data & insight consultancy CGA, and the Daily Mail have attested the unfaltering popularity of Guinness in part to its ability to keep up with market trends – for example, becoming completely vegan in 2018 by omitting fish bladders from its brewing filters and working alongside Irish farmers to ensure sustainable agriculture practices.

Guinness’s UK rise could also be attributed to the admirable slog @shitlondonguinness has been putting in – maybe everyone’s looking for a chance to be featured on the page, or perhaps people have been inspired to begin their own quest for that elusive beverage: a decent pint in London.

 

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A post shared by @shitlondonguinness

Of course, it could just be the fact that more Irish people are living in the UK these days, but where’s the fun in that?

Speaking to the Daily Mail about the success of the Guinness brand, Senior Account Manager at creative agency Red Brick Road Max Fairhurst said:

‘It’s the romance of Guinness – it’s consistency – the fact that my Grandpa drank it in pubs as does my Dad.’

‘Its marketing is as incredible and historic as the drink itself… Guinness is a colossal corporate worldwide brand, but its marketing with its rich history gives it a friendly, reassuring and familiar feel.’

‘When so many pubs and ales my Grandpa drank at in his twenties have closed, there’s something nice about going down to the pub and having a Guinness just like he would have done with his mates at my age 61 years ago.’

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