Murphy’s stout served in 300 extra UK pubs as Guinness struggles to satisfy demand

Business is booming for Murphy’s Irish stout as Guinness is struggling to make enough to meet demand. Murphy’s went from being served in 200 pubs to 500 and is all the rage

Sales of Murphy’s Irish Stout are booming as rival Guinness struggles to knock out enough of the black stuff to meet demand.

The alternative ale, cheekily branded ‘It’s Not Black And White’, has jumped from being on draft in 200 pubs to 500 as young drinkers turn to it in huge numbers.

Around 100 pubs started serving Murphy’s in December alone.

Its owner and distributor Heineken, the world’s second largest brewer, said ‘overwhelming’ demand for Murphy’s had resulted in a 632% jump in on-trade sales in December.

That lifted annual sales 176% last year (2024).

The boom was helped by a high profile public relations campaign in response to reports pubs were running out of Guinness over the festive period.

Murphy’s bosses delivered kegs to boozers in time for Christmas Eve in vans bearing the slogan: “Good things come to those who are waiting…”

Will Rice, on-trade sales director at Heineken UK, said: “Obviously at a time when people are struggling people are going to ask if we can help and obviously we are more than happy to oblige.”

He said the renewed popularity of stout had generated not just “fun” for beer but “excitement in the pub industry which has enough of its own challenges”.

Historically Heineken has not performed strongly in the stout category in the UK due to Guinness’s widespread popularity.

But Rice said there was more potential for growth.

“We’re at a point now where customers who don’t necessarily trade with us for beer and cider are saying that they want Murphy’s,’” he said.

Heineken UK is planning to launch Murphy’s into more off-trade channels, via supermarkets and off-licences, later this year because “retailers are asking for it”.

“There are lots of different lager and cider options out there, but at the moment in stout there is one major option and we now think we can help expand those options as well as the broader appeal of stout,” he said.

He argued Murphy’s big advantage over Guinness was that being comparatively small “we have got everything to play for and not a lot to lose”.

The Guinness crisis emerged in the run-up to Christmas driven by a trend among Generation Z pub-goers wanting to pose with a pint in hand on social media.

The sudden surge in demand appeared to catch brewers by surprise and left landlords battling for stocks.

Many pubs started rationing vastly reduced supplies while some ran out altogether.

Supermarkets struggled to keep it on the shelves as customers started stockpiling cans.

Maker Diageo (corr), which brews Guinness at its St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, sent for back-up reserves from Ireland.

The crisis was not helped by the theft of a truck carrying 400 kegs (35,000 pints) from a depot near Daventry, Northants.

As the Guinness shortage hit Murphy’s bosses ramped up production to fill the void.

Ash Corbett-Collins, chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: “The UK is full of wonderful independent brewers and cider makers, creating a huge range of drinks for the public to sample and fall in love with.

“They are, however, struggling to compete against global brewers who have a stranglehold on the market, leaving little room for local producers to get their drinks behind the bar.’”

Diageo did not respond to a request for comment.

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