CHELTENHAM racegoers face a Guinness blackout after pubs near Prestbury Park told of their “concerns” over a shortage for this year’s festival.
Brewers Diageo have been forced to restrict supply of the popular tipple following “exceptional consumer demand” at UK pubs.
One boozer beside the track which usually sells up to 50 kegs on race week has been making do with just ONE.
Now pubs near the racecourse have revealed how they fear “a disaster” come race week.
Bosses at The Royal Oak, the closest pub to Cheltenham racecourse, last night admitted they were worried about next month.
Matt Beeson, manager of the boozer in Prestbury, told The Irish Sun: “I am struggling with supplies of Guinness. I have been limited by my brewery to one keg of Guinness a week.
“I usually go through about 45 to 50 kegs during race week. And at the minute I can only order one or two.
“Week in, week out, we’re usually two or three kegs. But race week we are like 45 to 50 in four days. It was 45 last year. There is a definite concern about supply.”
The Cheltenham Festival, which is the pinnacle of the jumps racing season, kicks-off on Tuesday, March 11.
The Irish Sun understands certain key stakeholders, such as the Guinness Village at Cheltenham, are ring-fenced by suppliers to ensure there is always enough available.
Punters at the racecourse will have to fork out a whopping £7.80, or around €9.30 for a pint of plain — a 30p increase in 2024 prices.
But nearby bars fear their taps could run dry — with some breweries threatening to jump ship to rival stout Murphy’s amid the crisis.
Mr Beeson, whose bar is owned by Butcome brewery, told us: “The company are threatening to put Murphy’s in. I don’t know whether that is in motion. It is all very day-to-day at the minute.”
Other bars close to the racecourse confirmed they have also been left scrambling amid the Guinness shortage.
Manoj Parkale, manager of the King’s Arms in Prestbury, told The Irish Sun: “We are facing a shortage just like others. It is a real issue.”
Popular bars in the heart of Cheltenham town centre have also been caught up in the Guinness crisis.
Independent boozer Tailors recently won the Racing TV Pub Of The Year — after being voted the best pub to watch horse racing in the UK.
‘NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY’
But Tom Bird, assistant manager of Tailors, told the Irish Sun: “Our cut has been pretty bad to be fair. Basically we are getting a fraction of what we were ordering.
“Every Christmas we order 30 barrels and we got four. It just goes.
GUINNESS OWNERS CONSIDER PINT OF SALE
DIAGEO is considering spinning off or selling its $10 billion Guinness beer business, according to reports.
The global brewing company has continued to announce rising costs in recent years, despite sales skyrocketing due to it’s popularity.
Diageo is also reviewing the future of its 34 per cent stake in Moet Hennessy, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
It comes at a tough time for Diageo boss Debra Crew, who has seen the company’s shares steadily decline under her leadership over the past year-and-a-half.
The company’s share price has fallen 27 per cent since Crew took over as chief executive 18 months ago.
The company has already reportedly looked at the potential sale of its Pimms liqueur and Ciroc vodka brands over the past year.
The fresh reports said people familiar with the matter said a potential spin-off or sale of Guinness is being studied among a range of possibilities.
Bloomberg reported that the Irish stout business could be valued north of $10 billion (€9.5 billion), if it looked at a possible stock market listing or gauged possible takeover interest.
In July, the company said strong sales of Guinness, particularly in the UK, helped to drive an 18 per cent rise in beer sales across the company.
It came as the group revealed total sales dropped for the first time in around four years, amid weaker demand for scotch and rum.
Earlier this year, the maker of Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Hop House 13 announced they were raising the price of those draught kegs by 6c per pint on February 3.
Guinness 0.0 will meanwhile be raised by 9c per pint.
“I don’t know what the situation is going to be in the future. But if it is like this, it is not going to be pretty.”
A Diageo spokesperson said: “We are making progress in replenishing stock levels in our distribution network. Demand continues to grow at unprecedented levels, and we are taking a responsible and sustainable approach to managing that across all our customers.”
