Irish brothers running pubs in London work together to avoid Guinness shortages
Colm and Breen Lynch, who are originally from Meath, have been stockpiling stout since rumours of shortages emerged
Two Irish brothers who run pubs in London are avoiding Guinness shortages, with one sibling couriering over supplies to the other.
Colm Lynch and his brother Breen have been attempting to stockpile the popular stout since they began hearing rumours of shortages at the start of December.
Colm runs The Hop Pole in Wandsworth, which boasts celebrity regulars such as Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi while Breen manages The White Hart on Whitechapel High Street.
The historic White Hart is on the Jack the Ripper tour because one of his earliest victims was killed at the back of the pub.
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The two brothers, originally from Kilberry, Co Meath, grew up behind the counter of their dad’s former bar Equus in Navan and they have now been at the helm of UK bars for over 20 years.
Guinness recently announced shortages in the UK due to the demand as popularity for the tipple surges among younger drinkers but Colm also believes it is due to the decline in sales of bitter.
He said: “When I took over this pub, I was selling three 18 gallon barrels of bitter a week and now I am struggling to get rid of one nine gallon barrel.
“When Guinness brought out the extra cold version, all of a sudden it stopped being thought of as a winter drink and with the autumn rugby, it became hugely popular with the younger people.”
The Hop Pole broadcasts all the GAA games and would sell up to 12 of their 11 gallon barrels of Guinness each week. So Colm began stockpiling supplies when he heard of the shortages.
He said: “Breen rang me to say that a pub near him had been restricted to only three barrels a week. I rang the brewery and I got my usual stock because we are such a big Guinness pub but I don’t know what I’ll be able to get next week. I started panic buying.
“I rang a few independent sellers and managed to get six extra barrels, a few of which I couriered over to Breen because the city pubs seem to have more restrictions in terms of supply.”
The White Hart, beside Aldgate East Tube Station, usually deals with passing commuter trade in and out of the city.
Breen first heard of the shortages three weeks ago when a friend who usually sells 30 kegs of Guinness a week, was only able to get 15 kegs from the supplier. He said: “I know three pubs that ran out of Guinness. One pub, which usually goes through 20 kegs in a week, was only able to get six kegs and they only lasted two days.
A Diageo spokesman said: “We are grateful to all our customers for their engagement, collaboration, and patience over the past three weeks. We are producing more Guinness today than we ever have in our 265-year history.”
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