How'splitting the G' has led to a shortage of Guinness

WHEN Guinness owners Diageo announced earlier this month they were limiting their stout supply to pubs due to 'exceptional customer demand; boozers across the UK went into panic mode.

- EMMA BUTTERWORTH

In the trendy streets of the Northern Quarter, alarm set in quick, as Manchester's favourite bars stocked up on the 'black stuff! Some pubs even went to the extreme lengths of issuing 'ration cards' to limit the amount punters could buy, to ensure everyone got their fair share.

There were also reports that some breweries started capping the number of kegs pubs could acquire at once due to the national shortage.

But as we head into the festive period, how have Manchester's popular venues been coping? "Fifty per cent of our sales are Guinness," said Jake Galey, the 25-yearold duty manager at The Salmon of Knowledge.

"We sell quite a lot of Guinness, probably the most in the Northern Quarter, so we have been stocking up quite a lot.

We have got quite a lot of kegs in the back which should see us through to Christmas." Although Jake said that the new Irish bar has been 'fine' so far, not everyone has been so lucky, with Guinness hotspot Gullivers already out.