Guinness shortage

Shortages are terrible. Whether it's wheat, oil, or water, they affect peoples' lives in a multitude of direct and indirect ways, and can even alter the character of events and individual circumstances.

We cannot imagine the typical Andalusian feria without manzanilla, Cheltenham race week is also unimaginable without Guinness, principally to quench the thirst of the hundreds of thousands of Irish visitors who attend the event. The manager of The Royal Oak, for example, admitted to being concerned about next month's event in view of having a ration of one keg a week imposed. They normally get through up to 50 kegs in the same period. And to make it worse, what little Guinness there is will be selling at nine pounds a pint.

Diageo, owner of Guinness, stated that they are doing all they can. But why has demand suddenly exceeded supply? More people, above all youngsters, are consuming Guinness, although Guinness has blamed one event in particular. They say the theft of a truck carrying 400 kegs stolen from a depot in Northamptonshire is to blame, but this represents 'only' 35,000 pints, so must surely be only a drop in the black velvet ocean.

Many alcoholic drinks can be fraudulently produced, wine being the most popular target, although in fairness the end product is still based on wine in some shape or form, but to counterfeit beer is something that even the most ambitious forger shies away from. While wine and spirits can be bottled in glass containers, beer needs special metal casks that are kept in huge warehouses at some cost. No, to counterfeit Guinness is out of the question.

WINE OF THE WEEK