“Diageo better be brewing,” says Wetherspoons boss amid Guinness shortage.

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JD boss Wetherspoon has told Diageo to “get the brewing going”, as pub chains expressed frustration with their drinks range due to a Guinness shortage in the run-up to Christmas.

Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of Wetherspoons, said he would have a “tough word” with Diageo as his pub chain struggles to get enough Guinness at some of its nearly 800 sites in the UK and Ireland.

“I think someone at Guinness has made a mistake…and since we have worked with them for a long time, we intend to forgive them. But they better brew,” he said, claiming that Wetherspoons is the largest global seller of Guinness with 25 million Pints ​​per year.

“I’m going to give them a stern word and say, ‘What happened to your crystal ball?'” he said.

Admiral Taverns and Amber Taverns also told the Financial Times that they were experiencing a Guinness shortage after a period of Unprecedented demand He criticized Diageo for not anticipating a contraction in supply.

Guinness owner Diageo earlier this month placed limits on the amount of bars that could be purchased, citing “exceptional consumer demand.” The limits apply to pubs in England, Wales and Scotland but not those in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The popularity of the stout drink has boomed over the past 18 months, driven by young people and women who drink it. Demand has also been fueled by social media and the growing popularity of Guinness 0.0, the non-alcoholic version.

Martin said Guinness was a “very reliable supplier” of no-frills products pub A series for 45 years, and he doesn’t remember ever running out of it.

He added that Wetherspoons is currently preparing for the shortage by stocking up on real ale.

Admiral Taverns also criticized CEO Chris Josey, saying it had not received any supplies of Guinness from its distributor since last Wednesday. He added that some of its 1,600 pubs were already completely out of stock.

He said the increase in holiday season demand should not come as a surprise to Diageo given its recent growth.

“I don’t understand why they can’t supply enough (volume)… What I understand is that there is no shortage of Guinness in Ireland, where it is made. So it is as if they are supplying the Irish market, not the English market.”

Admiral serves other varieties, such as Camden Stout, Genesis and Murphy’s, for which the Guinness and Jowsey alternatives said demand has increased. He is not expected to get any Guinness records this week.

James Beyer, chief executive at Amber Taverns, said about 10 per cent of its 180 pubs had already sold out of the Guinness menu. The distributor has told the chain that it can have “less than half” of what is normally available.

“It reflects the success of Guinness, but it is also bad that Diageo has not fully responded to that success in terms of supply,” he said.

“We efficiently allocate stock to all of our direct customers on a weekly basis, ensuring that everyone who sells Guinness has stock allocated to them,” Diageo said.

In a rare bright spot during its full-year trading update in July, the group noted that an 18 per cent increase in global net beer sales was largely driven by Guinness, compared to a 1.4 per cent decline in group sales.

Not all pub groups are disgruntled. Simon Dodd, chief executive of Young & Co, said its pubs had 90 per cent of their usual Guinness volume and the company was not experiencing any shortages. “We are very happy about getting through the Christmas period,” he said.