Love it or loathe it, Guinness has recently become one of the most talked about beverages globally.
The Irish stout has seen soaring popularity in recent years, with everyone from football lads, to women and trendy teenagers dubbing it their favourite drink – as well as A-listers a laKim Kardashiandriving new interest.
Candid snaps of everyone from singer Oliva Rodrigo tothe Princess of Wales sipping the drink has been paving the popularity for a new female market – diversifying the drink’s appeal beyond ‘lads’ in pubs.
The brand, whose expansion from a Dublin family brewery in the 1700s to an international sensation, is being chronicled in thelatest political dynasty thriller – House of Guinness – which is out today on Netflix.
The star-studded cast, which includes Happy Valley alum James Norton, Masters of the Air’s Anthony Boyle and Enola Holmes breakout actor Louis Partridge, is the latest proof of the company’s cult status, which has gone beyond booze and entered the fray as a cultural, commercial power.
With the combined effects of self-driven expansion into everything from media to food and a surge in new drinkers, the results are clear.
This year’s reports on the biggest alcohol brands in the UK have shown Guinness to be valued at £240.4 million, a figure indicating a 155 percent increase over the last decade.
Salesgrew 13 per cent globally in the year ended 30 June 2025, versus the year prior.
Reports from this year on the biggest booze brands in the UK have shown Guinness is valued at £240.4 million, a figure indicating a 155 percent increase over the last decade. Stock image
Data at the time also showed that overall beer consumption was down between July and October 2024 – but Guinness consumption from kegs increased by more than a fifth.
There was a 24 per cent rise in the number of female Guinness drinkers in the UK in the second half of last year compared to the same period the year before.
During last year’s festive period, the stout became so popular that bars across the UK were forced to limit the number of pints they sold.
Diageo, the parent company of Guinness, cited ‘exceptional demand’ among the reasons for the strained supply, as well as surging popularity among a new market of drinkers, namely women and young people.
One central London pub even started doling out ‘ration cards’ to limit the number of pints drinkers could consume to manage the rapidly depleting supply of stout.
The creeping popularity of Guinness is also thought partly fuelled by the viral social media trend known as ‘splitting the G,’ where drinkers attempt to pause their sip precisely at the midpoint of the letter ‘G’ on the Guinness glass.
It culminated online in 2024, further fortifying its identity among the younger generation.
Seeking to meet demand,Diageorevealed it was planning a huge expansion of its€200 millionbrewery in Littleconnell, Co Kildare.
Famous faces have also been at the core of the brewer’s strategy, with Jason Momoa and Lewis Capaldi fronted campaign’s to promote the drink, not to mention Kim Kardashian and the Princess of Wales (pictured) paving the popularity for a new female market
The expansion will more than double production of Guinness beer, including its alcohol-free version, which has also seen soaring demand.
Indeed, the move was in part driven by increased demand for the 0.0. version,which is currently brewed only at St. James Gate, the famed home of Guinness production.
Its efforts to keep up with the dynamic taste buds of drinkers, Guinness released their 0.0. in 2021 and has since become the top-selling non-alcoholic beer in Great Britain in the four-pack format.
Keeping up with the population’s thirst for Guinness, the brand announced it was building a microbrewery in Covent Garden, promising fans that it would be open by Christmas this year.
The brewery, set to be called Guinness at Old Brewers Yard, was initially tipped to open in 2023following a £73 million build, but this was delayed by the collapse of the lead contractor.
The expected date for what will inevitably become a hub for tourism will include a merchandise shop and a microbrewery producing 14 different limited-edition brews, including non-alcoholic and low-alcohol options.
While original Guinness will not be brewed on site, it will be readily available for drinking, reports say.
Aside from its sippable popularity,Guinness has also found its way trickling into the food market, forging partnerships with a number of eminent food brands.
Aside from its sippable popularity, Guinness has also found its way trickling into the food market, forging partnerships with a number of eminent food brands (Guinness Higgidy pie, pictured)
As part of the expansion, just days ago, it unveiled two new products to its range of beer flavoured meats, introducing a pack of premium unsmoked back bacon rashers and premium pork sausages
Following popular demand, the beer has been seen partnering with bakers, butchers, and food producers to create unique edibles that incorporate the distinct, creamy, yet bitter stout, as the brand bids to shift beyond ‘the booze aisle’.
In September, a Guinness Gift Cakeand a Slow-Cooked Steak & Guinness Pie were launched in collaboration with Finsbury Food Group and Higgidy, respectively.
Declan Hassett, licensing manager at Diageo, the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker, said it formed part of a strategy toboost ‘brand visibility’ for Guinness.
‘The beer, wines and spirits aisle is one of the least walked in-store,’ he said.’And so creating that visibility for a brand like Guinness in other parts of the store was a key aim.’
Both food items include flavours of Guinness.The Higgidy Slow-Cooked Steak & Guinness Pie featuresbeef in a Guinness, onion and herb gravy, wrapped in all-butter shortcrust pastry with a rosemary-sprinkled lid.
Meanwhile, the Guinness-flavoured cake includes a chocolate sponge with a caramel filling and cocoa-dusted frosting, designed to showcase Guinness’ ‘chocolate, notes’.
Beyond pastries, cakes, and toast-toppers, Guinness has also made its way into yet another+ unlikely sector – meat.
Finnebrogue, a Northern Irish food producer, is the only one of its kind licensed to make sausages, burgers, and bacon with Guinness. Earlier this year, it launched a range of Guinness-flavoured burgers with great success.
The Irish stout has seen soaring popularity in recent years, with many women and younger people dubbing it their favourite drink, as well as celebrities such as Kim Kardashian (pictured in 2023) driving new interest
Former President of the US, Barrack Obama (pictured), also spotlighted the drink after he was pictured drinking a pint of it during a trip to Ireland in 2011, famously insisting he drank it slowly to perfect the ‘art’
Olivia Rodrigo was seen sipping on a pint of Guinness in a British pub as the drink’s popularity continues to grow
As part of the expansion, just days ago, it unveiled two new products to its range of beer flavoured meats, introducing a pack of premium unsmoked back bacon rashers and premium pork sausages.
Perhaps most significantly, the brand’s reputation has been further solidified in the public eye by the upcoming release of House of Guinness, a newgritty period drama, featuring a glittering cast and James Norton in a leading role.
From the mind of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, the eight-part series promises to be one of the streaming giant’s most ambitious dramas yet.
House Of Guinness tells the story of the legendary family behind the world-famous brewery, set against the backdrop of 19th-century Dublin and New York.
The stout’s story spans multiple centuries. Having been established by Arthur Guinness in 1759, it has weathered economic downturns, familial tragedy, and tirelessly battled to keep the unique flavour of the beer alive amid changing consumer tastes.
According toNetflix, the series ‘explores an epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties – the Guinness Family.’
The synopsis continues: ‘Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the story begins immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery.
‘And the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness.’
The brand also leveraged the power of celebrity to boost its image in a recent campaign featuring Irish-born Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi (pictured)
Further, in 2024, the brand snagged Jason Momoa (pictured) to star in and direct a campaign for their Lovely Day advert, which began in March 2024
The series will chronicle the extraordinary success of the family behind the famous Irish brewery, with each Sir Benjamin Guinness’sfour adult children, Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben, weathering their own perilous fates.
The personal losses faced by the Guinnesses have become so infamous that they are thought to be ‘cursed’, despite holding a fortune of over £900 million today.
Hours after a trailer for the series was released, thousands of telly-lovers and stout sippers flocked to social media with anticipated excitement.
‘From the creator of Peaky Blinders. The name is enough,’ one person declared, while others singled out the show’s star power. One fan enthused: ‘James Norton is an Acting God and the rest of the cast are respectively sublime.’
It’s not just front man James whose distinct appearance has brought attention to the Guinness brand.
Former President of the US, Barrack Obama, also spotlighted the drink after he was pictured drinking a pint of it during a trip to Ireland in 2011, famously insisting he drank it slowly to perfect the ‘art’.
Further, in 2024, the brand snagged Jason Momoa to star in and direct a campaign for their Lovely Day advert, which began in March 2024.
The American Baywatch star reveals in the advert that as well as being a huge fan of the beer, he is 2 per cent Irish himself.
He shot the advert alongside his close friends and mother, who he claimed treat him to his first sip of Guinness on his 21st birthday.
Collaborating with the brewers had long been a dream for him, he said, evidently a staunch fan.
The brand also leveraged the power of celebrity to boost its image in a recent campaign featuring Irish-born Niall Horan and Lewis Capaldi.
The former One Direction star returned to his hometown of Mullingar, County Westmeath, for his new show Niall Horan’s Homecoming: The Road to Mullingar, alongside Lewis Capaldi.
The show was sponsored by Guinness and included scenes of the singers tucking into the 0.0. version of the stout.
