The top 10 UK cities that love a Guinness

The biggest Guinness hotspots in the UK have been identified in a new study that assesses each UK city’s “enthusiasm” for the stout.

The Alliance Online data, assessed the total number of searches and the average price of a pint and scaled this in relation to each city’s population to create a comprehensive ranking.

The study used a list of Guinness-related search terms, such as “Guinness near me” and “Guinness nitrosurge,” to gather monthly search data for every major UK city. The total search volume for each city was then normalised against its population to create a “searches per 100,000 residents” metric, which was given a weighted score. Then, data on the average price of a pint of Guinness was sourced from UK Debt Expert and Pint Tracker, and this was assigned a separate score. These two variables — one for search popularity and one for affordability — were then combined to create a final “Guinness-Loving Score” out of 100 for each city.

Guinness-loving cities

According to the findings, Manchester has been crowned the UK’s most Guinness-loving city, topping the rankings with a score of 92.58/100. The data outlined how the city strikes a balance between cost and demand, with pints averaging £4.57 and a strong search rate of 4,413 Guinness-related queries per 100,000 people.

Newcastle upon Tyne takes second place with a Guinness-loving score of 91.55/100. Residents searched for Guinness-related keywords more than 4,556 times per 100,000 people, the most of any city in the ranking. Coupled with an average price of £4.70, the research showed how Newcastle combines popularity with reasonable value.

In third place is Plymouth, earning a Guinness-loving score of 69.12/100. The city shows some of the strongest interest levels in the country, with 2,955 Guinness-related searches per 100,000 people. At an average price of £4.65 per pint, the findings have revealed that Plymouth offers both enthusiasm and value.

In Scotland, Glasgow showed a strong passion for Guinness with a high score of 58.41 is supported by a more affordable average pint price of £4.93, driving high online interest. While, in Wales, Cardiff has a Guinness-loving score of 56.64 owing to the city’s combination of affordable pints at £4.61 and consistent online interest.

Rise in popularity

Speaking to the drinks business, Guinness global marketing and innovation director Jo Looby said that Guinness’s rise in popularity stems from Diageo’s “unwavering commitment” to the stout “being a culture and community-first brand” and revealed that this ensures Guinness retains “relevance in diverse and vibrant cultural occasions”.

Looby told db: “For Guinness, this growing appetite is amplified by unfaltering cultural relevance and community-first initiatives. We foster community through vibrant partnerships like the Premier League, Guinness Six Nations, and Women’s Six Nations, alongside exciting collaborations in fashion and music. These initiatives allow us to reach broader, more diverse audiences and embed Guinness within key cultural moments and rituals both in person and online, where our iconic pour is instantly recognisable and shareable. This has inspired consumers to create their own rituals with our liquid and develop a deep appreciation for quality, from the perfect pour to the last drop.”

Looby explained: “What also makes Guinness truly unique is our commitment to innovation to meet ever-evolving consumer demand. Over 266 years, we have evolved from the timeless Guinness Draught to bold innovations like Guinness Nitrosurge and Guinness Microdraught for the at-home occasion, and Guinness 0.0 for the occasions when consumers choose not to drink alcohol.”

Alliance Online Ireland’s marketing and online manager Rachael Kiss added: “Guinness has seen a real surge in popularity recently, with sales in the UK rising by 21% between July and October 2024, even outpacing the wider beer market. With an average pint often costing more than a standard lager, customers are expecting a premium experience in return.”

According to the data, the top 10 UK cities that love Guinness the most are: Manchester; Newcastle upon Tyne; Plymouth; Bristol; Kingston upon Hull; Coventry; Derby; Birmingham; Glasgow and Cardiff.

Extra boosts

Diageo recently revealed it is planning a major expansion of its new €200 million brewery in Littleconnell, Co Kildare, in response to soaring global demand for Guinness and Guinness 0.0. The upgrade will more than double production capacity and strengthen Ireland’s role in global beer exports.

The drinks giant has seen its shares recently climb more than 6% after it posted resilient sales and a confident forecast under new leadership.  Within these figures, Diageo noted that Guinness had also achieved double-digit growth, a success story that has contribited to the company’s turnaround of fortunes.

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