Guinness supplies are limited before Christmas after a surge in demand

The amount of Guinness pubs that can be bought in the run-up to Christmas has been limited by its maker Diageo after “extreme demand” over the past three weeks.

The firm is understood to be operating at 100% production capacity, but has still placed restrictions on UK orders.

The drink is increasingly popular with women and young people, and recent rugby internationals have put a strain on supplies.

Diageo has been ramping up its marketing efforts and working with influencers over the past few years to try and raise the profile of Guinness.

The BBC understands Diageo is distributing supplies on a weekly basis to ensure it has enough stock to meet demand over Christmas.

A Diageo spokesman said: “Over the last month we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in the UK.

“We have maximized supply and are proactively working with our customers to manage distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”

Guinness sales have bucked market trends recently, according to data from food and beverage research firm CGA.

While overall beer consumption fell slightly between July and October, the volume of Guinness consumed from kegs rose by more than a fifth.

Diageo is pouring money into its St James's Gate brewery in Dublin and is also building a new brewery in County Kildare.

He focused his marketing efforts on trying to broaden Guinness's appeal by hooking up with Scottish singer Louis Capaldi and actor Jason Momoa.