Future
‘Everybody Is Drinking Guinness.’ We Know Why.
Guinness, the beer of Irish pubs and Irish men, has endeared itself to chug-happy Americans eager to “split the ‘G.’”
When Maxwell Quinn stepped out of the November chill into Clandestino, a bar in Manhattan’s Chinatown favored by a young, fashionable crowd, he quickly passed over the sparkling wines, dirty martinis and Lagunitas I.P.A.
“Can I get a Guinness?” he said.
He wasted no time. Before the foam could settle, he raised the glass to his lips and tilted his head back. He began to chug.
Mr. Quinn, 36, was “splitting the ‘G,’” an online trend in which drinkers gulp Guinness with the hopes that the horizon between the stout and the foam falls in the middle of the “G” on a branded pint glass. In some corners of the internet, it seems like everyone — the Jonas Brothers, John Cena, your cousin — is splitting the “G.”
Guinness, once synonymous with old Irish pubs and old Irish men, is increasingly winning over younger, beer-bent Americans like Mr. Quinn. “It’s having a moment,” he said.
You can spot Guinness in some unexpected places across New York City, including Mexican restaurants, diners and natural wine bars. It is the fastest-growing imported beer in the country based on bar, restaurant and brewery sales over the last year, according to Nielsen. The Dublin-based brewer has been making up for ground lost in the United States since the pandemic.
