
SHOPPERS are frantically filling up their baskets as Heineken brings back a popular Guinness rival after three years off the shelves.
Stout lovers are in for a creamy treat this St Patrick’s Day and one supermarket is offering a bargain that will get even the least festive patrons doing an Irish jig.
Tesco is offering 10 cans of Murphy’s Irish Stout, a highly commended Guinness dupe, for just £10.
The delicious deal will you have taking home a 440ml can of the smooth stout for £1 a pop.
An eagle-eyed shopper spotted the deal at Tesco and quickly sent it in to bargain hunter website HotUKDeals.
The amazed customer wrote: “Seen these and had to double take as not seen Murphy’s for years.
“I used to love it, much better than Guinness in my opinion so looking forward to going back to the 80s and 90s when this was huge.”
Keen Murphy’s fans replied to the post, with many expressing that they even preferred it to the Guinness – which skyrocketed in popularity this winter, so much that there was a Guinness “drought.”
One shopper wrote: “Better than Guinness by a mile.”
Another thrilled user responded: “Wow, that’s definitely a blast from the past.
“Used to love this stuff, and I agree, better than Guinness!
“Going to have to get some and see if it still is! Thanks!”
A third customer planned to get their hands on as many as possible, writing: “Great drink, will stock up next time in Tesco.”
One Murphy’s fan recalled the “brilliant” advert the brand posted in the 90s in the style of anime.
With a surge of young people getting a taste for the beverage, punters started flocking to get their hands on the stout.
Popularity also grew due to the “splitting the G” trend, in which pubgoers would knock back gulps until the liquid settles in the centre of the “G” of “Guinness”.
This wiped out a third of the drink in one go, leading merry customers in need of another one even sooner.
The disastrous Guinness “drought” meant more people were keent o get their hands on this elusive pint and boozers were even forced to start rationing their stock.
Heineken brought the stout out as a rival to Guinness recently after its unprecedented rise in popularity.
After being axed from Asda in 2021 and Sainsbury’s in 2019, the stout has made a mighty return much to the excitement of pubgoers.
Murphy’s Irish Stout is known for its likeness to Guinness with a smooth and creamy feel to it.
However it’s said to be marginally less bitter and includes sweet notes of caramel chocolate and coffee.
The Daily Orange even described the flavour as a “distant relative of chocolate milk”.
Heineken is bringing back the velvety tipple just in time for summer, with crates priced at around £5 and £10 respectively for a four and ten-pack respectively.
The off-trade category and commercial strategy director of Guinness Alexander Wilson, said: “Given stout’s surging performance across the total market, we have seen consumers explore the category further.
“As a credible, authentic stout option, Murphy’s has exploded in the on-trade over the past year.
“This expansion of formats in the off-trade will enable even more customers to maximise the stout opportunity and provide consumers with quality options to enjoy at home.”
In January, Sun writer Thea Jacobs taste-tested different stout alternatives amid the ongoing Guinness shortage.
In at number one was the Forged Irish 4.2 per cent, which she gave a perfect 5/5 rating.
She said: “I would say it is actually creamier than the can of Guinness.
“And it has a more complex flavour, leaving coffee and chocolate dancing across the tongue.
“I would rather stock up on this one than cans of Guinness – and it’s cheaper.”