Wetherspoons to Drop San Miguel, the Nation's Favourite Beer, Sparking Outrage
Wetherspoons will soon stop serving San Miguel, the popular Spanish pale lager recently voted the nation’s favourite beer, sparking backlash from customers and beer enthusiasts alike.
Starting in November, the pub chain will replace San Miguel with the Italian beer brand Poretti, which will be priced at under £4 a pint in most locations.
San Miguel, which was originally founded in 1890 in Manila, Philippines, topped a YouGov poll earlier this month as the UK’s favourite beer. However, many regulars are voicing their disappointment on social media, with one user asking, "Is this a joke?" and another declaring, "I will be protesting."
The move has caught many by surprise, given the beer's popularity and the strong fan base it has built over the years.
Not everyone was upset by the change, with one user commenting, “San Miguel is horrible, it’s the one Spanish beer I avoid. Poretti, on the other hand, is a great choice.”
Mahou San Miguel (MSM), the Spanish arm of the brand, was established in 1953 and has been in partnership with Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) for the past 15 years.
However, this partnership is set to end at the close of the year, and many are speculating that this could have influenced Wetherspoon's decision to remove the beer from their menu.
Commenting on the end of the licensing deal, CMBC CEO Paul Davies expressed: "We are naturally disappointed by the decision and are working to minimize the impact on our business."
"We are immensely proud of the many achievements we've accomplished over more than 15 years with MSM, significantly boosting distribution and driving substantial growth in the volume of the San Miguel brand."
The announcement follows Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin’s warning earlier this month that prices at the budget pub chain were likely to rise after the Labour government’s October Budget.
He stated: “Cost inflation, which had spiked to high levels in 2022, gradually eased over the next two years. However, it has now surged again following the Budget.
“As a result, we believe all hospitality businesses will be planning to raise prices."