20,000 litres of stout beer stolen leaves England revellers thirsty this festive season: Report

A beverage heist in England has left parts of the country thirsty for some stout in the festive season—when demand for beer in pubs across England remains the highest.

According to a report by The Guardian, a truck which was carrying stout that could fill 35,200 pints, was nicked from a depot in Northamptonshire. The truck was carrying 400 kegs of beer weighing 50 litres each.

The product belonged to Diageo and carried the label of their famed stout brand, Guinness. The company, however, refused to comment on the situation, the publication has said.

Diageo has worked hard to raise Guinness' profile via social media promotion with the help of influencers. The increased popularity of what some call the 'ebony nectar' has intensified its shortage in England during the festive season. This has made the company call for back-up reserves of Guinness, which is brewed in Dublin's St James' Gate brewery.

This is not the first major act of one of the world's most popular beers getting stolen. Back in 2007, a van drove into the aforementioned St James' Park brewery and espaced with 180 kegs of the good stuff, along with 180 kegs of Budweiser and 90 kegs of Carlsberg. This also happened days before Christmas.

In another case of edible items getting stolen in large quantities, renowned chef Jamie Oliver had posted on social media in October about 22 tonnes of cheddar cheese worth £300,000 being stolen from London's Neal Dairy.

He wrote, "In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a brazen heist of epic proportions. A staggering 22 tonnes of premium Cheddar, worth £300,000, have vanished, leaving the cheese world reeling."

"Thieves, posing as a wholesale supplier to a French retailer, duped Neal’s Yard Dairy’s London warehouse staff. The precious cargo of valuable artisanal Cheddar was sent out in good faith, only to disappear without a trace."