The British pub chain JD Wetherspoon is refusing to stock Guinness at its new Three Tun Tavern pub in Blackrock, Co Dublin, when it opens for business next week.

Instead, Wetherspoon has decided to serve up pints of Beamish and Murphy’s stouts rather than the Diageo-distributed beer.

A spokesman for Wetherspoon told The Irish Times that, “We like to sell our drink to customers at a certain price and the price that Diageo wanted us to sell the product at was too high.”

Given how popular Guinness is among punters and tourists alike (the Guinness Storehouse today was announced as the country’s top tourist destination), it remains to be seen how their decision will play out.

“We are not naive [about Guinness’s popularity in Ireland] but we think our selection of drinks will stand up well against any pub in the Republic,” Wetherspoon added.

The group has spent €2.38 million developing the Three Tun Tavern on Carysfort Avenue in Blackrock on the site of the former Tonic Bar and hopes to expand further throughout the Republic of Ireland.