We planned our visit to Ireland’s number one tourist attraction for early Sunday morning, our first full day in Ireland, hoping to beat the crowds. It was obviously a morning for firsts; never before in my sixty-plus years have I washed down breakfast with a pint of Guinness. Fortunately, it was 5 o’clock somewhere in the world!
Yes, this is a repeat picture. It so encompasses the fun of my trip to Ireland.
Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse, a seven-story temple to the Emerald Isle’s most famous export,
The Chicago School style building was originally built in 1902.
has drawn over ten million visitors since it opened in November 2000. That’s about 2200 visitors a day; we (me, Jimmy, my sister Lynda and her husband Rod)
Wow, those people in this early Guinness ad look awfully familiar.
were part of only a handful of like-minded early risers hoping to avoid the inevitable long lines given those statistics. No lines to speak of at 9:30 a.m. when the doors opened and we began our self-guided tour!
The famous St. James Gate!
The Vikings may get credit for establishing the city of Dublin in the 9th century, but by the 18th century, it was a thriving seaport city thanks to Arthur Guinness. He signed a 9000 year lease in 1759 (this guy was obviously willing to go the distance when it came to success)
We got a look at the now defunct 9000 year lease that part of a pint glass embedded in the ground floor.
for four acres of land and a defunct brewery called St. James Gate; he eventually became Dublin’s largest employer, a distinction that lasted for most of Guinness’ 250 year history.
Of course, Arthur didn’t live that long, but his legacy has.
Of course, Arthur didn’t live that long, but his legacy has.
That 250-years milestone was celebrated on September 24, 2009 at one minute before 6 p.m. or 17:59 European time (those Irish are indeed a clever bunch) with a toast to Arthur. My guess is the “Black Stuff” was the beverage of choice for those celebrating in Dublin, in Kuala Lumpur, Lagos, New York and Yaounda. The international party resulted in six million pounds (about $7.5 million) being pledged to the Arthur Guinness Fund, a philanthropic effort at Guinness that supports social entrepreneurs, “people with a business head and a social heart who are committed to finding innovative solutions to address the social problems they see in their world;” at least according to the Guinness webpage.
The Irish Times described the first Arthur Day in 2009 as “a masterclass in how to fabricate a national holiday” with its “a la carte attitude to traditional holidays” – noting it’s countdown to one minute before six (recalling New Year’s Eve), the “faux-patriotism that comes with a celebration of a “national drink” and the “hagiographic treatment” of Arthur Guinness as some kind of saint. The paper warned, “If St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, and Halloween are festivals that offer an excuse for a drink, Diageo (the conglomerate that now owns Guinness along with Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J & B, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Baileys, to name a few) has flipped the concept on its head and made the drink an excuse for a festival.”
Ooooh, I do so love drama, especially when I’m not the one on stage. In fact, I love drama more than I do Guinness Stout. Truth be told, I’ve never really been much of a beer drinker (I’d have to admit, though; that sweet bit of foam atop my glass of Guinness Stout was better than anything I’d previously tried by way of a pint). I don’t drink coffee either despite the savory whipped cream on top of all those cups of java at Starbucks. I know; I’m very weird.
Here’s something really off the charts, as long as I’m into shocking you with my weirdness; I’m allergic to potatoes. Yeah, that one is really out there; no chips, no fries, no mashed/baked/scalloped potatoes; no potato salad. I’ve come across one other person that’s allergic to potatoes. Help me out, here; anybody else willing to admit to being uniquely weird along with me?
I’m not sure anymore where I’m going with all this confessing and digressing. I do know potatoes are not your everyday ingredient when it comes to making beer, although it has been done. Guinness stuck to the basics in his search for a distinctive brew: barley;
The Irish Times described the first Arthur Day in 2009 as “a masterclass in how to fabricate a national holiday” with its “a la carte attitude to traditional holidays” – noting it’s countdown to one minute before six (recalling New Year’s Eve), the “faux-patriotism that comes with a celebration of a “national drink” and the “hagiographic treatment” of Arthur Guinness as some kind of saint. The paper warned, “If St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, and Halloween are festivals that offer an excuse for a drink, Diageo (the conglomerate that now owns Guinness along with Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J & B, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Baileys, to name a few) has flipped the concept on its head and made the drink an excuse for a festival.”
Ooooh, I do so love drama, especially when I’m not the one on stage. In fact, I love drama more than I do Guinness Stout. Truth be told, I’ve never really been much of a beer drinker (I’d have to admit, though; that sweet bit of foam atop my glass of Guinness Stout was better than anything I’d previously tried by way of a pint). I don’t drink coffee either despite the savory whipped cream on top of all those cups of java at Starbucks. I know; I’m very weird.
Here’s something really off the charts, as long as I’m into shocking you with my weirdness; I’m allergic to potatoes. Yeah, that one is really out there; no chips, no fries, no mashed/baked/scalloped potatoes; no potato salad. I’ve come across one other person that’s allergic to potatoes. Help me out, here; anybody else willing to admit to being uniquely weird along with me?
I’m not sure anymore where I’m going with all this confessing and digressing. I do know potatoes are not your everyday ingredient when it comes to making beer, although it has been done. Guinness stuck to the basics in his search for a distinctive brew: barley;
Barley; it's like gold when it comes to brewing beer.
hops;
The place was hopping with history and information.
water;
Wow, even the water in Ireland is green.
and yeast.
A secret stash of yeast is kept on hand at all times.
Arthur Guinness was up against approximately sixty other brewers in Dublin when he set up shop at St. James Gate Brewery.
Roasted barley is what eventually gave Guinness an edge in the market and the distinctive ruby red color (yep, his porter looks black, but it’s actually ruby red) of his beer. Roasted barley was the key ingredient in porter, a brew developed by London brewer Ralph Harwood in 1722. The drink became so popular with porters of Covent Garden in Billingsgate, that Harwood adopted their name for his new beer – Porter.
Sometime during the 1770s Guinness stopped brewing ale and devoted his entire production to brewing porter alone, the working man’s beer that in the day had a considerably higher alcohol content than it does today. He went one step further and used a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide is usually the only ingredient used in most beers) to dispense his stout, giving his unique brand of porter the famous tight creamy head. A legacy that has lasted five generations was born.
Roasted barley is what eventually gave Guinness an edge in the market and the distinctive ruby red color (yep, his porter looks black, but it’s actually ruby red) of his beer. Roasted barley was the key ingredient in porter, a brew developed by London brewer Ralph Harwood in 1722. The drink became so popular with porters of Covent Garden in Billingsgate, that Harwood adopted their name for his new beer – Porter.
Sometime during the 1770s Guinness stopped brewing ale and devoted his entire production to brewing porter alone, the working man’s beer that in the day had a considerably higher alcohol content than it does today. He went one step further and used a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (carbon dioxide is usually the only ingredient used in most beers) to dispense his stout, giving his unique brand of porter the famous tight creamy head. A legacy that has lasted five generations was born.
Talk about the luck of the Irish!
I can vouch for the magic of that creamy head. Maybe it was just the shamrock the bartender added at the end of the prerequisite 119.5 seconds required to pour a porter properly;
maybe it was the 360 Gravity Bar atop the Guinness Storehouse with an exquisite view of all of Dublin.
Either way, the moment/foam left me, the less-than-enthusiastic beer drinker, giddy with delight. Here’s the picture again, in case you’ve forgotten what giddy looks like on my face.
I'm one of those that also likes to lick all the crème filling first in an Oreo cookie.
We were all giddy given those delicious creamy bubbles tickling our lips. Here’s my sister Lynda with her pint. I think she took first place for giddy, but then by the time I snapped this picture she'd made a bit more progress imbibing than when my picture was taken.
Lynda is very ticklish!
Guys and giddy don’t really mix very well, but Rod and Jim looked modestly pleased, too, in a very subdued, masculine way guys have when it comes to sidling up to a bar to order a drink.
Stay thirsty, my friends.
Watch that nose, Jimmy.
We were all giddy we’d made it through seven stories and 250 years of Arthur Guinness’ story
Add dizzy to the giddy.
to finally reach the 360 Gravity Bar on the 8th floor. We had barrels of fun (well, actually they’re called casks, those kegs used for storing and then shipping the beer brewed at St. James Gate for almost 200 years)
Here's the cast for today's production; I mean casks.
gleaning all things Guinness.
Originally the Storehouse was where the yeast was added to the wort and fermentation took place.
For example, drinking a Guinness is poetry in motion. Four or five of those stouts are guaranteed to make your world spin.
I was even more surprised to see a Guinness Book of Records on display at the Guinness Storehouse. Duh! I know; more weirdness! How many of you are willing to back me on this one? Am I the only person that required a trip to Ireland to make this connection?
Sir Hugh Beaver, once Managing Director at Guinness, gets the credit for the Guinness Book of Records.
Years of clever advertising have helped put Guinness on the map in 150 countries around the world.
Looks like a leprechaun to me.
This ad was obviously a World War II favorite, along with the toucan, that appeared in Guinness ads for several decades.
Victory, at last!
The year was 1961 when this ad appeared.
Guinness' version of Animal House.
Two message-in-a-bottle campaigns, the first in 1954, the second to mark the bicentenary in 1959, proved a clever strategy for spreading the goods on Guinness. Fifty years after the 1959 bottle drop, when 150,000 specially designed Guinness bottles were dropped from 38 ships in the mid-Atlantic, bottles are still being discovered at a rate of one or two a year. Recent finds have been reported from Canada, USA, France, South Africa and the Arctic Circle.
The bottles contained a certificate ‘from the office of King Neptune,’ a gold bicentenary Guinness label, a note about the shipping line involved in dropping the bottle, and instructions on how to turn the bottle into a table lamp. For all those man caves out there, right?
I even discovered the secret ingredient that goes into every glass of Guinness. I hope Guinness doesn’t mind me letting the secret out of the bag/brewery.
The bottles contained a certificate ‘from the office of King Neptune,’ a gold bicentenary Guinness label, a note about the shipping line involved in dropping the bottle, and instructions on how to turn the bottle into a table lamp. For all those man caves out there, right?
I even discovered the secret ingredient that goes into every glass of Guinness. I hope Guinness doesn’t mind me letting the secret out of the bag/brewery.
It's certainly time we raised our glasses
Jimmy has some weird qualities, too; he raises his glasses to see the fine print when reading.
to the man of the hour (no, not Jimmy, although he's my man every hour of the day). Here's a toast to Arthur Guinness, the man who knew how to brew. Dave Barry put it all into proper perspective with this quote: "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.”
Personally, I like my pizza with a Coke, but then I've established my propensity for weirdness early on in this post.
Personally, I like my pizza with a Coke, but then I've established my propensity for weirdness early on in this post.
Obviously Arthur loved pizza; or maybe brats.
--------------------------------------------
The Bottom Line on the Guinness Storehouse:
Verdict: It's the number one attraction in Ireland for a reason. Okay, the beer may be a big reason, but you still won't be disappointed if you're even half as weird as I am and rarely drink beer. Besides, the views from the 360 Gravity Bar are awesome. The museum is steeped in history, more history than hops nowadays. It's also designed in the shape of a giant pint of Guinness, that, if full, would hold 14.3 million pints. They sure know how to work the subliminal messages.
How to Get There: Hop the pond if you're coming from the States and head for Dublin. All roads lead to the Guinness Storehouse when in Dublin. Your cabbie knows the place; it's a stop on every double-decker tour bus' route.
Insider Information: Purchase your tickets online and receive a 10% discount off the 16.5 pound adult ticket at the door. Families get a deal (2 adults and up to 4 children) with admission for six for 40 pounds. Your ticket includes a complimentary pint of Guinness for adults, a soft drink for anyone under 18 (or those not crazy about beer). I'm not crazy, in general; I took my pint and savored the moment.
Nearby Food: Not much in the area; fortunately Guinness offers several options onsite on the fifth floor, where you can enjoy foods with a secret ingredient that enhances your dining experience. You guessed it; Guinness.
The Bottom Line on the Guinness Storehouse:
Verdict: It's the number one attraction in Ireland for a reason. Okay, the beer may be a big reason, but you still won't be disappointed if you're even half as weird as I am and rarely drink beer. Besides, the views from the 360 Gravity Bar are awesome. The museum is steeped in history, more history than hops nowadays. It's also designed in the shape of a giant pint of Guinness, that, if full, would hold 14.3 million pints. They sure know how to work the subliminal messages.
How to Get There: Hop the pond if you're coming from the States and head for Dublin. All roads lead to the Guinness Storehouse when in Dublin. Your cabbie knows the place; it's a stop on every double-decker tour bus' route.
Insider Information: Purchase your tickets online and receive a 10% discount off the 16.5 pound adult ticket at the door. Families get a deal (2 adults and up to 4 children) with admission for six for 40 pounds. Your ticket includes a complimentary pint of Guinness for adults, a soft drink for anyone under 18 (or those not crazy about beer). I'm not crazy, in general; I took my pint and savored the moment.
Nearby Food: Not much in the area; fortunately Guinness offers several options onsite on the fifth floor, where you can enjoy foods with a secret ingredient that enhances your dining experience. You guessed it; Guinness.
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