It is said that over the years countless millions of people have kissed or touched the Blarney Stone when visiting Ireland. Each year the visitor center at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare welcomes more than 800,000 people who come to behold the breathtaking natural beauty. But the number one international tourist attraction in all of Ireland is the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, aka the Guinness Storehouse.
Every year more than 1 million people visit the brewery. In 2014 alone, 1.25 million people visited the brewery at St. James’s Gate–an average of about 3,500 people each and every day. Of those visitors, 93 percent were from overseas. As far as I can tell, that makes Guinness Storehouse the number one beer tourism destination in the world.
Located in the heart of the legendary St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, the Guinness Storehouse production site has been home to the Guinness Brewery since 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease. The Guinness Storehouse itself was constructed in 1904 in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture. It was once the brewery’s fermentation plant but now serves as the visitor center, where people from around the world explore the history of Guinness, perhaps the world’s most widely recognized beer brand.
Quick Diversion: Irish Beer 101
Click to enlarge.
Arthur Guinness signed his historic 9,000-year lease agreement in 1758 – in the middle of the 18th century. At the beginning of the 19th century Ireland enjoyed beer from over 200 breweries producing a wide range of Irish beer. The number dropped significantly by the beginning of the 20th century because of the dominance of a few large, famous breweries. By 2007, there were only about a dozen breweries in the country, most of which brewed mass-produced beer and were backed by massive marketing budgets.
Today, there are over 50 breweries in Ireland, with many more in planning, most of which resemble what Americans would call craft breweries. This is a topic that GoFindBeer.com hopes to explore in detail someday in the not too distant future.
Beer is a proud tradition in Ireland that is reemerging. Today there is even a consumer group dedicated to supporting and raising awareness of Ireland’s native independent microbreweries. (Read more about Beoir here.) Also, there is an organization representing the interests of emerging Irish brewers. (Read more about Beer Ireland here.)
The beer scene in Ireland is exploding. In other words, Guinness is just one of many reasons why beer travelers should visit Ireland these days.
Meanwhile, Back at the Storehouse
This is much more than a place to grab a pint and pick up a T-shirt for that beer lover back home. The Guinness Storehouse tells the story of Guinness on seven ascending floors shaped around a giant pint glass. If filled, that enormous pint glass would hold 14.3 million pints of beer. The highlight for many visitors is the Gravity Bar, symbolically the “Head of the Pint,” where visitors can enjoy unparalleled panoramic views of Dublin. The view is enhanced by a complimentary pint of Guinness.
Highlights of the Guinness Storehouse experience include:
• The Brewing Exhibition features a “virtual master brewer” – Fergal Murray – who guides visitors step by step through the brewing process. Visitors not only gain an insight into the brewing methods used today at St. James’s Gate, but also hear the story of brewing throughout history.
• At 10:00 AM each morning in the St. James’s Gate brewery, the Guinness tasting team samples the brews to ensure they are of the highest quality before the Guinness leaves the brewery. At Guinness Storehouse, visitors also get to act as Guinness tasters in the Tasting Rooms, where the tasting team shows them how to properly enjoy the beer in the same way the connoisseurs do at the brewery.
• The Cooperage is an exhibit dedicated to the craft of the coopers, who handcrafted the barrels in which Guinness was stored and transported for decades. The skill and craft of the cooper is brought to life in an audiovisual display of a cooper in action, filmed in Guinness’ own Cooperage during the 1950s. Here visitors can also explore a full range of coopers’ tools displayed amongst the pyramid of wooden casks.
• Visitors from around the world know and love many of the Guinness advertisements and the Storehouse includes an Advertising Section, which serves as a veritable hall of fame of these award-winning advertisements from the past to the present. Visitors can see the first Guinness ads ever produced and take time to watch some of the most well-known TV ads, print ads, and placards which have entertained generations.
• At the Guinness Academy, visitors can learn how to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness in six simple steps and receive a certificate to prove they have mastered the craft.
• The Guinness Connoisseur bar is the first and most exclusive Guinness beer tasting experience in the world. Guinness Storehouse visitors will be brought on a sensual journey through the four most popular variants of GUINNESS® – Draft, Original, Foreign Extra Stout, and Black Lager.
• They’ve got food at the Storehouse. “Five” at Guinness Storehouse provides a unique Guinness gastronomical experience driven entirely by the Irish tradition of wholesome, local produce. The experience encompasses an authentic Irish Bar called Arthur’s Bar, an 18th Century inspired Brewers Dining Hall, a restaurant named Gilroy’s inspired by the iconic Guinness advertisements by John Gilroy, and live cooking demonstrations.
• The highlight for many visitors is the highest point of the building – Gravity Bar, with breath-taking 360 degree panoramic city views from 150 feet above ground (46 meters). Each visitor over the age of 18 receives a complimentary pint of Guinness to savour as they appreciate the best views of the city.
If traveling to Guinness Storehouse on foot, visitors are encouraged to make use of the Guinness Storehouse iWalk – a free walking tour available to download onto mp3 devices. The tour guides visitors from the heart of Dublin to the heart of Guinness. Reflecting the international appeal of Guinness Storehouse, these iWalks can be downloaded for free directly from www.guinness-storehouse.com.
Hours of Operations:
Seven days a week from 9.30 AM until 5:00 PM.
Late opening in July and August until 7 PM each evening.
Closed on Good Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day (Dec. 26th).
Adult admission is €18.00 (euro), which includes a complimentary pint of Guinness in Gravity Bar.
To skip the line and get a 10% discount, book online at www.guinness-storehouse.com
The GUINNESS, GUINNESS STOREHOUSE and GRAVITY words and associated logos are trademarks.
Photos provided by www.guinness-storehouse.com (since we haven’t had a chance to visit there ourselves… yet)
