The Guinness Storehouse Experience
- Author & Photographer: Teri Didjurgis
Please read my disclosure.
The Guinness Storehouse
A 250+ year old company steeped in tradition yet constantly innovating and a thriving part of Ireland’s current culture.
There must be something in that beer!
This pictures represents everything I discovered about Guinness at their Storehouse in Dublin.
A trip to Guinness Storehouse feels like a must on a trip to Dublin.
I went on my first trip to Dublin back in 2012. This was also the first time I tried Guinness and truth be told… I am not a big beer drinker and was not too excited about trying a glass of dark murky water. But, it seemed like a must in Ireland and especially Dublin, so I tried … and I loved it.
I then proceeded on to the Guinness Storehouse where I found out about this legendary company and also learned how to pour a proper pint – Guinness style.
Every time I return to Dublin, I crave this beer and grab a glass. Converted!
In 2019, I also had the opportunity to go back to the Guinness Storehouse. It has changed and improved in the last 7 years. Constant innovation for this 250+ year old company.
Here are 10 bits of trivia I learned on my 2019 trip to the Guinness Storehouse that just might intrigue you to take a visit and/or grab a pint.
10 Facts about Guinness
1
9000 Year Lease
Arthur Guinness was a servant and son of tenant farmers. He inherited £100 which was about four years of wages from his fathers employer upon his death. Arthur invested wisely and setup his first brewery in 1755.
In 1759, he signed the infamous 9,000 year lease with a downpayment of £100 and a £45 per annum for the unused brewery. The lease is encased in glass right at your feet as you start your tour.
This sounds like something Gary V would love!
2
Bubbles
There are millions of bubbles in a glass of Guinness. Try and pint and start counting.
The bubbles also go down – weird gravity laws at Guinness.
3
125 Calories
One 12-ounce serving of Guinness will set you back 125 calories which is only 15 calories more than a Bud Light.
Climb some stairs & grab a pint!
4
119.5 seconds to a perfect pint
I was cheekily told that my 2012 Guinness pouring certification lapses every two years.
So I was back behind the bar to learn the six-step ritual” to pour the perfect Guinness including including the iconic 119.5 seconds surge and eventual settle.
5
It's ruby red, not black
Guinness is often referred to as “that black stuff,” It’s actually ruby red. The roasted barley gives it color.
Hold up your pint to the light.
6
Trademark
Guinness was an early entry to protecting its bottle label and the Guinness name through a trademark. An Irish harp on the label has been synonymous with Guinness since 1862 when it was used as a symbol on the first bottle label for GUINNESS®.
In Great Britain, the trademark registration act was passed there in 1875 and the first trademark was registered by the Bass company, a beer company.
In 1876, Guinness trademarked its label to protect the its name overseas. The trademark included the signature of Arthur Guinness and a harp based on a famous 14th century Irish harp known as “Brian Boru” harp which is now preserved in the Library of Trinity College Dublin.
As Guinness had trademarked the harp symbol in 1876, the Irish Free State Government of 1922, had to turn the official government harp also based on “Brian Boru” the other way to differentiate between the trademarked Guinness harp and the official State emblem. You can see the Irish harp on Euro coins form Ireland in your pocket.
Beer companies have led the trademark revolution. The earliest trademark on record is a Czech beer company who trademarked PILSNER in 1859.
7
Guinness Marketing
Guinness did not start advertising until 1929 when the in-house tagline “Guinness is good for you” was born.
You can find vintage posters all over Ireland detailing:
Why drink Guinness? Because Guinness is good for me.
Guinness marketing really went to the animals in the 1950’s when illustrator John Gilroy introduced sea lions, toucans and turtles and brought the fun factor up 10 notches.
Fish on bicycles, turtles carrying bear, whistling oysters and more were a norm in the world of Guinness. When touring the Storehouse, look UP for the Ostrich on one floor and then climb up to the next floor to find him sticking his head into the floor.
You will find Guinness marketing all around Ireland which may explain why 10 million glasses are consumed daily.
8
Bottle Drop
On the 200th anniversary in 1959, Guinness had an Atlantic Bottle Drop with 150,000 bottles dropped into the ocean. It took 38 ships and six weeks to drop them all.
The bottle contained a certificate from “the Office of King Neptune” with a booklet recounting the Guinness story.
Today, over 30,000 bottles have been “known” to be recovered as far away as California, South Africa and the Bahamas.
9
Guinness Book of Records
In the early 1950s, Guinness managing director Sir Hugh Beaver went on a hunting trip, where he and his colleagues got into an argument about the fastest game bird in Europe.
Nobody could find the answer in reference books, so it was decided that the company would compile a book of facts and figures to settle trivia quarrels in pubs once and for all.
10
Dublin's most visited attraction
The Guinness Storehouse is Dublin’s most visited attraction.
It had its highest attendance day on March 16th, 2019 with 11,000 visitors. This is the day before St. Patrick’s day. Each year on this day, attendance records have been broken.
The second most visited day is the Saturday before Easter with 8,500 people
Bonus
Stache Stats
According to a study in the U.K., drinkers with mustaches waste an estimated 162,719 pints annually because it gets trapped in their facial hair.
A pint and a half per ‘stache.
Almost $1M in Guinness is unintentionally wasted each year. Scandalous!
Eat
1837 Bar & Brassiere
Drink
Gravity Bar
There are two bars at the Guinness Storehouse
Time your tour to end at sunset in the Gravity Bar for sweeping views of Dublin.
Inspired to visit the Guinness Storehouse?
LOVE IT. SHARE IT. PIN IT.
Thank you to Tourism Ireland & Steller for hosting me on this trip to Ireland.
All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
