(Note: Again even though the video states 0:00 for the time is does work.)
So some back story is needed first: I have never had a Guinness and everyone I have talked to in the US that has had a Guinness says they do not like. So I have never had a Guinness but I have been told by S and K (who are both from Ireland) that each country has a slightly different recipe of Guinness. So I was encouraged to at least try a pint of Guinness at least once while in Ireland.
When you first enter the Guinness storehouse it really likes some huge old storehouse. C, A and I bought our tickets (cost 15 euros ~$20) and made our way inside. After you pass those doors the entire feel of the place changed; there was a huge gift store, graphics surrounding you that made it look like you were inside a huge pint of Guinness. And on the floor was this vault like chamber with a thick glass over it. Inside this vault was the 9000 year lease that Arthur Guinness signed.
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This is the 9000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness in 1759. |
After you pass through the doors we enter a whole different 'world', the first exhibit is all the about the ingredients in beer. For each ingredient there is some form of representation. There was a mound of barley, video of yeast dividing, a waterfall, and a FAKE hops plant. After seeing the unique barley mound and the waterfall the fake hops plant was really disappointing.
"Ingredients
To understand what makes GUINNESS special you have to start with the raw ingredients.
Water, barley, hops and yeast: four natural ingredients, carefully selected to ensure that they are of the highest quality. Each ingredient is special in its own right but when mixed together according to our secret recipe, the result is simply extraordinary."
I thought is was interesting how there were so many coins in the bottom of the waterfall. I was wondering how much more money Guinness makes from all those coins. =) I decided to keep my euros and NOT throw money into the waterfall.
"5th Ingredient
Arthur was the first in a long line of Guinness Master Brewers. His secrets, like the yeast which is guarded in the Director's Safe, have been handed down from generation to generation.
Arthur established the Brewery and its reputation for quality and innovation. In 1775 the City Corporation asserted that he was drawing more water than his lease permitted. When the City Sheriff's men came to cut off the water supply, Arthur grabbed a pickaxe and announced he was prepared to defend his water 'by force of arms'. Happily, a peaceful resolution was found in Arthur's favour."
As we continue on with the tour we walk up stairs around what looks like a giant beer barrel; also in the center of the building there is a glass like structure throughout the entire building. We were told that this glass structure actually creates a giant pint glass in the middle of the building. To be honest that fact was hard to tell when inside the building but when looking at drawn pictures of the building layout you could easily see the giant pint glass.
The next portion of the museum was about the process of making Guinness.
The first process is boiling:
"The part of the process is all about flavour, as it is here the hops are added. The mixture is boiled at 100 degrees C for 70 minutes to extract as much flavour as possible. The mixture is then left to settle. Next, it is 'struck off' (emptied from the kettle) and passed through a cooler. The mixture is now ready for fermentation."
Next is fermentation:
"Fermentation is an all-important step in the process when the mixture is transformed into beer.
Yeast is 'pitched' (added) directly into the mixture, which then collects in a large fermentation vessel. Microscopic yeast organisms feed on the sugars in the mixture ans as they do, they produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. This feeding frenzy last for two days. When fermentation has finished, the liquid is cooled. Yeast floats to the top ans is separated from the beer."
The next section of Guinness was all about the merchandise. This section was pretty interesting there were examples of bottles, badges and many other things.
After the merchandise section there was a bar area with a band and another place where you could learn to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. You can use your ticket stub to get a free pint of Guinness. You can either use it at the 'pour a perfect pint' section or you can get a free pint up in the Gravity Bar.
The Gravity Bar was a really great place. It is a bar on top of the Guinness Storehouse with glass as the walls, so being up so high you can have a great view of Dublin. Now I would of seen a great view, but it was raining so the view was not that great. But in the general direction of each major attraction in Dublin there was a short description written on the window.
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| Dublin Ireland on a rainy day. |
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| St. Patrick's Catherdral |
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| St. John Church |
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| Old Mill |
After enjoying a pint of Guinness and the view, the three of us started walking back to our hotels so that we could get ready for the Sunday registration and social gathering. C noticed on our way back we past a portion of the old Dublin city wall.
Once I was back at the hotel I changed clothes, cleaned up a bit and made my way to Dublin Castle, where the conference was being held.
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