Guinness Storehouse

On the last day of our adventure, we walked about 45 minutes west of our downtown hotel to St. James Gate Brewery, the home of Guinness. Even though this is a huge "tourist" attraction, it's just as much an experience in Irish History.

In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease of this sprawling space--for the bargain price of 45 pounds a year. What a steal. The storehouse opened a few years ago and is a really cool experience, marrying the history and production of Guinness.

To know Guinness is to know art.










A copy of Arthur's lease, encased in glass at the start of the experience.
The museum is housed within a 7-story Pint class--all within the hallowed walls of the original brewery.
The first part of the tour focused on the 4 basic ingredients--Barley, Hops, Yeast & Water. Beauty is in simplicity.











And the 5th ingredient. Arthur's original vision was stressed throughout the experience. The company continues to follow in the steps he first took.


Half-way through the tour, we we offered a taste test of what we were assured was the freshest Guinness offered for public consumption.


An original train that was used to hall ingredients around the brewery.
In this section, historic marketing and advertising was on display. Guinness has always been a leader in the art of public persuasion.




The fabled Guinness harp.
He was SO excited to be standing near it.




This settled our long debate.
I was happy to see Ghana as one of Guinness' major international breweries :) The Guinness bottled in that country have caps that say "Guinness is Good for You."
The experience ended on the 7th floor at the Gravity bar. There, we enjoyed two complimentary pints with an expansive view of Dublin city.








Headed down. Feeling the effects of the pint...HAPPINESS!
But not everyone's lucky enough to call themselves that the other 364 days of the year.