Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the 1770s, while other Dublin brewers fretted about the popularity of a new English
beer known as porter - which was first created when a London brewer accidentally burnt
his hops - Arthur Guinness started making his own version. By 1799 he had decided to
concentrate all his efforts on this single brew. He died four years later, aged 83, but the
foundations for world domination were already in place.
At one time a Grand Canal tributary was cut into the brewery to enable special Guin-
ness barges to carry consignments out onto the Irish canal system or to the Dublin port.
When the brewery extensions reached the Liffey in 1872, the fleet of Guinness barges be-
came a familiar sight. Pretty soon Guinness was being exported as far afield as Africa and
the West Indies. As the barges chugged their way along the Liffey towards the port, boys
used to lean over the wall and shout 'bring us back a parrot'. Dubliners still say the same
thing to each other when they're going off on holiday.
The Essential Ingredients
One link with the past that hasn't been broken is the yeast used to make Guinness, essen-
tially the same living organism that has been used since 1770. Another vital ingredient is a
hop by the name of fuggles, which used to be grown exclusively around Dublin but is now
imported from Britain, the US and Australia (everyone take a bow).
Guinness Storehouse
The brewery is far more than just a place where beer is manufactured. It is an intrinsic
part of Dublin's history and a key element of the city's identity. Accordingly, the quasi-
mythical stature of Guinness is the central theme of the brewery's museum, the Guinness
Storehouse, which opened in 2000 and is the only part of the brewery open to visitors.
While inevitably overpriced and over-hyped, this paean to the black gold is done excep-
tionally well. It occupies the old Fermentation House, built in 1904. As it's a listed build-
ing, the designers could only adapt and add to the structure without taking anything away.
The result is a stunning central atrium that rises seven storeys and takes the shape of a pint
of Guinness. The head is represented by the glassed Gravity Bar, which provides panor-
amic views of Dublin to savour with your complimentary half-pint.
Before you race up to the top, however, you might want to check out the
museum
for
which you've paid so handsomely. Actually, it's designed as more of an 'experience' than
a museum. It has nearly four acres of floor space, featuring a dazzling array of audiovisu-
