Anda
How can you plan a trip to Dublin and not tour the Guinness Storehouse? I guess you can if whisky is your drink of choice but, otherwise, there is no excuse to miss it. I have to admit I missed it on my first trip to St.Patrick’s parade in Dublin, but I had my dose of Guinness in pubs at that time.
Anyway, let’s take a tour of Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and see if you’re into it.
A little background story
Today, Guinness Storehouse is one of the top attractions of Dublin City. But the story goes back 250 years. As the story goes, Arthur Guinness, the man behind the brewery, learned to brew beer from his father. When he inherited 100£ – a lot of money at the time, he started a small brewery in Leixlip, Kildare Co.
A few years later, he moved to Dublin and rented a run-down brewery at St. James’s Gate. He was to pay 45£ every year for the use of the brewery and its water source. Arthur Guinness signed a 9000-years lease, and the legend began.
A Guinness Tour at St. James Gate in Dublin
Ticket Options and Hours
I booked my ticket for the Guinness Storehouse Tour a couple of days before arriving in Dublin. There are two ticket options for the Guinness Storehouse tour in Dublin. If you have Coronavirus proof of immunity, you can go for the one that includes a pint of Guinness in the Gravity panoramic bar. You will need to show documents when entering. If you don’t have proof of immunity, you can still tour the Guinness Storehouse, but you will drink your pint in the Brewery Yard Bar.
Tickets tend to run out on weekends, but weekdays are not that busy. The tours run every day from 10 AM to 5 PM except Fridays and Saturdays, when the last Guinness Storehouse tour starts at 7 PM.
The Guinness Storehouse tour in Dublin
The Guinness experience starts at the ground floor, and you will slowly make your way up through the 7 levels.
First, you will get into contact with the ingredients that make the unique black stuff. Barley, hops, yeast, and water – simple ingredients brought together with passion into every perfect pint.
Then, you learn about the brewing process, the perfect roasting temperature for the barley, the color, smell, and taste of Guinness. Nitrogen is another key ingredient that makes that bubbly smoothness that only Guinness has.
Going on, you learn about the beer’s history, transport throughout the years. Then, it’s time to step into the world of Guinness advertising. I’m not into collecting things, but those Guinness tin boxes are really tempting.
The cherry on top, a pint of Guinness in the panoramic bar
Anyway, once you pass the restaurants’ area (and I hear you can have a very good Guinness stew here), you’re ready for your pint. Now that you can truly appreciate the work that goes into the beer as well as its smell, color, and taste, you can enjoy it..
Service is fast, the Guinness is cold and fresh, and you have a 360 degrees view as a bonus. You can also have water or soft drinks at the Gravity Bar or a Guinness lager beer, the Hop House 13. Though the Hop House isn’t bad at all, my advice is to stick with the classic. After all, this is the stuff that made you come here in the first place, isn’t it?
Last stop – the souvenir shop
I don’t think I usually mention the souvenir shops, but this one is worth at least a few minutes. It might be the best place in Dublin to buy some gifts for friends back home. Quality is great, and you can choose from Guinness chocolates or fudge to branded clothing or personalized glasses. In my experience, everybody likes the chocolates, and I’m also happy with the playing cards as they are behaving well on my canasta evenings.
Final thoughts about the Guinness Storehouse tour in Dublin
I might be biased because I love my Guinness, but I had fun on the tour. I probably would have enjoyed it even if I wasn’t a fan of the beer. It’s a story of good quality and good marketing and a good couple of hours spent in Dublin.
Did you tour the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Disclosure
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Definitely one of the best things to do in Dublin. The floor dedicated to Guinness ads was a lot of fun. If you go again I recommend the Guinness champagne cocktail. It seemed weird but quite delicious!