This past Friday, I finally got around to touring the Guinness Storehouse. It’s pretty much an essential destination when you’re in Dublin. The whole thing about the Irish drinking Guinness all the time is definitely more fact than stereotype. And why shouldn’t they? After all, Guinness is good for you.
The museum in one of the old brewery buildings, which was used as a fermentation plant until the late ’80s. Inside, there’s an atrium in the shape of a pint glass, which they tout as the world’s largest. If filled, it would hold over 14 million pints of Guinness. The whole place is interactive and is far and away the most engaging museum I’ve ever visited. The first floor takes you through the ingredients and how they’re harvested and processed. This includes what I can only describe as a giant sandbox full of barley and an indoor waterfall. Then there’s the art gallery, where the paintings talk to you and tell you the story of Arthur Guinness and the Guinness family. There’s a whole floor dedicated to advertising on which you can star in your own Guinness poster. Of course, there’s the tasting room, where you’re taught how properly drink a Guinness, and the Guinness Academy, where you learn to pour the perfect pint.
Best of all, though, is the Gravity Bar, on the top floor. It’s a big circular room with floor to ceiling windows. There’s probably nothing quite as Ireland as drinking a Guinness you poured yourself while looking at panoramic views of Dublin City. Except maybe having a pint at the oldest pub in Dublin, which was what we did next.
Thursday, I leave for a weekend in Scotland with some of my friends from my program. More on that next week. I’ll post all the the Guinness Storehouse pictures soon. In the meantime, I may go have a pint; it’s a lovely day for a Guinness.
Sláinte!
The Southern Belle of Dublin City 