Does Guinness taste better in Ireland?

I have heard many people preaching that Guinness tastes better in Ireland. Even though I do not drink Guinness regularly in the States, I drank it everyday in Ireland. I do not have the taste buds that can distinguish different flavors in beer or wine, so I did not think much of the hype. I drank Guinness because it was the best tap option, along with Smithwick’s, and is what the locals drink (other tap choices were Miller, Coors, and Budweiser).

Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Storehouse is a wonderful place to visit in Dublin and is worth the admission price. The self-guided tour is included in the Dublin Pass, which can save you money depending on how you use it.

Guinness Storehouse

Beer bottle Wall

It was a rainy day in Dublin, so spending a few hours learning about Guinness was an excellent choice. I was advised to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds and highly recommend doing the same. The 9,000 year lease granting Aurthur Guinness rights to brew beer is displayed under glass in the floor and is where the walking tour starts. Since we arrived early to beat the crowds, there were roughly five to ten people listening to the tour spiel. By the time we were leaving the Guinness Storehouse, there were flocks of people starting the tour (somewhere between forty to fifty).

Guinness Storehouse

Lobby

The Storehouse is organized starting with the brewing process and ending with the distribution and advertising. The self-guided tour includes beer ingredients, a gallery, milling, barrel making, shipping and distribution, a tasting room, bars, advertising, and a dining hall. The floors wind around the largest pint glass in the world, which is able to hold 14.3 million pints of beer. Since Andy and I brew ourselves from time to time, we thoroughly enjoyed the brewing process and old school machines for milling and brewing.

Guinness Storehouse

Ingredients

Guinness Storehouse

Machines

You can learn to correctly pour a Guinness draft, but it was not open when we walked through the first time. Since we did not feel like waiting and are not professional bartenders, we continued on our self-guided tour. A couple of the floors were easily passed by due to the dining room and pouring areas. We wanted to save our one drink vouchers for the Gravity Bar; it was morning after all.

We continued to read more about how the beer’s distribution has changed over the years. I have always been fascinated with logistics.

Guinness Storehouse

Distribution

Walking through the advertising floor is fun. They display the different advertisements through the decades and even have a place where you can be part of an advertisement. I studied the original advertisement before Andy took my picture. After Andy did some photo editing, this was the final product. I think Guinness should use me as their model. What do you think?

Guinness

The Gravity Bar was amazing. We found seats at a deserted table and received our first draft inside the Guinness Storehouse. With a panoramic view of Dublin, it was a great place to meet other travelers. The windows even had informational Dublin points of interest pointed out on the glass windows.

Guinness Storehouse

Dublin Sights

Guinness Storehouse

Panoramic Views

Guinness Storehouse

Our Pints being Poured

I highly recommend touring the Guinness Storehouse to learn the history behind Ireland’s iconic brewery. After my Ireland trip, I decided to head to our local Irish pub to see if there was indeed a difference in taste. The taste was similar, but the Guinness in Ireland is definitely more creamy and smooth.

What is your favorite brewery to visit?

Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” Guinness Storehouse provided tickets in exchange for writing a review. However, all opinions and observations are 100% my own.

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