Guinness Storehouse
Encyclopedia
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
-themed tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
located at St. James's Gate Brewery
St. James's Gate Brewery
St. James's Gate Brewery is a brewery founded in 1759 in Dublin, Ireland by Arthur Guinness. The company is now a part of Diageo, a company formed via the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan in 1997. The main product produced at the brewery is Guinness Draft.Leased for 9,000 years in 1759 by...
in Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Since opening in November 2000 it has attracted over 4 million visitors.
The Storehouse is laid out over seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness
Arthur Guinness
Arthur Guinness was an Irish brewer and the founder of the Guinness brewery business and family.He was also an entrepreneur, visionary and philanthropist....
. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. In 2006, a new wing opened incorporating a live installation of the present day brewing process. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar where visitors can claim a complimentary pint of Guinness and enjoy panoromic views over Dublin City.
Architecture
The Storehouse building dates back to 1904 and was built in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture. It was the first multi-storey steel framed building to be constructed in the British Isles. In brewing terms, ‘to store’ means to add yeast, giving the Storehouse its name. It was once the fermentationEthanol fermentation
Ethanol fermentation, also referred to as alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process in which sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose are converted into cellular energy and thereby produce ethanol and carbon dioxide as metabolic waste products...
plant of the Brewery, where the fourth ingredient yeast, was added to the brew. The building was used continuously as the fermentation plant of the Brewery until its closure in 1988, when a new state-of-the art fermentation plant was built elsewhere on the Brewery site.
In 1997, it was decided to convert the building into Guinness Storehouse, the Home of Guinness, replacing the Guinness Hopstore as the Guinness visitors centre. The award-winning redesign of the building was undertaken by the UK-based design firm Imagination Ltd in conjunction with the Dublin-based architects firm RKD, and opened to the public on 2 December 2000.
Design
This historical building is central to Dublin’s and Ireland’s heritage, and has been continually updated to create a blend of rich industrial tradition with a contemporary edge. At the base of the atrium lies a copy of the 9000 year lease signed by Arthur GuinnessArthur Guinness
Arthur Guinness was an Irish brewer and the founder of the Guinness brewery business and family.He was also an entrepreneur, visionary and philanthropist....
on the Brewery
St. James's Gate
St. James's Gate, located off the south quays of Dublin, on James Street, was the western entrance to the city during the Middle Ages. During this time it was the traditional starting point for the Dublin pilgrimage Camino to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Now central to a industrial area, St...
site. The Gravity Bar, symbolically the ‘Head of the Pint” offers panoramic views of Dublin city.
Visitor attractions
Guinness Storehouse brings to life the heritage of Guinness, telling the story of its origins at the St. James’s Gate brewery to its growth as a global brand. This story is told through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients, brewing, transport, cooperage, advertising and sponsorship.In the Perfect Pint bar, visitors have the option to craft their own perfect pint of Guinness, tutored by a dedicated Guinness ambassador. A complimentary pint of Guinness (or soft drink) can be enjoyed in the Gravity Bar, with views over the city of Dublin.
The Brewery Bar on the fifth floor offers Irish cuisine using locally-sourced ingredients, and using Guinness stout both in cooking and as an accompaniment to food.
The Guinness Store is the flagship retail shop for Guinness merchandise, containing many items which are exclusive to Guinness Storehouse.
Arthur Guinness Business Centre
The Arthur Guinness Business Centre, located on the third and fourth floors of the Storehouse, is a dedicated area with training and conference facilities for holding meetings and training courses. The Storehouse offers a number of events venues with catering for 20 to 1,000 people for receptions, private dining occasions, parties, product launches, fashion shows or lectures.Guinness Archive
The Guinness Archive is based at the Storehouse and contains records dating from the 1759 lease of the Brewery and photographs, film, video, memorabilia, posters, maps, bottles and artifacts documenting the history of the Guinness company, brand and products in Ireland.Awards
Guinness Storehouse has won numerous awards over the years, most notably- 2008 HSMAI Awards: Winner Best Marketing of a Visitor Attraction
- 2009 All Ireland Marketing Awards: Winner Tourism Category
- 2009 Voted ‘Best Brewery/Distillery Tour in the World’ by consumer website VirtualTourist.com
- 2009 Irish Design Effectiveness Awards: Winner Exhibition Design Category