On the Road Again – Guinness Storehouse

With friends visiting from the US I’m hitting the road again visiting some of my favorite places a well as a few new sights.

The first new stop was the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. In all my holiday trips as well as three years in Ireland this was my first visit to the brewery.

Although a typical pint costs about three or four Euro, maybe more in the tourist traps that can get away with it,  a tour of the brewery will set you back a whoping 18 Euro. Despite including a tour, mini taster and a full pint, I still consider it to be an outrageous sum, especially considering the tour is self guided. Thankfully, I could use my Tesco clubcard vouchers to greatly reduce the entry fee.

Tiny taster cups

We were introduced to the tour at the spot where they display the 900 year lease Arhur Guiness signed for the property – you have to give the man credit for having vision. I wonder if he is rolling in his grave now that the family only owns 3 pct of the brewery. The remainder of the tour was plaques, props, and short videos, which, while well done, still do not justify the entry fee.

Arty himself

900 year lease

front of waterfall

back of waterfall

The view from the Gravity Bar is outstandinng – the best part of the tour. We were lucky to catch a clear enough day to get a lovely view of the city.

Not a big fan of the dark stuff (or any beer for that matter), despite being born in the (former) beer capital of the US, where the local pro baseball team is called the Brewers, I drank the taster but took my free beverage as white soda. Most expensive soft drink I have ever had.

Guiness is not only a Dublin landmark but an Irish icon and although I have made my first and probably last visit, there will be no shortage of visitors to follow in my footsteps and fill the coffers.

despite the steep entry fee, there was a warning about pickpockets