On our last day in Ireland, Rob and I just walked around Dublin while waiting for our 4 pm tour of the Guinness Storehouse. The Jameson Distillery in Cork had been a blast and we figured the brewery would be very similar.

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Since we walked to the storehouse, we passed through a not-so-nice area of Dublin. Lots of stores were closed down, the buildings weren’t very well kept, and it was not the kind of place I would want to be after dark. However, once we turned at the clearly marked signs,

Signage

we walked through the alleyways of the old storehouse. The cobblestone streets and brick buildings really gave us a feel of what it would have been like to live and work there when the brewery first opened.

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The Guinness Storehouse itself is shaped like a pint glass and could hold 14.3 million pints if you felt so inclined to fill it up. As a heads up, you save 20% on your tour ticket if you buy them online!

Beer glass brewery

At one point during the self-guided tour, we were ushered into a red-roped line by an elderly tour guide. Having no idea what it was for, but assured that it was worth, we filed down this fun-house type of hallway with loud music, neon lights, and slanted ceilings and walls.

Fun house hallway

The other side brought us to a sterile, white-everything room that held nothing but beer taps and smoking pillars. The idea was to assault the senses on your way in, so when you hit the white room you were totally ready to absorb the layered tastes of Guinness. Sounds like baloney to me, but I’m not a beer snob. The smoking pillars were the scents of the different stages the beer goes through before it’s drinkable.

White room for tasting

You can see one of the smoking pillars with a green tint on the left.

After grabbing a tasting glass, we headed to a darken room where a Guinness guide taught us how to properly sip the drink. The key is elbow up.

Elbows up!

When we finally arrived at the official tasting room, the place was packed but the views were spectacular. You could see all of Dublin in the 360 degree top floor.

Views from the top floor

Our bartender was extremely serious about this job, utilizing all the proper wait times to waterfall the beer and let it settle. I guess when you work at the Guinness flagship, you better know your stuff.

All business

Since I’m not a huge Guinness fan, I had a few sips of mine and pawned it off on Rob. The mellow music and view was enough for me!

Top floor tasting

Even though Guinness is not my thing, I definitely recommend checking out the storehouse. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon!

RQ: Are you a fan of brewery tours? Guinness: yay or nay?

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