Guinness Brewery and Storehouse

I've been to the Guinness brewery 3 times so far. Once each in 2001, 2002, & 2003. The first time was a great vacation and stayed at friends' flat, and the two others where during St. Patrick’s Day. Very crowded. This brewery has one of the best self guided tours of a brewery I have ever been to. It was like wondering through a museum of Science & Industry, except it was all about Guinness. By the time you make it to the top (end of tour) you have access to the Gravity Bar and a free Guinness (more avail. upon purchase). My wife didn't like Guinness until that day we first went. We walked for so long and took in so much info, she was extremely parched by the time we got to the top. She "broke down" and drank her complimentary Guinness and fell in love. I don't even know how many we consumed by the end of that night, but without being too graphic, let it be known, extreme amounts of Guinness with in turn alter a certain normal bodily function. I shall leave it at that.

The gift shop is outstanding in its selection as it should be, and those who like Guinness, this is the perfect place to pick up one of those metal Guinness signs we all know & love.

The view from the gravity bar stretches over all of Dublin and should be seen by everyone who visits Dublin.

By purchasing the bus tour the ticket allowed us free entry to the building. It also gave us a free gift which was some kind of thing with a bit on Guiness in it. But they key to it was a ring that allowed you to get a free Guiness at the end of the tour. The factory was large with many floors that you got to see. I guess if you really wanted you could by-pass all the floors and go directly to the bar. We actually went and looked at most of the floors. The first floor talked about the process of making the beer. I can't remember exactly what the other floors had but one had past advertisements, one had how they made the barrells that stored the beer, one had some games, and another had a tasting area for some of their other brews (North Star) which isn't sold in the U.S. So here we were able to actually taste more than just the regular Guinees. There was also a cafe on one of the floors. Finally we got to the top and got to enjoy our Guiness. The bar had a nice panoramic view of the city and I believe it is the tallest structure in Dublin. A must see when in Dublin.

Founded in 1759, the Guinness Brewery is one of the world's largest breweries, producing a distinctive dark stout, famous for its thick, creamy head. You can explore the Guinness Hopstore, a converted 19th-century four-story building housing the World of Guinness Exhibition, an audiovisual presentation showing how the stout is made, then move on to the Gilroy Gallery, dedicated to the graphic design work of John Gilroy; and last but not least stop in at the breathtaking Gravity Bar where you can sample a glass of the famous brew in the glass-enclosed bar 200 feet above the ground, where you will have 360-degree views of the city.

Ticket: 14Euros

Located in the heart of Dublin is this world famous beer brewery. From the walk around the complex to the tour inside, one can tell this place is serious about its beer.

When you walk in the entrance, you're greeted by Guinness tour guides. You can choose to visit the gift shop (to the left), or go straight on through and pay for your tour/wait for the next available tour with tour guide. The group I was traveling in comprised of college kids only, and it was a Saturday afternoon, so we were tired and wanting to be thrifty. I don't know if you'll be able to be as sneaky as us about it, but we didn't really care to have a guided tour. We thought we could probably make due on our own. The trick...we found...is to go around behind the cashier, when a tour group is going in. If lucky enough, you can do just like we did and get in the brewery for free! Very sketchy, very sneaky, but VERY CHEAP. Probably not a good family thing to do, but if you're backpacking and are tight on money...go for it! The tour didn't cost too many euros, but this was near the end of our long trip and money was the last thing we wanted to get rid of.

Now, for the actually brewery!! This state-of-the-art, abundant in technology and information brewery tour was awesome. Never have I learned so much about the history of Guinness, the process of making beer, and just how intricate and how special it is to bear the name Guinness. Imagine the biggest sandbox you've ever played in. Now...fill it with hops and that's what the first room looked like. And these hops are for the taking! Some are good, some are dry, some are plain awful. You proceed through the tour just like you are a hop. Each level goes through a different process of brewing beer. As you progress higher and higher, you approach the highest level, your final stop, a free beer, compliments of your tour ticket. Taht free beer is free, of course, if you have the ticket. But if...for some reason, you snuck into the tour, then you just have to watch everyone enjoy their cold Guinness. Oh well. Also, this top room provides a spectaular view of Dublin. Spectacular, insomuch as its about as spectacular as any major city with skyscrapers and the like.

To me, the Guinness Brewery was the best attraction in Dublin, and I'm not a regular drinker. It's fun for anyone (except maybe a 5-year old), educational, enlightening, and refreshing (at the end, if you paid for the tour ;) ). Well worth a visit!