LNOF Visit Dublin's

BOOK GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

At LNOF, we don't do things by halves. There's not one activity, restaurant or bar we offer, that we haven't thoroughly tested out ourselves. So, when given the opportunity to visit the Emerald Isle - we packed up our ginger wigs, leprechaun hats and anything else green we could find within a six mile radius. All in the name of 'research', of course...

First on our hit list was the world renowned Guinness Storehouse. Attracting over 1,000,000 tourists each year, it's Dublin's most popular and well-loved attraction. Well, if it's good enough for A-list visitors such as Taylor Swift, Barack Obama, Tom Cruise, the entire Lord of the Rings cast and even The Queen - it's good enough for us.

Located at St James' Gate, The Storehouse has been the site of Guinness brewing since 1759, producing serious amounts of booze annually - making the company almost two million Euros each year.

An illustration of St James' Gate in Dublin

"The Guinness Storehouse is designed in the shape of a giant pint glass. So giant, it could hold 14.3 million pints. That's a big night, even for us."

Video: LNOF experience the world-famous Guinness Storehouse and sample the pints.

We had our very own guide, Leo, taking us around the factory, dropping impressive facts about the firm's 250 year history (and plying us with Guinness) as we went. The whopping, seven-storey building is cleverly designed in the shape of a huge pint glass - so huge, in fact, that it would hold 14.3 million pints of Guinness (that's a big night out, even for us).

Across the seven floors, we learnt about orientation/ingredients, brewing, tasting, advertising and even pouring the perfect pint.

Dublin Stag and Hen Do Inspiration

Level 1

First up, we took a look at the famous, 9,000 year lease for the brewery - preserved in a transparent time capsule, mounted within the floor - where you can still make out the elaborate signature of Arthur Guinness himself, signed back in 1759. The famous lease stated that the firm would pay £45 per annum for the unused brewery - the bargain of the century - considering that by 1886, the brewery went on to become the largest in the world, with an annual output of 1.2 million barrels.

An animation of the Arthur Guinness Signature
A sample of Guinness Foreign Extra stout

Photo: A sample of Guinness Foreign Extra stout. It would be rude not to.

Level 2

The second floor took us on an interactive journey through the brewing process – and exactly how the water, barley, roast malt extract, hops, and brewer's yeast are matured and transformed into the liquid nectar. Our journey even ended up in a multi-sensory tasting room, where we were taught to ‘breathe deeply, take a good mouthful through the head, swallow and breathe out through the nose'. Ooh err.

We even had a sneak peek into the private, dimly lit (for a true sensory experience) Guinness Connoisseur room, where groups are taken for their very own personal session. You can sample everything from Guinness Draught Bitter (4.4%) Hop 13 (5%), to the super strong Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (7.5%) and Antwerpen (8%). With a light and creamy texture, Antwerpen is the strongest Guinness beer at 8% ABV, produced with a lower hop rate to give it a malty taste. It's also a survivor of WWII, first imported to Belgium in 1944 - and remains one of the most sought after speciality beers today.

"Antwerpen is the strongest Guinness beer at 8% abv. Boasting a rich, smoky, malty taste, balanced with a sweet, fruity finish - it's one of the most sought after speciality beers."

Guinness from Strength to Strength

An illustration of Guinness Draft Bitter
An illustration of Ho House 13
An illustration of West Indies Porter
An illustration of Guinness Foreign Extra
An illustration of Antwerpen

Level 3

Floor three is home to Guinness' iconic advertising throughout the ages. From whistling oysters sent to America, to fish cycling on bikes, to messages in bottles from King Neptune himself - Guinness' marketing team clearly drink on the job. The early Guinness adverts even billed the drink as 'good for strength and good for your health'. Any excuse for a pint...

Even today, we unknowingly use phrases coined by Guinness' advertising team. "Good things come to those who wait..." has become a well-known idiom, originating in Guinness television, cinema, and print advertising campaigns - denoting that the time it takes for Guinness to settle, is well worth waiting for.

Level 4

We then became honorary members of the Guinness Academy, learning how to pour the perfect pint. Not as easy as it looks - it turns out there's an art to pulling a flawless stout. It's all in the precise angles, pouring and settling time (119.5 seconds, FYI) and temperature at which it is served - between five and seven degrees is bang on. After our masterclass, we each pulled ourselves a pint - and even attempted a spot of Guinness art on the top, with varying levels of success...

Finally, we headed up in the glass elevator (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory minus those tiny orange blokes), to the head of the 'pint', The Gravity Bar. The completely glass-fronted bar offers stunning 360° views of Dublin, and the best Guinness in the world at your fingertips. We stayed for a pint, or two, or three... all in the interest of our strength and our health, of course.

"The completely glass-fronted bar offers stunning 360° views of Dublin, and the best Guinness in the world at your fingertips."

A man pulling a pint at the Guinness Factory

Photo: Our very own Andy tries his hand at pulling the perfect pint

Whether you love nothing better a pint of the Irish dry stout, or you're just interested in the history and brewing of the famous 'black stuff', we'd definitely recommend checking out the iconic Guinness Factory.

Find out more about building your own bespoke stag do or hen party in Dublin, by checking out our Dublin weekends page.

Check out some of our Guinness Storehouse photos here:

About the Author

Blonde bombshell. 90s Hip Hop star. Avid fan of teacakes, flat caps and dominoes. A keen Royalist. Has been known to darn maternity pants before a large meal.

Sadly, Sarah no longer works for LNOF, which is a huge shame because she was an absolute legend and we miss her every day 💔

Article Updated: 16/02/2024

Sarah Main

Ex Content Writer

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