Complete Guide to Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse

Complete Guide to Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Storehouse is synonymous with Dublin and a symbol of Irish pride. It was certainly top of my list of things to do on my recent trip to Dublin and I was not disappointed.

In this complete guide to Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse I have paved the boozey pathway to one of the most famous breweries in the world, with lots of handy tips so you can make the most of your visit.

Ground Floor: Introduction to the brewery and ingredients

Starting on the ground floor (always a good place to start), you’ll get a introduction to the 250 year old brewery and a short history of the building, including Arthur Guinness’s infamous 9000 year lease. You’ll then make your way through the floor, learning about the different ingredients including, barley, hops and yeast that go into making that magic black stuff.

Tip #1: Buy your tickets online for one of the first slots of the day (available from 9am every 15 minutes). It may sound crazy to think about drinking alcohol at this time, but by the time you have made your way through the floors, it will be at least 11am and a lunch later, making it an acceptable drinking hour (especially seeing as you’re on holiday!). Plus there will be fewer crowds when you reach the piece de la resistance on the top floor…Gravity Bar.

You’ll also find the Guinness Storehouse gift shop on this floor, where you will find a treasure trove of souvenir pint glasses, t-shirts and Guinness themed treats.

Tip #2: Get your souvenirs at the end of your tour. You’ll have more time at the end of your visit and you won’t have to carry the bag all the way round with you.

First Floor: Cooperage and transportation

After taking a look at what goes into making Guinness, you will learn about how the ingredients are brewed to get that unique Guinness taste, how the famous casks are made and how Guinness was transported across the globe.

Tip #3: Take time to have a seat by the stunning 12 foot tall, two ton wood carving of a giant pint of Guinness sculpture, ‘The Story of More”. It was created by 20 international artists and carvers from around the world, each adding a piece to the Guinness story, from the barley fields at the bottom to the origins of the water used at the brewery from the River Liffey at the top. 

Second Floor: Tasting experience

On the second floor you will get the chance to taste test some Guinness yourself in the tasting rooms. Here you will learn how to appreciate the different flavours of Guinness and taste test it like you would a fine wine (for research purposes only of course). The aroma created by the Guinness flavour pods alone will be enough to activate your thirst, trust me. This is where you will find out how Guinness made in Dublin really does taste different from anywhere else in the world.

Tip #4: You are only in the tasting rooms very briefly, so if you want to get an pictures or film anything in here, stay at the back of the group and be the last one to leave when you are moved on. 

Third Floor: World of advertising

This was one of my favourite floors, not just because it appeals to the marketing-nerd in me but because the Guinness branding and unique style of advertising is recognised the world over. Have a walk through a history of some of Guinness’s most iconic advertising campaigns including its Toucan mascot and slogan, “Guinness is good for you”, which is still used today.

You’ll also get the chance to be part of one of their classic advertising campaigns by stepping into one of the advertising photo booths.

Tip #5: When you’re in the photo booth, position yourself as fast as possible as the flash goes off quickly and your head won’t be positioned quite right (like mine!). Also don’t forget to check out your photo on one of the iPads on the floor, so you can email yourself a free copy of the photo.  

Fourth Floor: Guinness Academy and connoisseur experience

This is one of the best parts of your visit as on this floor you will learn how to pull your own perfect pint at the Guinness Academy (think of it as the best and more tipsy version of school and you got yourself the most popular Academy in town!).

Tip #6: Even with pre-booked tickets, this is an experience you will need to queue up for which is why I recommend you visit the Guinness Storehouse as early as possible to avoid crowds. 

Tip #7: You won’t need tickets for, “The Connoisseur Experience”. It’s a one-to-one lesson with a Guinness expert and costs €48 compared to the €14 standard ticket. The standard ticket gets you the same experience but you share the lesson with a small group. The group lessons are probably more fun as you get to talk to people who have travelled from across the world for this experience. In my group we had people who had travelled from Canada, Brazil and France to taste one of Dublin’s special brews. 

After pulling your pint you can take a breather from the tour to enjoy your pint of Guinness and a lovely view of Dublin.

Fifth Floor: Guinness bar and restaurant

On this floor you will find out how Guinness complements a surprising array of foods. By this point in your visit you’ll definitely be hungry (if not a little tipsy from all the Guinness), so make sure you stop off at the restaurant for a bit of traditional Irish grub.

You’ll also be pleased to know that prices aren’t bad here (compared to restaurants in the centre of Dublin). For some home-made soup with Guinness bread and a drink, I paid less than €10.

Tip #8: Unless you just want to enjoy a few cheeky pints, save your next pint of Guinness for Gravity Bar. The views are fab and is a fantastic way to end the Guinness Storehouse tour. 

Tip #9: Look down! From this floor you’ll be able to see the pint glass effect that they tell you about in the introduction to the brewery, which allows you to see all the other awesome floors of the experience.  

Top floor: Gravity Bar

On the very last floor of the Guinness Storehouse you will experience fantastic 360 views of Dublin whilst enjoying another smooth pint of Guinness…well in theory. This is why I advise you get the earliest slot of the day, as by the time you reach Gravity Bar you will have beaten this lot to a decent seat!

Tip #10: If you do get to Gravity Bar a little late and it looks like this, head down to the floor below and enjoy your pint in a less crowded space at the other bar. The views aren’t quite as good but at least you can have your last pint of the experience in peace.  

Now you are all filled in on Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse, what are you waiting for? Get yourself down there and bring me back some Guinness will ya? ;)

Have you visited Dublin’s Guinness Storehouse? Or would you like to after reading this? Let me know in the comments below.

 

 

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