The Guinness Storehouse

Guinness is synonymous with Ireland and when in Dublin, no visit is complete without a trip to Guinness Storehouse - the home of Guinness.

Located in the heart of the legendary St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, this production site has been home to the black stuff since 1759, when Arthur Guinness signed a lease for 9,000 years. The Guinness Storehouse building dates back to 1904 and is built in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture. It was once the fermentation plant of the brewery and is now remodeled into a visitor centre, dedicated to the history of Guinness.

Guinness Storehouse is where you can trace the story of an icon from its beginnings until the present day. It's here you'll experience every aspect of a brewing process that's as old and unique as the cobbled streets outside.

Ireland's number one attraction unfolds its tale across seven floors shaped around a giant pint, which, if filled would contain 14.3 million pints of Guinness. The highlight for many visitors is the Gravity Bar, symbolically the 'Head of the Pint', where visitors can enjoy unparalleled panoramic views of Dublin city - views that are all the better with a complimentary pint in hand.

Highlights of the Guinness Storehouse experience include:

The Brewing Exhibition features a 'virtual master brewer' - Fergal Murray - who guides visitors step by step through the brewing process. Here visitors not only gain an insight into the brewing methods used today at St. James's Gate, but, with the help of archive footage, hear the story of brewing in days gone by.

At 10am each morning in the St. James's Gate brewery, the Guinness tasting team samples the brews to ensure that they are of the highest quality before the Guinness leaves the brewery. At Guinness Storehouse, visitors also get the opportunity to act as Guinness tasters in the Tasting Laboratory, where the tasting team shows them how to savour the beer in the same way the connoisseurs do at the brewery.

The Cooperage is an exhibit dedicated to the craft of the cooper, who hand made the wooden barrels, which Guinness was stored and transported in for decades. The skill and craft of the cooper is laid bare in a remarkable audiovisual display of a cooper in action, filmed in Guinness' own Cooperage during the 1950s. Here visitors can also explore a full range of coopers' tools displayed amongst the pyramid of wooden casks.

Visitors from around the world know and love many of the Guinness adverts. The Advertising Section is a veritable hall of fame of these award-winning advertisements from the past right up to the present day. Visitors can see the first Guinness ads ever produced and take time to watch some of the most well known TV ads, which have entertained generations.

Visitors can learn how to Pour the Perfect Pint of Guinness in six simple steps and receive a certificate to prove that they have mastered the craft.

Guinness is synonymous with Ireland and when in Dublin, no visit is complete without a trip to Guinness Storehouse - the home of Guinness.

If travelling to Guinness Storehouse on foot, visitors are encouraged to make use of the Guinness Storehouse iWalk - a free walking tour available to download onto mp3 devices. The tour guides visitors from the heart of Dublin to the heart of Guinness. Reflecting the international appeal of Guinness Storehouse, these iWalks can be downloaded for free in five languages - English, French, German, Italian and Spanish directly from www.guinness-storehouse.com.

The Guinness Storehouse is open 7 days a week from 9.30am until 5pm. Late opening in July and August until 7pm each evening. It is closed only on Good Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day (Dec. 26th). Adult admission is EUR15.00, which includes a complimentary pint of Guinness in Gravity Bar.

To skip the queue and avail of a 10% discount, book online at www.guinness-storehouse.com