Touring the Guinness Brewery

We had originally intended to tour the Guinness Storehouse (on the campus of the original brewery) Saturday, but our excursions on Friday precluded the trip. Since I stayed in on Saturday night, I woke up early enough to use the laundry facilities on campus. I was assured by my second suitemate, Ness, who I met the day before, that they were the cheapest and closest to Goldsmith. However, close is a relative term, as they are on the exact opposite end of the campus squeezed between the dining hall and the chapel (literally, there is a narrow path that leads to the standalone building). While still "on campus", Goldsmith is actually on the other side of Trinity's fences and walls - connected by a bridge over the street to the athletics center.

The distance to the laundrette is just another example of the spoiled life I had in the Avalon for six months. Not only did we have a washer and dryer in the apartment, let alone the building, we had a diswasher, microwave, and a garbage disposal (besides the shared pool and gas grills).

Nevertheless, after making a few trps back and forth - paying the 3 euro for the washer and 1.50 euro for the dryer - my laundry was complete and I was ready for the Guinness Storehouse. The gang departed Goldsmith on foot at around 2 PM, and it took us around 45 minutes to get there. Even though the trip should have been shorter, we naturally got lost a couple times (one time crossing the Liffey by the Four Courts building). Even so, the brewery is essetionally a straight shot from the main gate of campus, only complicated by rising hills and the ever-changing names of streets.

Quasi-Fascist Poster Seen En Route

As we neared the brewery, you could smell the hops in the air (something I suppose you get adjusted to if you life nearby). Once inside we payed the 11 euro ticket price (again no American Express accepted), which gave us entry to the storehouse and a coupon for a pint of Guinness - at 11 euro by far the most expensive.

The building was huge - for Dublin at least - at 7 stories, with the center designed to mimic a pit glass criscrossed by escalators and encased by glass railings. Each level had a different element of the Guinness legacy, with the first part dedicated to the three ingredients that comprise guinness: Irish barley, European/American hops, and water from the Wicklow mountains. At the end of the first part you received a small glass to sample the finished product.

Wicklow Water

Full Album from the Guinness Storehouse

From there, you wound your way up the building, passing by various restaurants and eateries. Other exhibits included advertising through the years, the company history, and one on the effects of alcohol - in contrast to the old campaign of "Guinness is Good for You." One room felt like some sort of indoctrination center with dark walls, floor, and ceiling - and massive screens playing a compiled Guinness sport advertisements (complete with encompassing music).

You could use your coupon for a pint of Guinness at either the station on the fourth floor to learn how to pour a perfect pint, or have it poured for you at the "Gravity Bar" on the 7th floor that gives a nearly 360 degree view of the city. Most of us opted for the perfect pint - a process which takes around 2 minutes. First you must tilt the glass at a 45 degree angle and pull the tap towards you. As the glass fills you turn it upright, and continue to pour until it reaches 3/4 of the way full. You then set it aside to allow the gases to interact until it is completely dark. At that point you return the glass under the tap, and push forward to fill it to the brim. As we had been told at the Ginger Man Pub, you can then only drink the Guinness once it has once more turned completely dark.

Drinking in the station, a few of the girls had been there before us and told us that they had met the British band Bloc Party. The rest of us had the opportunity to meet them at the Gravity Bar level, which devolved into practically everyone in the place getting together for a group picture. Soon thereafter, we left the storehouse and headed back to our apartments.

After dinner, I finalized a draft schedule of classes (with no lectures on Monday!): Ireland in the 20th Century, Irish Politics, the Irish Economy, European Societies, and Comparative Welfare States.

Full Dublin Album