VISIT TO GUINNESS STOREHOUSE IN DUBLIN
A note by Eamon Henry
On 13th April 2011 some eleven members of the Active IT Society made the trip, led by Mrs. Angela Hickey. The Storehouse can be envisaged as a museum of the Guinness Brewery, in successful production of “porter” beer since 1759, at Dublin’s St. James’s Gate.
We started at the usual point, namely the entrance to “Guinness Storehouse” about 11.00 am, and bought our €9 tickets, which included the cost of a pint of draft Guinness stout in the “Gravity Bar” on the seventh floor right at the top of the building. A vast amount of technical information is available about the brewing process for those interested, as one follows the guiding arrows along the intended trip, and listens to video instructions. A shop of varied items is available near the front entrance.
A brief description of the brewing process is relevant. Clean water is brought from sources in County Wicklow. During each year some 100,000 tonnes of Irish malting barley is used as one main ingredient, as well as some imported barley. Some 3 million pints of beer are produced each day, for home sale and export. The barley is first soaked for a couple of days, until it begins to sprout. It is then dried and roasted and ground up, being “malt” at this stage. It is now mixed with hot water and mashed, and the liquid (called “wort”) drained off. The solid residue becomes animal feed.
The wort is next boiled for 70 minutes with chopped hop-cones (imported), to give the bitter characteristic flavour. Next, yeast is added, to ferment the wort and produce some 7 percent alcohol content, during a two-day period. The yeast is then removed, and the remaining liquid is porter of an amber colour, needing some further maturing etc. before packing in casks for sale. The removed yeast is usable in further fermentation runs, with some of the yeast being sold for baking bread and other uses. This whole brewing process is shown in detail, step by step, with video commentary, as one follows the guiding arrows.
Around 1.00 pm we ascended to the Gravity Bar, to enjoy our pints. We had already sampled a small measure, to indicate the taste, when we reached the end of the production process demonstration. A panoramic view of Dublin and environs is available through the windows of the circular wall surrounding this Bar. To the west one can see the Wellington Monument of Phoenix Park; to the south one sees the Dublin hills, to the east Howth Head and lighthouse, and to the north Croke Park among other buildings. It happened that some RTE staff were visiting the Bar when we were there, as part of preparations for imminent visits by President Obama and Queen Elizabeth. As the now-visiting Dalai Lama was not mentioned, he might be a teetotaler!!
A leisurely lunch in the fifth-floor restaurant followed, at very reasonable prices, with coffee or tea on the house. All in all, this visit has provided a memorable and very enjoyable experience.
