The Dark Stuff

The dark stuff is, of course, Guinness. So on Monday morning, we arose and caught the tram to St. James' Gate, home of the Guinness Storehouse. While I'm sure that the Storehouse is interesting to many people, I also think it had a special attraction for a beer snob like myself. The brewery is full of interesting bits, such as the original 9,000 year lease, signed by Arthur Guinness, his diary, recording the day-to-day life of a brewmeister, and a wall of numerous Guinness bottles made throughout the years. However, one of the most interesting bits, to me at least, was the bottom floor, where they take you through the process of modern brewing. Despite changes in the times, Guinness is still made with the basic ingredients: barley, water, hops, and yeast - all of which are broadly available, although the specific yeast used by Guinness is kept under lock and key and not shared.

The rest of the storehouse is dedicated to telling the full story of how they stored, shipped, and otherwise operated the Guinness factory. There was a bit that told about how they made and shaped the barrels to keep the beer, a bit talking about how it was shipped - by land, sea, and air, and a discussion of the different types of Guinness that are made - as there is, in fact, more than one type of Guinness.

Perhaps it is only fitting that the walk through the Storehouse ended with a Guinness at the top floor, which has been converted into a bar where you can look out over the city of Dublin. Mich and I sat back and enjoyed for a bit.

Upon leaving, we began our walk back to the tram, but a couple of carriages were out in front of the Storehouse, so we negotiated a discount, and took a carriage ride back to Temple Bar, much to Maggie's delight. The rest of the day was spent in revisiting Hanover Quay, and wandering Temple Bar, and O'Connell Street. We stopped to eat at Flanagan's before heading to the airport, for what I thought was the best meal of the trip - Mich had Irish stew, and I had beef and chicken in a red wine sauce with lashings of cream. (I can't remember what the dish was called.) And then, it was off to the airport for the trip home.