Guinness Storehouse: Dublin Highlights
The Guinness Storehouse might be one of the most iconic things to do or see in Dublin, Ireland. Being the lover of Guinness that I am (I even have a tattoo of the Harp), it was a must on my list. I was expecting a pretty touristy Brewery style experience when we booked our tickets online, but the Storehouse ended up blowing my expectations away.
After my companions and I visited Trinity College, any site was going to be hard pressed to compete. This experience did just that.
Everyone's first stop should be the ground floor, where they share Guinness' brewing story.
Touring Guinness Storehouse
If you've never dived into the world of beer making before, this is an excellent introduction. There's definitely something for everyone. The exhibit is visually compelling and holds your interest.
Also on this floor: the gift shop. You'll have a chance to visit after your tour, so I'd save that for later. The Official Guinness Storehouse merchandise is actually pretty great quality, and if you're looking for souvenirs to take home or gifts for friends and family, this is the place to get it.
We each picked up something here, then for Christmas I ordered my boyfriend a few things he was lusting after. You can check out the webstore here.
Next up (literally on the floor above), is the story of the brand's founding father, Arthur Guinness, as well as cooperage (barrel-making) and transportation. My boyfriend, a millwright tradesperson, found this part particularly fascinating. I was mostly impressed with the displays. #doitfortheaesthetic
The Cooperage Café is worth skipping, there's better places to hang out above.
There are seven floors total to the Guinness Storehouse - apparently the whole exhibit is the world's biggest pint!
It's Tasting Time! On floors two and four for an upgrade, you can enjoy the Tasting Experience and the Connoisseur Experience. Personally, I would just head up to floors five and seven where there are a variety of places to grab a pint (or four).
Floor three houses one of the most surprisingly interesting exhibits: a look into the world of advertising for Guinness. Interactive, humorous, and enlightening, the floor takes you through the changing ads for the famous brand over time, beginning with this one in 1929.
Get Your Guinness
Guinness Gravity Bar has some of the coolest views in Dublin, but unless you come first thing, good luck finding a place to sit. After a quick look around, we opted to head back to the fifth floor. Keep in mind, we visited the Storehouse on a Friday at 3:30 pm.
There were some upsides and downsides to visiting the Guinness Storehouse when we did. Although it was super busy and filled with crazy party people, the entertainment was 10 out of 10.
In this bar, they played live music, had traditional Irish dancing, and offered tastings.
An important part of visiting the Storehouse is learning how to properly poor a pint of Guinness. Not all beers are created equally.
Make sure to get your free pint when you visit; it's included in your ticket! While you're welcome to try the original Guinness, they have a few other varieties of beer to offer. They even include ones that you can't try anywhere else.
I will never forget my Storehouse Guinness. People aren't joking when they say it tastes even better here than anywhere else.
The Guinness Storehouse was such a fun, modern exhibit; an excellent change of pace from the usual historic European travel experiences. Like with all sites, this one might not be for every type of traveler.
But I loved it.
Have you ever had a Guinness? Do you love it or hate it?
Book your tickets here:
The Storehouse website.
