Guinness Storehouse is a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since opening in 2000, it has received over four million visitors.
The Storehouse covers seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors may drink a pint of Guinness included in the price of admission, which was €20 in March 22, described as "overpriced" by Condé Nast Traveler. In 2006, a new wing opened incorporating a live installation of the present-day brewing process.
History
The building in which the Storehouse is located was constructed in 1902 as a fermentation plant for the St. James's Gate Brewery (where yeast is added to the brew). The building was designed in the style of the Chicago School of Architecture and was the first multi-storey steel-framed building to be constructed in Ireland. The building was used continuously as the fermentation plant of the Brewery until its closure in 1988, when a new fermentation plant was completed near the River Liffey.
In 1997, it was decided to convert the building into the Guinness Storehouse, replacing the Guinness Hop Store as the Brewery's visitor centre. The redesign of the building was undertaken by the UK-based design firm Imagination in conjunction with the Dublin-based architects firm RKD, and the Storehouse opened to the public on 2 December 2000. In 2006 a new wing was developed, including a live installation demonstrating the modern brewing process.
In May 2011, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the Storehouse as part of a state visit to Ireland.
Visitor attractions
The Guinness Storehouse explains the history of Beer. The story is told through various interactive exhibition areas including ingredients, brewing, transport, cooperage, advertising and sponsorship.
At the base of the atrium lies a copy of the 9,000 year lease signed by Arthur Guinness on the brewery site. In the Perfect Pint bar, visitors may pour their own pint of Guinness. The Brewery Bar on the fifth floor offers Irish cuisine, using Guinness both in the cooking and as an accompaniment to food.
Arthur Guinness Business Centre
The Arthur Guinness Business Centre on the third and fourth floors of the Storehouse is an area with training and conference facilities. It offers a number of events venues with catering for 20 to 1,000 people.
Guinness Archive
The Guinness Archive is based at the Storehouse and contains records dating from the 1759 lease of the Brewery and photographs, film, video, memorabilia, posters, maps, bottles and artifacts documenting the history of the Guinness company, brand and products in Ireland.
See also
- List of food and beverage museums
References
External links
- Guinness Storehouse website
- Guinness website
