Coming to the Guinness Storehouse was a definite no-brainer for us when visiting Dublin. In fact, I believe it's the first tour I actually booked for us. My hubby could NOT wait to walk through the famed gate and arrive at what, for him, is the ultimate mecca...the home of Guinness.
First and foremost, make sure your bus, cab, etc. takes you to the proper gate. We went a stop too far and ended up walking a great bit. Also, once you're in the right gate, be prepared to walk alllllllllll the way around the behemoth of a building around to the back where the actual entrance is. It's a hike, so have your good walking shoes on.
When you arrive, there is an intricate system of getting your ticket and checking in, but it is clearly marked and there are many helpful staff members to get your in the right line and on your way. A side note: there are bathrooms at this level in case you want to get that over with before getting on your tour.
Once inside, you are instructed to wait by a spot on the floor that is the actual 9,000 year lease. Very cool. A tour guide will start you on your way and then you're on your own to follow through the exhibit, up ramps and stairs (and elevators, if needed) into the different areas showing the barley growth, the brewing technique, history, naming, the bubbles, etc. One of our favorite things was the display showing the years and years of Guinness advertisements. Those are classic.
The tasting is on the (third?) higher up level and there is a long line. They will take you in chunks of about 30 people, I believe. You get an overview of the brew, some of the history, and then you go into a serving room where you're shown how they pull it. They pass out a 2 ounce (guestimate) sample and you move into another room behind the bar. There, you're taught how to toast and then you enjoy. Funny thing...we had 9 people in our group and only 3 of us drank...so, my hubby ended up with several samples. LOL!!
We finished our tour with a luncheon in one of their restaurants and then a full pint (complimentary...aka, you pay for it with your ticket price) at the very top overlooking the entire city.
I will say that although we are very glad we did this tour, there was disappointment to it. We assumed we would actually SEE some of the brewing process and get a peak into the processing room. Not the case at all. There's nothing to really let you immerse yourself into what it would be like as the brewer. We've done several microbrewery tours in New England and other places and assumed this would be the case at Guinness, but it wasn't.
You can pay more for a higher level ticket that teaches you to pull your own pint, but we opted against it. We did hit the gift shop pretty hard with some trinkets sold no where else and we're glad about that. There are a lot of food choices, but they're not particularly cheap.
All in all, a fun experience, but I don't need to do it again. read more