I was surprised at how challenging this puzzle turned out to be, but it was correctly picked off by Ottoman in its waning minutes. PortMoresby submitted the only other suggestion, the Labbatt’s brewery in Toronto.
Gumbo was enjoying a glass at the mothership of stout beer, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. He was taking in the 360 degree views from the comfort of its Gravity Bar which encompasses not only the huge brewery complex (a part of which you see in the above photo but which in toto covers several city blocks), but also gives you grand vistas of Dublin. Like several of you, Gumbo couldn’t help but notice how very flat the city was in this field of view.
Gumbo was just one of hundreds of tourists drawn that day to what’s promoted as “Ireland’s #1 visitor attraction”. It was the history of the place that attracted Gumbo. Arthur Guinness began brewing stout here at St James Gate Brewery in 1759. Within a century this complex was the the largest brewery in the world, and it still brews 10 million pints a day (although today the Guinness brewery in Nigeria is larger than its Dublin counterpart, and the Coors Brewery in Golden, Colorado is now the largest single site brewery in the world).
(entry to Storehouse and Arthur’Guinness’ original lease)
The admission fee of about 15 Euros includes a self-guided tour of the old fermentation plant (everything is very well labeled and illustrated) and, when you’re done, a free pint. The old plant was refurbished in the late 20th century into the facility that today gives tours and promotes its product very efficiently. Gumbo entered into a large glass atrium; embedded in its floor under plexiglass is the original 9,000 year lease Arthur Guinness signed for the rate of 45 pounds/ year (note: this lease no longer valid as the brewery has since purchased the land). The tour takes you up through seven stories and along the way tells the story of how Guinness stout is made from water, barley, hops and yeast. All phases of production are discussed and illustrated, up to its bottling and shipping.
(tour of Guinness Storehouse)
At the very top of the building you’ll find the Gravity Bar which offers great views of Dublin all the way to the Irish Sea. It’s a good place to cash in the free Guinness coupon you paid for with your admission and try a pint of Arthur’s stout. Stout is not everyone’s drink and is not my favorite, but I have to admit the Guinness draft in Ireland is much better than what we can get in North America (at least to my palate). Not sure if that’s because the product doesn’t ship well or because local franchisees just haven’t perfected the Guinness process.
(views from the Gravity Bar, Guinness Storehouse)
Gumbo stopped to enjoy some Irish music and have lunch at the Storehouse. I’ve uploaded 2 brief videoclips on to our YouTube channel which you can listen to here and here.
As you would expect, there’s an enormous gift shop to lighten your wallet near the exit where you can purchase a large assortment of Guinness related memorabilia. But Gumbo didn’t stop to buy anything. He’s off on a new adventure which he’ll share with you tomorrow in our new “Where in the World is Gumbo?”
To see a complete list of my posts on Ireland, please click on this link.
While not a beer fan I did once live in Golden, Colorado within smelling distance of Coors when the wind was blowing my direction. Which it obviously was not the day I decided that was the house for me. But I’ll concede, it could have been worse. My only other distantly related experience was spending a few days in Norfolk with Val Guinness, a very gracious & entertaining lady. Beer is a thing I lump together with team sports and spending time beneath the hood of a car for no discernible purpose, I know other people like them but cannot figure out why. My travel pal, Jim, is a beer lover so, when all else fails, I know he can be amused if we’re within reach of a local brew and that’s worth something.
Interesting, Dr F, that you’re a fan of fannings (the F in BOPF). The smallest particles of the tea, what tea bags are made from, I too prefer it to whole leaf as I like my tea strong. Now we have a beverage in common.
A love for beverages is a personal and often acquired taste. Others share your feelings about beer. Others feel the same way about wine, hard spirits, coffee or tea.
To each, their beverage of choice! I enjoy sampling whatever beverage is popular in a region. For example, when in the hills of Sri Lanka, there’s nothing better than a cup of BOPF tea. In Italy, it makes sense to focus on the wine. When in Ireland, you need to try the Guinness and some of their triple distilled whiskey.