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The Guinness Storehouse

You may be surprised to learn that the tour goes nowhere near a brewery of any kind. There is a demonstration of how Guinness is brewed, but it is purely for demonstration purposes.

The tour takes visitors though an exhibit which shows how Guinness is brewed, followed by an exhibition of old Guinness ads and memorabilia from the history of brewing Guinness and finally a Choice Zone which looks at the need for balance in enjoying alcohol.

Some people find all this fascinating, more find it pretty ordinary.

The "Guinness Experience" is rounded off by a "free" pint of the black stuff in the ultra-modern Gravity Bar at the top of the building, from where there is a terrific view over Dublin city.

A main focus of the tour is the store - filled with every possible item you can imagine complete with its Guinness ad. The store merchandise is not cheap, but there are some things here that make good gifts for beer lovers and are not available elsewhere.

Should you go?

If you are fascinated by Guinness (and all to do with it, yes. Otherwise skip it. The "free" pint you will have more than paid for on entrance and you will spend your money better sampling the brew in its true home - a good traditional Dublin pub.

Update (February 2007)

We revisited the Guinness Storehouse this month, and while it was an enjoyable few hours we cannot quite change our opinion of it as something of a tourist trap.

What We Liked

The best part of the tour is sitting in the Gravity Bar with its fabulous 360 degree views of Dublin city and out into the surrounding countryside. Helpful tips in the windows point out the various landmarks you can see, of which there are many. The kids with us loved this and were very happily amused while we enjoyed a relaxing drink.

The building is lovely and has been very well used in its new role. While its age is obvious and it has been well preserved, it ends up as a very modern space. There is no doubt at all that the vast majority of people visiting at the time, most of them tourists, seemed to be having a good time.

The kids in particular liked the interactive exhibits in the Choice Zone, especially seeing what alcohol does to various parts of the body. This was certainly educational, but whether they will remember what they learned when they are in their teens and twenties and subject to the marketing efforts of Guinness remains to be seen!

They also were impressed with the huge "pint glass" and in general probably got more enjoyment from the tour than did the adults. Which I have to say surprised me.

What we didn't like

There are very long lines - even in February! - though these can be overcome if you hold a Dublin Pass or buy your tickets in advance (when you arrive, skip the queue and go to Customer Service). If you are visiting we highly recommend doing this as the lines in Summer are horrendous.

A lot of the content of the exhibits is a history of the Guinness brew, the company and the family, but it all seemed a little idealised and it was hard to know who it was aimed at. Certainly if you are a beer afficionado you'll find it too simple, but for most visitors it's probably too much information in parts.

The focus on selling Guinness memorabilia, at what seemed to us very high prices, is still a little strong. It's also a relatively expensive tour - we were able to avail of a family ticket, but still, 30 Euro is quite a lot. You can spend as long as you like there of course, but we went though all we wanted to see at a very easy pace in just over an hour, not counting time in the Gravity Bar.

Location Map for The Guinness Storehouse

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Posted by: Stout Drinker
22 Dec 2006, 16:18
Go again, it's much better now. Would have agreed with you before the new part opened but I brought some visitors from Germany last month and I thought it was really good. Good pint too!