Both Bars Delivered With White Glove Shipping From Our Store To Your Home!

Shipping is not included in the price of these bars. We will contact you with a quote after you've placed your order.

And While You're Waiting, Take a Minute to Read

The Story of Guinness

On the last day of December 1759 a determined young man named Arthur Guinness rode through the gate of an old dilapidated ill-equipped brewery sited on a small strip of land on Dublin's James's Street. He had just signed a lease on the property for 9 000 years at 45 per annum. His friends shook their heads in disbelief. For ten years Mark Rainsford's Ale Brewery (for such it was) had been on the Market and nobody had shown any interest in it.

The Street was already festooned with similar small breweries all attracted to this spot by a good supply of water. Throughout the city of Dublin there were about 70 breweries at that time all it must be assumed small. Mr. Guinness's newly acquired brewery was no more than average. But Arthur was about to change all of that. He was 34 years old. He knew that the products of this teeming almost domestic industry were highly unsatisfactory.

Trade fell off badly when import regulations which favored the London Porter breweries were prolonged. At that time beer was almost unknown in rural Ireland where whiskey gin and poteen were the alcoholic drinks most readily available. In spite of this and the poor quality of beer available in larger centers like Dublin it was recognized paradoxically that brewing - although constantly under threat from imports - was probably the most prosperous of the very few industries in Ireland at that time.

In addition to ales Arthur Guinness brewed a beer relatively new to Ireland that contained roasted barley which gave it a characteristically dark color. This brew became known as "porter" so named because of its popularity with the porters and stevedores of Covent Garden and Billingsgate in London. "Porter" had been developed in London some years earlier and was imported into Dublin to the detriment of local brews.

Arthur Guinness finally had to choose between porter or the traditional Dublin ales. Deciding to tackle the English brewers at their own game Arthur tried his hand at porter. He brewed the deep rich beverage so well that he eventually ousted all imports from the Irish market captured a share of the English trade and revolutionized the brewing industry. The word Stout was added in the early 1820's as an adjective qualifying the noun "porter". An "extra stout porter" was a stronger and more full bodied variety. "Stout" evolved as a noun in its own right as did the family name of Guinness. In 1825 Guinness Stout was available abroad and by 1838 Guinness' St. James's Gate Brewery was the largest in Ireland.

In 1881 the annual production of Guinness brewed had surpassed one million barrels a year and by 1914 St. James's Gate was the world's largest brewery. Today Arthur Guinness would have been proud of St. James's Gate. No longer the largest (although still the largest Stout brewery) it is certainly one of the most modern breweries. Guinness is now also brewed in 35 countries around the world but all these overseas brews must contain a flavored extract brewed here at St. James's Gate.

So the very special brewing skills of Arthur's brewery remain at the heart of every one of the 10 million glasses of Guinness enjoyed every day across the world.

Since you're done . . .

Check Out Some Guinness Videos to Get You in a Brilliant Mood