What can I say?

I came to Dublin to get a pint of the black stuff. I can get it at any bar in my city but I wanted to make the pilgrimage.

I read a book a year or so back called “Of God and Guinness” and I’ve been enamored with the story of the Guinness family since. So here I am, or there I went?

A disclaimer: this is one of my few write-ups that is solely beer focused. I spent a month in Dublin and have plenty of recommendations outside of the pubs but that’s a post for another day.

It’s All About the Pubs

Let’s start off by saying that January in Dublin is not the best time, weather wise. You know what’s easy to find in Dublin and a good place to wait out a rainstorm? Pubs. Everywhere. I stayed near Trinity College and found myself within walking distance to several pubs. Now when I travel, I like to find a place and make it my go-to for a night cap. I have criteria (good beer, close to accommodation, friendly staff) and I’m usually decently easy to please. On this trip, I found my match in The Porterhouse (Central). Yes, it is a chain of breweries. No, I did not find that off-putting. The beer was great, it got a bit lively at times but I’m usually one to close the bar down, so I had some quiet time to enjoy my selections, as well. Over my time in Dublin, I popped in a dozen times for a pint or two before hitting the hay.

As far as traditional pubs go, I found myself in quite a few, as well. When traveling alone, I often gravitate towards a group tour for at least one of the nights. It’s a good way to see a city and drink safely. My first night in Dublin I booked a “Musical Pub Crawl.” This crawl went to three pubs, two in the Temple Bar area and one across the River Liffey. At each stop the two musicians would tell some stories about Irish music and pub culture and play a few tunes. I enjoyed playing the boot and having a few pints, while soaking up a bit of Irish lore.

My favorite traditional pub happened to be a little place called The Dame Tavern, which was found, not surprisingly, on Dame Lane. The tavern was quintessentially Irish. Wood and leather everywhere, with a dark, long bar that spanned nearly 3/4ths of the entirety of the building. Three gleaming Guinness draught taps and number of smaller Guinness brands were the standout draft options. I opted for a pint of Galway Hooker “Irish Pale Ale;” it had a nice floral hop bite, with a lingering caramel malt sweetness in the finish. In the corner of the bar there were two older gentlemen very invested in the horse race on the television. The barkeep, a young man, was also delightfully charming– those Irish sure are a friendly folk.

The Black Stuff

Now for the main event, The Guinness Storehouse. I opted for the “Connoisseur Experience,” which, on top of standard entry included a expertly led tasting of four different beers: Guinness Draught, Guinness Original, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, and one beer from The Brewers Project range.

Prior to touring the massive facility, I decided to grab a bite in one of the four establishments they have on property: 1837 BAR & BRASSERIE. The food was outstanding and every dish came with a pairing recommendation.

After a hearty lunch, I toured the building for 1.5 hours. There are amazing exhibits, bars, and restaurants spread out over all 7 floors of the facility. I particularly enjoyed the brewing story (ground floor) and advertising (floor 3) sections.

After my self-guided tour through the facility, it was time to join my connoisseur experience group on the 4th floor.

The experience took place in a private room and was led by a beer sommelier (a program specific to Europe). We began with the basics of how to taste beer (short sniff, long sniff, then taste and feel the beer) and then went through each of the beers and their history within the company.

Post required tasting, the guide poured a few more samples. I happened to visit in January and Guinness was rolling out a new beer  to celebrate “dry January.” Pure Brew is a non-alcoholic (or as close as can be) full-flavored lager; I found it to be decent but a little sweeter than I would usually drink, personally. The highlight for most people during this time was pulling your own pint of Guinness, we all had an excellent teacher and ended up with beautiful pours.

Overall I would definitely recommend adding the Connoisseur Experience to your standard Guinness Storehouse visit. It definitely gives you a little extra insight and it is a welcome rest from the madness happening outside in the most visited site in all of Ireland.

On my final evening in Dublin, I had a reservation at The Open Gate Brewery, which is the Guinness experimental arm. A visit to this location requires a small fee (€8) and a reserved date. The location is very close to the Guinness Store House, about a 25 minute walk from Trinity College. I chose to arrive right as the gates opened and upon entering my name was checked off a list and I was handed a bottle cap before being led from the courtyard up a flight of stairs. Once inside, I realized that my bottle cap was to be exchanged for a flight of four of their beers on tap. The beers were listed on a board above the taps, with descriptions given next to each one.

I had several of these experimental beers whilst doing the Connosuier Experience but there were four present that I had not tried, which made my decision much easier. Of the four that I tried, I really, really enjoyed the Pilsner. There was a nice sulfur note right out of the gate and it had a spicey hop note that I usually only get from Czech Pilsners. The Scotch Export Stout was so smokey (peat) that I could not pick up anything beyond the malt, a shame as I had high hopes for the style.

Dublin was everything that I had hoped for in a first trip. I plan to return to Ireland and explore the city and countryside more thoroughly. For now, I’ll relive the journey with every pint of the black stuff that I order around the world.