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The legendary Irish product has been produced in Dublin for more than two and a half centuries. In addition to the main plant in the capital, whose history began in 1759, the company has breweries and representative offices in other countries, including Russia.
Beer “Guinness” is surrounded by a huge number of legends and myths: perhaps no other Irish drink can boast such a rich store of secrets and sensations.
Also on the account of the company – several original inventions and innovative projects.
History of Guinness beer
At the origins of the creation of one of the most popular alcohol brands in Ireland is the famous brewer and philanthropist Arthur Guinness. He is known not only as the founder of Arthur Guinness Son & Co, but also as a father of many children.
In the family of an Irish brewer, 21 children were born. Unfortunately, many children died in infancy: only 10 of them survived to adulthood. It is noteworthy that the three sons of Guinness decided to continue the work of their father and also connected their lives with the brewing business.
Arthur himself was interested in making a foamy drink from his school years. Together with their father, they brewed ale with the local Archbishop Price, who was the godfather of the boy. After the death of the clergyman in 1752, Arthur inherited 100 pounds.
The amount was enough to open his own brewery in Leixlip. However, the ambitious Irishman did not stop there. A few years later, he moved to the capital, where he rented an old brewery at the gate of St. James, thereby laying the foundation for great success.
Exactly 10 years later, a batch of Guinness ale went on a sea voyage to the shores of England, and already in the 70s the first branded porter was brewed, today known as the national British drink. For Ireland, this was a fundamentally new product. Subsequently, “black beer” became the prototype of the foreign extra-stout (“Guinness Foreign Extra Stout”), which was exported and glorified the creator all over the world.
The new alcohol was so popular with local brewers that by the end of the 18th century, Guinness abandoned the production of ale and focused on improving the porter.
It is noteworthy that the latter was known for a long time as “a drink for hard workers” and was consumed in large quantities by porters to recuperate. Half a century later, the product was actively prescribed to convalescent patients, pregnant and lactating mothers due to its high iron content.
After the death of Arthur Guinness in 1803, the management of the company passed into the hands of his sons. For a long time, the company retained a family character: until the 80s of the 20th century, the post of head of the company was occupied exclusively by representatives of the famous family.
The most active for the enterprise in terms of expanding production capacity and increasing exports was the 19th century. Deliveries were made to America, Africa, Europe and New Zealand. In 1998, the Guinness brand was taken over by Diageo, a premium beverage company.
Guinness Brewing Secrets
For a long time, to create a Guinness porter, they used the method of mixing freshly brewed and settled beer, which provided the drink with a light milky tint and persistent foam. Later, this method was abandoned, and in order to form a fluffy hat, they began to enrich the product with nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
Luxurious foam is one of the hallmarks of the legendary stout. The creators of Irish beer pay special attention to selected ingredients and adherence to technology:
The malted barley is sourced from trusted farmers with whom the company has been working for decades. Water is obtained from the local lake Pulafuka, located in County Wicklow.
To give the stout a characteristic reddish color, rich taste and a specific burnt aroma, barley fried to black is included in the composition. Cooking time and temperature (232°C) are strictly controlled.
The amount of hops included in Guinness beer is 2 times more than in similar products of other brands. Thus, the manufacturer enhances the taste of drinks.
A special yeast developed by the first generations of brewers completes the ingredient list. A valuable strain is carefully stored in the laboratories of the enterprise. Top fermentation technology is used to create stouts.
The maturation process, which is necessary to obtain a balanced taste and thick texture, is monitored by leading experts. To assess the quality of the finished drink, a special test is used for the “cap height” or “number of bubbles”. There must be about 3 million of them.
Today, Guinness beer is produced all over the world. Regardless of the country of issue, the high standards set in the homeland of the drink, the Dublin brewery St. James Gate, are observed in the manufacture.
Types of Guinness beer
Draught
One of the brand’s iconic products is a dark draft beer with a velvety texture and creamy head. At first, it was produced exclusively in kegs, but after the invention of the widget, it is also available in bottles and cans. Aroma: coffee with hints of malt. Taste: bittersweet with hints of roasted barley. Finish: smooth, creamy, balanced. Fortress: 4,2%.
Hop House 13 Warehouse
Golden amber beer with dense foam, including a double dose of hops: Australian and American. Aroma: light, with floral and citrus notes. Taste: bright, lively, refreshing, with hoppy tones. Fortress: 5%.
Foreign Extra Stout
An eminent drink, created for export, capable of enduring long sea voyages. Based on the West India Porter recipe developed at the beginning of the 7,5th century. Aroma: powerful, with pronounced notes of burnt grain. Taste: rich, full-bodied, bittersweet, with fruity accents and a vibrant character. Fortress: XNUMX%.
Dublin Porter
Another drink made according to old recipes with minor improvements. Date of creation – 1796. Colour: ruby red, less intense than a stout. Aroma: subtle, with notes of hops and toffee. Taste: malt-caramel, without pronounced roasted tones. Aftertaste: smooth, light, sweetish. Fortress: 3,8%.
West Indies Porter
The very first ruby-red porter that set sail to the shores of foreign countries in 1801. The modern version uses American hops. Nose: toffee, caramel, light chocolate notes. Taste: sweet, with hints of cocoa beans and coffee. Aftertaste: smooth, light, soft. Fortress: 6%.
Nitro IPA
One of the latest developments of the company, belonging to the category “Indian Pale Ale”. Colour: golden honey. Nose: a combination of sharp shades of citrus zest with delicate pine notes. Taste: Balanced blend of hops and roasted barley with fruity accents. Finish: smooth, creamy, full-bodied, with a pleasant bitter hop trail. Fortress: 5,8%.
In addition to the listed drinks, Guinness Original, Guinness Golden Ale, Guinness Blonde American lager, Guinness Smooth, Guinness Special Export, Guinness Black Lager are produced under a well-known brand.
How to drink Guinness beer
For tasting Guinness stouts, a whole ritual was invented with pouring in two passes and using a special tulip-shaped glass the size of a pint. It must have the brand logo on it.
First, the vessel must be tilted at an angle of 45 °, then filled to ¾, wait until foam forms, then top up the remainder under high pressure using a special separator. The entire operation must be completed within a certain period of time – a little less than 120 seconds.
Later, a new “accelerated” filling system was invented – a 25-second one. Before trying the beer, you should wait until the light head is clearly separated from the dark drink. Drink the stout in several large sips.
Of course, at home, the described methods are not particularly popular.
For individual tasting, it is enough to cool the drink to 6-10 °C. Draft beer is usually combined with meat (smoked, baked, grilled), Latin American and German cuisine, cheese and fruit pastries. Stouts are good with spicy chicken, french fries, chocolate desserts.
Interesting Facts
Why is there a plastic ball in a Guinness jar? The round design is nothing more than a special beer widget developed by the company’s employees in 1988 to preserve the bright taste of the drink and form a lush head of foam. It was invented specifically for tin cans. For this innovation, the company was awarded the Queen’s Award of Great Britain.
In a contract entered into by Arthur Guinness in 1759 with the owner of a dilapidated Dublin brewery, a phenomenal lease term was specified – 9000 years.
In the winter of 1861, the whole of Britain was plunged into mourning on the occasion of the death of the Saxon Prince Albert. An employee of one of the London bars decided to emphasize the gloomy mood prevailing in the city, and, serving champagne, added dark Guinness Extra Stout to it. This is how the two-layer Black Velvet cocktail was born. By the way, it is far from the only one in the recipe of which there is a legendary beer.
The surname Guinness gave the world not only an Irish stout, but also the famous Book of Records. The first copy came out in 1955.
In the 1870s, a narrow-gauge circular tram was built around the plant to serve the growing plant with raw materials.
In the advertising campaigns launched by the company in the 20-30s of the XIX century, exotic representatives of the fauna actively participated: toucan, crocodile, ostrich, sea lion. Even animals have recognized that Guinness beer is worthy of attention. The most popular slogan was “Guinness is Good For You”. The company was especially successful with advertisements featuring “The Man in Black” or “John Priest” played by Rutger Hauer.
During the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the enterprise, 150 thousand bottles of Guinness with colorful certificates “from the office of Neptune” and gold labels were dropped into the Atlantic Ocean from different ships.
During a powerful fire at the enterprise in 2009, beer production did not stop for a minute.
Irish stout bottles still carry the founder’s signature, which, along with the harp and the word “Guinness”, forms the company’s trademark. In addition to beer, the company’s symbols are actively used to decorate Irish souvenirs: mugs, household appliances, clothes, etc. You can buy them in almost any store in the country. There is also the Guinness Museum in Dublin, which is visited by thousands of foreigners every year.
Relevance: 15.03.2019
Tags: Beer, Cider, Ale, Beer brands