Guinness
A stout brewed in Dublin since 1759, now sold worldwide.
Guinness is a dark stout first brewed by Arthur Guinness in the 18th century at his St. James's Gate brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Today, it belongs to Diageo, a British multinational drinks company, and ranks among the world’s most successful alcohol brands. It is brewed in nearly 50 countries and sold in more than 120. As of 2011, annual sales reached 850 million litres. It is the top-selling beer in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The Guinness Storehouse, a tourist attraction at the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, opened in 2000 and has since welcomed over 20 million visitors. The brand’s harp logo, adopted in 1862 by owner Benjamin Lee Guinness, is based on the Trinity College harp—Ireland’s national symbol. The right-facing harp was registered as a Guinness trademark in 1876.
The flavour comes from malted barley and roasted unmalted barley, the latter added to the grist in the mid-20th century. For many years, aged brew was blended with fresh beer to create a sharp lactic acid taste. While Guinness still has a characteristic tang, the company has not confirmed whether this blending continues. The draught beer’s thick, creamy head results from mixing it with nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
Guinness moved its headquarters to London at the start of the Anglo-Irish trade war in 1932. In 1997, Guinness plc merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo plc, based in London.
Arthur Guinness began brewing ales in 1759 at St. James's Gate. On 31 December 1759, he signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 per year for the unused brewery, which later became one of the largest in the British Empire. He started selling porter in 1778. The first beers called “stout” were Single Stout and Double Stout in the 1840s. For most of its history, Guinness produced only three variations of one beer type: porter or stout (single, double, or extra) and foreign stout for export. “Stout” originally referred to strength but later came to mean body and colour. Porter was also called “plain,” as in the line from Flann O’Brien’s poem “The Workman’s Friend”: “A pint of plain is your only man.”
Already among the top three British and Irish brewers, Guinness saw sales jump from 350,000 barrels in 1868 to 779,000 barrels in 1876. In October 1886, it became a public company, averaging 1.138 million barrels a year, despite refusing to advertise or offer discounts.
Quick Facts
- Abv
- 4.2%
- Manufacturer
- Diageo
- Origin
- Ireland
- Flavour
- Dry
- Variants
- Guinness 0.0
- Guinness Cold Brew Coffee Beer
- Guinness Original
- Guinness West Indies Porter
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Arthur Guinness started brewing ales in 1759 at the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, signing a 9,000-year lease on 31 December 1759 at £45 per annum for the unused brewery. He began selling porter in 1778, and the first Guinness beers to use the term 'stout' were Single Stout and Double Stout in the 1840s. Throughout most of its history, Guinness produced only three variations of a single beer type: porter or stout (single, double or extra) and foreign stout for export. The Guinness harp motif, adopted in 1862 by Benjamin Lee Guinness, is modelled on the Trinity College harp, with the right-facing harp registered as a trademark in 1876. Guinness moved its headquarters to London at the beginning of the Anglo-Irish trade war in 1932. In 1997, Guinness plc merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo plc, based in London. The Guinness Storehouse, a tourist attraction at St. James's Gate Brewery, has received over 20 million visitors since opening in 2000.
Reader's Guide
Guinness's flavour derives from malted barley and roasted unmalted barley, with the unmalted barley becoming part of the grist in the mid-20th century. For many years, a portion of aged brew was blended with freshly brewed beer to give a sharp lactic acid flavour; although the palate still features a characteristic 'tang', the company has refused to confirm whether this blending still occurs. The draught beer's thick and creamy head comes from mixing the beer with nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The brewery hired statistician William Sealy Gosset in 1899, who developed Student's t-distribution and the Student's t-test while at Guinness. By 1914, Guinness was producing 2.652 million barrels of beer a year, more than double its nearest competitor Bass, and supplying over 10% of the total UK beer market. The company pioneered welfare schemes for its employees, costing £40,000 a year by 1907. In the 1970s, following declining sales, Guinness Extra Stout was made more 'drinkable' with reduced gravity and the use of pale malt and isomerised hop extract. In 2017, Diageo made the beer suitable for vegetarians and vegans by introducing a new filtration process that avoided isinglass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Guinness today?
The brand is currently part of Diageo, a British multinational drinks corporation. Despite its deep Irish roots, it operates under that larger global parent company.
What is the Guinness Storehouse?
It is a visitor attraction situated at the original St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin that opened in 2000. Over 20 million people have toured the site since its launch.
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