Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 331/332/333

Jul 29, 30 & 31

1) After two months' hard work, I've been given a brief respite before my second Summer Research Project, under Prof. Kathleen Bennett. My good friend Erika is leaving for Japan in a few days, so we decided to pay a visit to the Guinness Storehouse before she leaves. I've always wanted to make the trip myself, but somehow or rather never got round to doing so. And so yesterday (Jul 30) we set off.

2) Thanks to a little ingenuity, I managed to get the tickets for only €14 instead of the usual €20 for adults or €18 for students. And since I booked online, we even skipped the really long queue, which extended all the way outside! The first thing that struck me was how big the attraction is. The Storehouse covers seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), as well as the original lease signed by the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with views of Dublin and where visitors receive a complimentary pint of Guinness.

3) As we booked the 5.30pm ticket, we had a good 2.5 hours to spend before the Storehouse closed. On one of the floors, we even got the chance to pour our own Guinness. There are six steps (according to them, don't quote me) in pouring the perfect Guinness, and it should take no longer (or shorter) than 119.5 seconds to do so. After finishing, we were each presented with a Certificate to flaunt our newfound Guinness pouring skills! XD

4) At another floor, we entered the Guinness tasting experience. A guide brought us into a small room with four hollowed-out pedestals. Coming out from each stand was a different aroma, from the barley roasted at different temperatures. After we each got a good whiff at the four stands, he taught us the proper technique of tasting Guinness, which included running the beer over three different parts of the tongue. Finally, he brought us to the Velvet Room, where the only surviving portrait of Arthur Guinness remains.

5) The top floor, as mentioned earlier, provides a 360° view of Dublin from the Gravity Bar. It was a bit of a shame that it was still drizzling when we got there, else the view would have been lovely. But nevertheless, we had an unobstructed panoramic view of the cityscape tinged by the overcast weather, so that was unique in it's own way.

6) After visiting all the floors, we decided to go back to the Ground Floor to pick up some souvenirs. Erika bought some sauce for her family, while I got a jacket and beanie (if there's one thing I won't be this winter, it's cold). By the time we were done, it was fast approaching eight. So we ended our trip by taking some photos at the famous Guinness Storehouse Gate. That has been the end of my eventful day, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Have a nice day, cheers!

P.S. SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN FOR MANY, MANY PICS OF THE STOREHOUSE! ^^