Guinness

Guinness is a famous type of stout beer. It started in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1700s at the brewery of Arthur Guinness. Today, a big company called Diageo owns it. People all over the world enjoy Guinness. It is made in almost 50 countries and sold in over 120.

The taste of Guinness comes from malted barley and a special kind of roasted barley. When you pour Guinness, it has a thick, creamy foam on top because it is mixed with nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

There is a popular place to visit called the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Since it opened in 2000, many people have gone there to learn about Guinness. The Guinness logo shows a harp, a symbol of Ireland.

History

Arthur Guinness started making ales in 1759 at the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. On December 31, 1759, he signed a long lease for the brewery. In 1778, he began selling a type of beer called porter. In the 1840s, Guinness started using the word "stout" for some of its beers.

Guinness became very popular. By 1876, they were selling more beer than ever before. In 1886, Guinness became a public company and was valued at a lot of money. The company did not own pubs but was still very successful.

Guinness cared about its workers. By 1900, they had special programs to help their employees. During World War I, many workers joined the British forces, and Guinness made sure their families were taken care of and jobs waited for them when they returned.

In 1997, Guinness merged with another company called Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo. The brewery in Park Royal London closed in 2005, and all Guinness beer for the UK and Ireland is now made at the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin.

In 2017, Diageo changed how they made Guinness so that it could be enjoyed by vegetarians and vegans by using a new way to clean the beer that did not use parts from fish.

Composition

Guinness stout is made from water, malted barley, roasted barley, hops, and brewer's yeast. Some barley is roasted to give the beer its dark color and special taste. The beer is pasteurised and filtered.

In the past, Guinness was poured into wooden barrels, but it later switched to metal kegs. For many years, a substance called isinglass from fish was used to clear the beer. In 2018, this changed so the drink would be suitable for people who do not eat animal products.

Present day Guinness

Guinness started using nitrogen in 1959, which changed its taste and texture. Nitrogen makes the beer smoother and creamier because it creates very small bubbles. This change was discovered by Michael Ash, a mathematician who became a brewer.

Nitrogen helps keep the beer from being too fizzy, even under pressure. This allows for a special way of pouring that creates a smooth, creamy top on the beer. The beer is sometimes called "the black stuff" but is really a very dark ruby color. Recent changes in alcohol content were made for the North American market after listening to customer feedback.

Health

In the 1920s, Guinness advertised with the slogan "Guinness is Good for You," because people said they felt good after drinking it. Today, ads for alcoholic drinks cannot say they improve health in Ireland.

A study from 2003 suggested that stouts like Guinness might help reduce harmful cholesterol buildup in arteries. This may be because stouts contain more antioxidants than some other beers. But the health benefits of antioxidants are not fully known, and the company that makes Guinness does not make any medical claims about their drinks.

Varieties

Guinness stout comes in many types and strengths. Some popular ones include:

• Guinness Draught: This is the usual version sold in kegs. It can also be found in special cans and bottles. It has about 4% alcohol.
• Guinness Foreign Extra Stout: This stronger version, with about 7.5% alcohol, is sold in many places outside Ireland. It is made by mixing special ingredients from Ireland with local ingredients where it is sold.
• Guinness Special Export Stout: This was made for a customer in Belgium and has 8% alcohol.
• Guinness Bitter: This is a lighter, English-style beer with 4.4% alcohol.
• Malta Guinness: This is a special non-alcoholic drink made for places like Nigeria.

Guinness has also created special limited-time drinks, like Brew 39, Toucan Brew, and North Star, each with their own unique taste. They have tried out many other types too, like Guinness Blonde and Hop House 13, though some of these are no longer sold.

Pouring and serving

Before the 1960s, all Guinness beer was served very foamy. People would fill a glass partly with the foamy beer, wait a moment, and then add more beer. In the 1960s, Guinness began using a special gas mix, but they kept this two-step pour to help people accept the change. Today, this way of pouring is more about tradition.

Guinness suggests a "double pour" that takes about two minutes. They have run ads saying "good things come to those who wait". The best temperature to serve Guinness is between 6-7 °C, though colder temperatures are also used. Guinness is best served in a special pint glass. The glass is filled at an angle, then straightened, and poured in two steps to create a creamy top.

In 2010, Guinness changed their pint glass to a taller, narrower design with a beveled edge.

Sinking bubbles

When you pour Guinness, the bubbles seem to sink down instead of rising up. This happens because the bubbles that touch the sides of the glass move more slowly. The bubbles in the middle can rise up easily, creating a flow of liquid. As the liquid in the middle rises, the liquid near the edges moves down, pushing the bubbles there toward the bottom.

A study in 2012 showed that this effect depends on the shape of the glass and the small size of the bubbles in stout beers. In a regular pint glass, which gets wider toward the top, the bubbles sink along the sides. But in a glass that gets narrower toward the top, the bubbles rise along the sides.

Advertising

The Guinness harp symbol comes from the Trinity College harp. It was first used in 1862 by Benjamin Lee Guinness. Harps have long been a symbol of Ireland. Guinness made the harp its official symbol soon after laws let businesses register logos.

Starting in the 1930s, Guinness began using many advertisements to boost sales, which had been going down. Before this, people mostly heard about Guinness through word of mouth.

One famous set of ads from the 1930s and 1940s was made by an artist named John Gilroy. These ads often showed animals and had phrases like "Guinness Is Good for You." These old ads are still popular in Irish pubs.

In the 1970s and 1980s, many well-known TV ads were made by a British director named Len Fulford. In 1983, Guinness decided to become a special kind of beer in the UK.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some ads in the UK were funny and featured an actor named Rutger Hauer.

A famous 1994 ad showed an actor named Joe McKinney dancing while his beer settled.

From 1999 to 2006, Guinness used a character named Michael Power in ads in Africa. He was played by Cleveland Mitchell and became very well known.

In 2000, a Guinness ad called Surfer was named the best TV commercial ever in a UK vote.

Guinness has created many memorable ads over the years, often celebrating the history and quality of the beer.

Worldwide sales

Guinness is very popular around the world. In 2006, sales in Ireland and the United Kingdom went down a little, but Guinness was still a big part of all beer sold in Ireland. By 2023, it became the most popular beer in pubs in the United Kingdom.

Guinness started being sold in India in 2007 and has been sold in Africa since 1827. About 40 percent of all Guinness sold comes from Africa. Three of the five Guinness breweries are in Africa. Guinness is also made under license in many countries, including Nigeria, the Bahamas, Canada, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, South Korea, Namibia, and Indonesia.

In 2017, Guinness worked with AB InBev to bring the beer to mainland China, the biggest alcohol market in the world. The United Kingdom drinks more Guinness than any other country except Ireland. In 2023, a pub in Worcester had the cheapest pint of Guinness in the UK. Nigeria and the United States are also big fans of Guinness.

Merchandising

The Guinness Storehouse at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin is a popular place for visitors. You can learn about how Guinness is made and even smell the ingredients used.

The Guinness Book of Records began as a fun idea from a man named Sir Hugh Beaver. It was first made to give away as a gift. Later, a company owned by Guinness ran it.

The 2025 drama series House of Guinness tells the story of how the business grew in Ireland during the 1800s.