Guinness Draught Beer

Guinness is a brand of Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness (1725–1803) at St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Guinness has a long and fascinating history that spans over 250 years.

Guinness Draught beer is known for its smooth and creamy texture, which is achieved through a process called nitrogenation. Unlike other beers, which are carbonated with carbon dioxide, Guinness Draught is carbonated with a blend of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, which gives it a unique texture and flavor.

Technology

Part of what increased Guinness popularity at your local grocery store has been the magic of the gizmo. In 1997, Guinness released the floating, spherical widget you can find in cans today. Guinness named the widget the “smoothifier”. This gives the beer it’s fizzy feel as if it had been poured straight from a tap at your local pub.

Breweries typically use carbon dioxide to give a beer its quintessential bitter fizz, but when a drink calls for a sweeter, silkier experience like when drinking a Guinness, brewers infuse the ale with nitrogen rather than with carbon dioxide.

So in a sense Guinness became the world’s first “nitro beer”. Nitrogen bubbles are smaller than CO2 bubbles, so the resulting head and taste is smoother, providing a more delicate balance.

In 2004, in a survey of almost 9,000 people the Guinness widget was voted as being a greater invention than the internet!

History

In 1759, Arthur Guinness leased an abandoned brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin for 9,000 years. In the early years, Guinness produced a variety of beers, including porter, ale, and table beer. However, it was the introduction of the Guinness Extra Stout in 1820 that marked a turning point in the brewery’s history.

In the mid-1800s, Guinness began exporting its beer to Great Britain and other countries, and by the turn of the century, it had become one of the largest breweries in the world. In the 20th century, Guinness continued to innovate, introducing new products like Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and Guinness Draught.

Marketing

In addition to its brewing operations, Guinness has a rich cultural history. The company’s advertising campaigns, featuring slogans like “Guinness is Good for You” and “My Goodness, My Guinness,” have become legendary, and the company’s distinctive harp logo is one of the most recognized in the world.

Many of those advertising and marketing campaigns are on view a the amazing Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. In fact don’t just trust me…the Guinness Storehouse was named the number one tourist attraction in the world for 2023. I will note that I love the Guinness Storehouse experience but once you arrive at the top of the storehouse, which is also the end of the tour you are offered a free pint Guinness (over 18 years only) which might have something to do with it’s popularity.

Today, Guinness is owned by Diageo, a multinational alcoholic beverages company, and is brewed in over 50 countries around the world. But…despite its global reach, Guinness remains an iconic symbol of Ireland and its rich brewing heritage.