Arthur and the Guinness Factory

Anthony has it pretty sweet here in Dublin: downtown apartment, fun job at a bar, big tips... which means that we get to reap the benefits of it. Today's example: Free passes to the Guinness Factory!

It was like winning the Golden Ticket and going on a magical adventure, except that this one started on a city bus and ended with us drinking beer. But doesn't chocolate have mind-bending chemicals, too? I can justify myself, with enough denial...

The complex itself is a veritable Magnitogorsk (read: big factory) on almost 60 acres and they say it produces about 10,000,000 pints of the dark stuff every day. The tour was of the just-opened for tourists storehouse complex.

I could quickly feel myself feeling indoctrinated - and enjoying it! They had the original copy of the lease signed by Arthur Guinness in 1759 and huge exhibits showing the brewing process (barley + hops + water + yeast = Guinness), the history of the factory, the company - even an section on how they made casks (barrels) for the beer and models of the ships that carried the casks around the world - that is, until they started building other factories. They even have plants in Ghana and Trinidad! (Maleaha: "I'll bet most of it doesn't even make it out of the factory")

The best part was the advertising exhibit (i.e. the exhibit that explicitly admitted to advertising towards me), at which point I realized that if I were Rocco from the television show Undergrads, my alcohol-induced hallucinogenic friend would be the Guinness Toucan. Ah Tookie, I love you!

Wisely, the final exhibit after the advertising section is all about the dangers of alcohol and how drinking ruins your system if not done in moderation. (Although historically, doctors have prescribed a pint for a variety of illnesses, hence the claim "Guinness is Good for You") I wonder: if, say, Phillip Morris had a cigarette factory tour, how would they tackle the subject of advertising/counter-advertising? Regardless, it brought everyone back to earth a bit, so I suppose they can defend themselves as a responsible company.

Sidenote: the drinking and driving ads in Ireland are pretty hardcore. Its history of driving under the influence isn't very rosy, so I suppose it's an appropriate reaction to the issue. Non-rosy history or not, the ads are hard-hitting and even I have trouble watching them.

The final and long-awaited portion of the self-guided tour was redeeming your voucher for a free pint of Guinness that you get to pour yourself. Indeed, there is a proper technique and everyone in Ireland knows it. Considering that the pint a) was made across the street and b) I poured it myself, it was quite delicious.