29 July 2014 - Best Beer HQ

Top 10 facts about Guinness

Top 10 facts about Guinness

Guinness is one of the most famous beer brands in the world, a legendary Irish icon brewed in nearly 60 countries around the world and enjoyed in countless more. But how much do you actually know about Guinness? Try these interesting factoids on for size…

1. It was named after Arthur Guinness

Guinness was founded in 1759 by Irish brewer and entrepreneur Arthur Guinness. Something of a visionary, Guinness was so assured of success that he took a 9,000-year lease at St James Gate in Dublin where, of course, the brewery still functions today.

2. Guinness were great employers

Back in the good old days, workers at the Guinness factory were entitled to two pints of Guinness every day. How’s that for a great perk? And even as far back as 1928 workers had access to medical and dental care, as well as scholarships and a pension.

3. Ireland’s #1 tourist attraction

Today, the original Guinness brewery at St James Gate is Dublin and Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction. That’s right. More than one million people visit the famous “Guinness Storehouse” every year to learn about how the beer is brewed and to find out about its fascinating history.

4. Guinness sells a crap-load of beer…

Every day, more than 10 million glasses of Guinness are drunk around the world. Annual sales of Guinness exceed more than 850 million litres – or roughly 1.5 billion imperial pints worth. That’s despite an overall decline in Guinness consumption dating back to 2001.

5. …and not just in Ireland

The United Kingdom is the only sovereign state to go through more Guinness in a typical year than Ireland. Meanwhile, Africa accounts for about 40% of Guinness’ total worldwide sales, which could be why Guinness has factories in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.

6. Guinness is good for you

You’ve seen the old ads saying “Guinness is good for you” or “Guinness for strength”. Well, that actually could be correct. According to studies, antioxidant compounds found in Guinness can slow down the accumulation of cholesterol in the human body and lessen the chance of heart attack.

7. What’s in a pint of Guinness?

The classic Guinness stout is made from water, barley (malted and roasted), hops and yeast. No artificial colourings or flavours are added to it. It is pasteurised and filtered and, surprisingly, contains fewer calories than most light beers.

However, vegans shouldn’t drink Guinness as it may contain traces of isinglass, a fining agent used in its production that’s made from fish.

8. How to pour the perfect Guinness…

According to the company, the “perfect pint” of Guinness takes precisely 125.27 seconds and requires you to pour it twice – once until the rich, creamy head reaches the top of the glass, and again when it settles down a bit. Meanwhile, Guinness should be served at exactly six degrees Celsius.

9. The classic Guinness look

Guinness looks black, but it isn’t. Nope, the classic Guinness stout is officially an extremely dark shade of rub red. Meanwhile, the famous Guinness harp logo always appears with its straight edge to the left. It was one of the first things in Ireland to be trademarked after the Trade Marks Registration Act of 1875 was established.

10. It started the Guinness Book of Records

In 1951, the Guinness Brewery’s managing director at the time, Sir Hugh Beaver, got into a petty argument at a pub over which was the fastest game bird in Europe. That inspired him to produce a book that could settle such pub debates – thus the Guinness Book of Records was born.

Originally intended as a marketing giveaway, the surprise success of the book let to a pretty huge publishing empire. How large? Big enough that it’s listed itself in the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling copyrighted book of all time.

Big Breweries / International Beer / Weird and Interesting Ireland /