Today we got up late and decided to be lazy for a while. Then we went to the Guiness Storehouse, but not before asking if we could change rooms, and they said they would switch them for us while we were gone!
On the way to Guiness, we saw the Christ Church Cathedral, which was the State Church of Ireland since its inception in the 12th century. We didn’t go in it, we just took pictures of the outside.
When we entered the Guiness Storehouse, we actually saw 2 of our Australian friends, Dave and Adam! How funny is that?!?! We knew they were going to be in Dublin the same time as us, but we didn’t think we would see them! They were leaving, so we didn’t talk long, but it was still cool to see someone we knew (I’ve been a little homesick lately).
So the tour of the storehouse takes you through the ingredients and then the process of brewing Guiness and why it is so distinct from any other beer. It’s a long process, which is summed up by the following pictures:
The process starts with the barley, some of which is malted in the same way that it is malted when it is used to make whiskey. However, the malted barley is dried using a kiln without peat, so that you don’t have that peat flavor, like you do in the Scotch whiskey. The fact that some of the barley is unmalted, some malted, and some roasted contributes to Guiness’ distinct flavor.
Once the barley is dried, some of it is roasted. Then all the barley is milled.
After milling, the substance is called grist. The grist is then mixed with hot water and mashed.
Once mashed, the substance is called wort. The wort is then boiled and the hops are added, which really adds to the flavor of the beer.
The fresh water source is a very important part of the brewing process. Arthur Guiness had a 9000 year exclusive contract for free access to the fresh water source the came from the north of the city (not from the River Liffey, which was a common misperception).
Now the wort is ready for fermentation, which is what creates the alcohol and ultimately the beer.
There are actually several kinds of Guiness, which I didn’t realize. They let us taste a new kind of Guiness called “Guiness North Star Brew”, which they just began brewing in 2006 and is a little sweeter.
Then, of course, we got our free Guiness. I was very excited to try it because I was hoping I would like it much more than back home because I’m not really a fan of it. Unfortunately, I didn’t really care for it here either, but I did drink my entire free pint (with a little help from Paul), and we got a four leaf clover in it!
The Gravity Bar where you get the free Guiness is pretty cool. Very nice views of the city (it is such a large city!), and you can see some of the Irish hills in one of the pictures.
When we got back to the hotel, we found that we had a new hotel room on the 4th floor (instead of the first floor directly above the club) and it wasn’t facing the street anymore! Also, our beds were much better (my original bed was sagging in the middle and to the right) and the room and bathroom were larger too. I’m so happy! I have a feeling we might still hear some of the bass from the club, but it should be much more tolerable. Thank goodness!
Tonight we had dinner at the hotel bar again (the other bars and restaurants around here were too crowded – that’s what we get for staying in a popular area :) – by the way, our bartender reminds me of the lead singer of Maroon 5; what’s his name? I’ll try to get a picture later) and then we went to the club for a little while, which was pretty hilarious. We decided to be wallflowers and just watch people dance. It reminded me of dancing with my girls back home (I miss you guys!). Guys are so funny to watch try to dance with girls and the girls totally ignore them. It's so great :)
Tomorrow we are just going to do some laundry and get on the internet (I’m going to do some more work to supplement our expenses).
1 comment:
adam levine is the maroon 5 singer!
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