Guinness museum

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Page 2A: Thursday. March 7.2002 : The Sun Sun Journal $40 million shrine to Irish beer Guinness; th? muMf* tf Dublin in fin old'JemieHtut'ion pliDtt it])tlnf(yf hitrt iJic Diatteij \ VurM (ffhrt'iriiifj. DUBLIN. Ireland — The moat popular tourist attraction here used to be theBoo* of KeiU. an or- nate manuscript created 800 years after Jesus' birth that Is stored on the Gothic campus of Trinity Col- lege Now. the most popular attrac- tion Is a beer factory. But not any beer factory. Guinness, one of the oldest and best-known companies in Ireland. plant Into a seven-story visitor and conference center. The site drew nearly 600.000 people In Its Inaugural year, which was hampered by tourist fears over the agricultural ho of-and-mouth disease and the Sept II terrorist attack In the United Stales. Guin- ness expects eventually to reach 1 million visitors a year The so-called (iuinneux Store- house Is more like the Disney World of beer than a faux plant lour. It includes an indoor water- full, walk-through vut* .is large as two-car garages and a circular rooftop bar with the most spectac- ular view In the center of Ireland's ancient capital city. That's th« *wow' factor." com- pany spokeswoman Jane Doyle says of the so-called Gravity Bar •People don't expect when they ndr up on the .•:,-.., lift lelevator] to see that lend of view of the city." This is the be&t-kept secret In David Johnston. 23. of Tlpperary. Not quite, anymore Bill Clinton wms one of the first visitors, arriving a week after the attraction opened In December 2000 American country nuulc star Emmy Lou Harris has been here. So has the British girl-band Atomic Kitten. The U.S. Marines held a birthday bash here And a few weeks ago. Ireland's Prune Minister Bertie Ahem, a CreQuent visitor, arrived to present awards to the country's biggest rugby, soc- r.rr and Gaelic football atari. The company previously re- ceived tourlsU In an old vat house nearby. Attendance had grown to almost a half-million a year there. much more than the place could handle. So company officials bruin- stormed, deciding In 1996 to rcno- vat« a storehouse that had been empty for about a drcadc. Actually, the building had some claim to fame In Its own right. It was built in IBM &s the first steel- Guinness executives had traveled to Chicago at the turn of the 20th century for some beer-making tips new tdean about factory construc- tion and design, says Randal Suttle. an architect with Robinson Keefe Devane. the Dublin (Inn that worked on the recent remodel Guinness' reputation for inno- founded the company In 1759, after ntgnlnK a 9.0M-yrnr 1- i.-i- for an old brewery called St. James's Gate. Top O* the evening: The Gravity Bar. sparkling at dusk, crowns the seven-story Guinness Start company calls ill spectacular view of downtown Dublin the "wow factor." Havcadrop: A token from the Guinness Storehouse can be kept as a souvenir or traded far a pint. Guinness Is still produced on the site, in more technologically ad- vanced facilities failed a smell test administered ev- ery few years, he had to return to his old task In the factory. fast-forward to the mld-20th century; Guinness went beyond brewing, emerging u a major mar- keting force. It became the Coca- Cola of Europe, not ]ust because it produced a popular beverage, but became its clever print ads and. later, television commercials let the standard for the continent's advertising mduatry. •Guinness Is good for you," one of the best known of the slogans, was conceived after Irish physi- cians had written to the company to claim that the beer held recu- perative powers for some patients. Artist John GUroy devised a se- ries of ads of cartoon animals that became a fixture here for 40 yearn, Walt Disney. Impressed by the quality of the animation, report- edly tried to lure away OUroy to Smirnoff Vodka, Johnnie Walker The Guinness Storehouse de- votes ncurly u whole Door to mar- keting gimmicks, from memora- bilia with the popularToucan mas- cot "rookie" to comrnemorotlves from the coronation of Queen Eliz- abeth n 50 years ago and the birth of Prince WilliamIn 1982. Nearby Is an enormous cylinder to which vis- itors can aflx their own fen mall. •We love Dublin,- say* one. signed 'Washington College, Mary- land. USA.- But the most memorable parts of the museum can be found at the top and ground floors. Visitors are greeted by the thumping drums of a Celtic river dance. A roaring, manmade water- fall «urRes over alabs of Lurlte ai pended overhead. A bank of moni- tors flash Images at the speed of tntlal no a By the 1990s, clob.il advertising were winning awards for Guinness television commercials laced with ample dnaea of Irish puckiahnejw. Ireland emerald hills, a raucous rugby stadium, a sheep herder Es- the water there, from the Dodder- Poddle channel, was Ideal for mak- ing beer. (The rivers Paddle and Ltffey eventually Joined to form what 9th-century None Vikings described as a dark pool, ordubA linn— hence the clty'anamt.) In 1799, Ouinneu stopped brewing ale. He switched to a new. bitter, mahogany-colored brew that was gaining popularity In London, especially among Un* market porten who worked up a thirst on the Job. Guinness' porter brew became a big hit. several minutes It takes for stout to settle In a glass before It can be properly consumed. (With sales down last year, the brewer Is won- dering whether consumers have become too busy to wait for the •perfect pint." It has begun dis- cussing waya to speed the process a discussion bordering on the sacrilegious here.) Many people might not evenas- sociate with the company iis best- known marketing gimmick of all In 1951. Sir Hugh Beaver, then paid holidays, health care and guaranteed pensions for widows •Get yourself a Guinnc.-qi mnn" was a papular saying among the women In the Plmllco neighbor- hood around the plant. Among the company's most skilled employees were the coop- store the beer, and the •'smellers" who used their keen noses to weed out sour barrels. If one of them was fastest. When the argument arose again a few years later, Bea- •houlU create a book to settle bur- room arguments. With that. theCuimieM Boo* of World Records was born. Only the Bible and Quran sell more copies, the company claims company was bought by the Lon- don food-ami •Ifvrrnefi Riant. Dlageo PLC, which also owns whisk visitors up a seven-story hive of glass and green I-beams to VHrioufl exhibit* and, eventually, to the 130-foot-nlghGravltyBar. Every visitor receives a plastic lozenge that encases a dark drop of Guinness It can be traded at the end of the tour for a free pint of stout or soda. From an Island work station In the middle of Q large, cir- cular room, bartenders serve 2.000 (:;rn •; on a weekend day — twice that many on St. Patrick's Day. The bar feels more like College Park than Killamey. Hip-hop pulflcn through the speakers Twenty-somethings share a laugh and a drink. You know It's Ireland, however, when David Johnston, the bar- tender, "draws' a shamrock out- line In the creamy white head of a Guinness. He learned to turn his wrist beneath the tap head Just so to tract- the image through month? ofpractlce.hesays. As If on cue, outside the picture windows, a rainbow bends over the Dublin Mountains. Whether a pot of gold Is at the other end, the Guinness folks can't say. now: The fastest bird In flight la the licrepnne falcon.*"alco peregnnut It can go 168 miles an hour.

description

Monument for a pint

Transcript of Guinness museum

Page 1: Guinness museum

Page 2A: Thursday. March 7.2002 : The Sun

Sun Journal

$40 million shrine to Irish beer• Guinness; /«th? muMf* tfDublin in fin old'JemieHtut'ion

pliDtt it])tlnf(yf hitrt iJic Diatteij

\ VurM (ffhrt'iriiifj.

DUBLIN. Ireland — The moatpopular tourist attraction hereused to be theBoo* of KeiU. an or-nate manuscript created 800 yearsafter Jesus' birth that Is stored onthe Gothic campus of Trinity Col-lege

Now. the most popular attrac-tion Is a beer factory.

But not any beer factory.Guinness, one of the oldest and

best-known companies in Ireland.

plant Into a seven-story visitor andconference center.

The site drew nearly 600.000people In Its Inaugural year, whichwas hampered by tourist fears overthe agricultural ho of-and-mouthdisease and the Sept I I terroristattack In the United Stales. Guin-ness expects eventually to reach1 million visitors a year

The so-called (iuinneux Store-house Is more like the DisneyWorld of beer than a faux plantlour. It includes an indoor water-full, walk-through vut* .is large astwo-car garages and a circularrooftop bar with the most spectac-ular view In the center of Ireland'sancient capital city.

That's th« *wow' factor." com-pany spokeswoman Jane Doylesays of the so-called Gravity Bar•People don't expect when theyndr up on the .•:,-.., lift lelevator]to see that lend of view of the city."

This is the be&t-kept secret In

David Johnston. 23. of Tlpperary.Not quite, anymoreBill Clinton wms one of the first

visitors, arriving a week after theattraction opened In December2000 American country nuulc starEmmy Lou Harris has been here.So has the British girl-bandAtomic Kitten. The U.S. Marinesheld a birthday bash here And afew weeks ago. Ireland's PruneMinister Bertie Ahem, a CreQuentvisitor, arrived to present awardsto the country's biggest rugby, soc-r.rr and Gaelic football atari.

The company previously re-ceived tourlsU In an old vat housenearby. Attendance had grown toalmost a half-million a year there.much more than the place couldhandle. So company officials bruin-stormed, deciding In 1996 to rcno-vat« a storehouse that had beenempty for about a drcadc.

Actually, the building had someclaim to fame In Its own right. Itwas built in IBM &s the first steel-

Guinness executives had traveledto Chicago at the turn of the 20thcentury for some beer-making tips

new tdean about factory construc-tion and design, says RandalSuttle. an architect with RobinsonKeefe Devane. the Dublin (Inn thatworked on the recent remodel

Guinness' reputation for inno-

founded the company In 1759, afterntgnlnK a 9.0M-yrnr 1- i.-i- for an oldbrewery called St. James's Gate.

Top O* the evening: The Gravity Bar. sparkling at dusk, crowns the seven-story Guinness Startcompany calls ill spectacular view of downtown Dublin the "wow factor."

Havcadrop: A token from theGuinness Storehouse can be keptas a souvenir or traded far a pint.

Guinness Is still produced on thesite, in more technologically ad-vanced facilities

failed a smell test administered ev-ery few years, he had to return tohis old task In the factory.

fast-forward to the mld-20thcentury; Guinness went beyondbrewing, emerging u a major mar-keting force. It became the Coca-Cola of Europe, not ]ust because itproduced a popular beverage, butbecame its clever print ads and.later, television commercials letthe standard for the continent'sadvertising mduatry.

•Guinness Is good for you," oneof the best known of the slogans,was conceived after Irish physi-cians had written to the companyto claim that the beer held recu-perative powers for some patients.

Artist John GUroy devised a se-ries of ads of cartoon animals thatbecame a fixture here for 40 yearn,Walt Disney. Impressed by thequality of the animation, report-edly tried to lure away OUroy — to

Smirnoff Vodka, Johnnie Walker

The Guinness Storehouse de-votes ncurly u whole Door to mar-keting gimmicks, from memora-bilia with the popularToucan mas-cot "rookie" to comrnemorotlvesfrom the coronation of Queen Eliz-abeth n 50 years ago and the birthof Prince William In 1982. Nearby Isan enormous cylinder to which vis-itors can aflx their own fen mall.

•We love Dublin,- say* one.signed 'Washington College, Mary-land. USA.-

But the most memorable partsof the museum can be found at thetop and ground floors.

Visitors are greeted by thethumping drums of a Celtic riverdance. A roaring, manmade water-fall «urRes over alabs of Lurlte aipended overhead. A bank of moni-tors flash Images at the speed of

tntlalno a

By the 1990s, clob.il advertising

were winning awards for Guinnesstelevision commercials laced withample dnaea of Irish puckiahnejw.

Ireland — emerald hills, a raucousrugby stadium, a sheep herder Es-

the water there, from the Dodder-Poddle channel, was Ideal for mak-ing beer. (The rivers Paddle andLtffey eventually Joined to formwhat 9th-century None Vikingsdescribed as a dark pool, ordubAl i n n — hence the clty'anamt.)

In 1799, Ouinneu stoppedbrewing ale. He switched to a new.bitter, mahogany-colored brewthat was gaining popularity InLondon, especially among Un*market porten who worked up athirst on the Job. Guinness' porterbrew became a big hit.

several minutes It takes for stoutto settle In a glass before It can beproperly consumed. (With salesdown last year, the brewer Is won-dering whether consumers havebecome too busy to wait for the•perfect pint." It has begun dis-cussing waya to speed the process— a discussion bordering on thesacrilegious here.)

Many people might not even as-sociate with the company iis best-known marketing gimmick of all

In 1951. Sir Hugh Beaver, then

paid holidays, health care andguaranteed pensions for widows

•Get yourself a Guinnc.-qi mnn" wasa papular saying among thewomen In the Plmllco neighbor-hood around the plant.

Among the company's mostskilled employees were the coop-

store the beer, and the •'smellers"who used their keen noses to weedout sour barrels. If one of them

was fastest. When the argumentarose again a few years later, Bea-

•houlU create a book to settle bur-room arguments.

With that. theCuimieM Boo* ofWorld Records was born. Only theBible and Quran sell more copies,the company claims

company was bought by the Lon-don food-ami •Ifvrrnefi Riant.Dlageo PLC, which also owns

whisk visitors up a seven-storyhive of glass and green I-beams toVHrioufl exhibit* and, eventually, tothe 130-foot-nlghGravltyBar.

Every visitor receives a plasticlozenge that encases a dark drop ofGuinness It can be traded at theend of the tour for a free pint ofstout or soda. From an Island workstation In the middle of Q large, cir-cular room, bartenders serve 2.000(:;rn •; on a weekend day — twicethat many on St. Patrick's Day.

The bar feels more like CollegePark than Killamey. Hip-hoppulflcn through the speakersTwenty-somethings share a laughand a drink.

You know It's Ireland, however,when David Johnston, the bar-tender, "draws' a shamrock out-line In the creamy white head of aGuinness. He learned to turn hiswrist beneath the tap head Just soto tract- the image through month?ofpractlce.hesays.

As If on cue, outside the picturewindows, a rainbow bends over theDublin Mountains. Whether a potof gold Is at the other end, theGuinness folks can't say.

now: The fastest bird In flight la thelicrepnne falcon.*"alco peregnnutIt can go 168 miles an hour.