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5 facts about guinness beer

Guinness Beer: 5 Fun Facts

Since the mid 18th century, Arthur Guinness and his heirs have guided the Guinness Brewery while honing their craft.

Their expertise in beer brewing is known and appreciated in 150 countries, and they currently produce over 20 world-class beers. Inspired by the pioneering spirit of the founder, Arthur Guinness, and the batches of legendary stout created over 200 years ago at the original Brewery, the always enterprising brewers at Guinness carry on the tradition but evolve their lines of beer through their innovation and experimentation. As they put it, their greatest work is yet to come, never resting on their laurels. Here are five fun facts about Guinness Beer. Sláinte!

1. Guinness Beer Is the World’s First Nitro Beer

Michal Ash (1927-2016), who joined Guinness in 1951, was a mathematician turned brewer. He thought serving Guinness Beer in draught and adding nitrogen would transform the beer. Guinness’s famous “surge and settle effect” was created by Ash’s “Easy Serve” system, which is why Guinness is the world’s first nitro beer.

2. Guinness Beer Won the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement.

In 1991, Britons voted Guinness’s Rocket Widget, the top invention of the past 40 years, beating the internet in the voting!

Not surprisingly, the original widget was patented in Ireland by Guinness, and Guinness’s ingenious, world-famous device delivers the draught experience in a can. When the beer can ring is pulled open, Guinness’s widget (a nitrogen-filled capsule) releases a surge of bubbles when opening the can, result-ing in Guinness’s unmistakably smooth beer.

3. Guinness’s Bubbles Sink Because of the Shape of the Pint Glass

A pint glass is designed wider at the top than the bottom. The ingenuity of this design influences the head formation. A Guinness poured down the side of a pint glass creates a circulatory pattern. This pour pattern drags bubbles to the bottom of the glass, and the glass design allows more space, so bub-bles rise from the middle instead of the side, resulting in a creamy head.

4. The Perfect Pint of Guinness Pours in 119.5 Seconds

If you want to enjoy the perfect pint of Guinness, you’ll need to wait almost two minutes between the first and second pour for the beer to settle. According to Guinness, achieving the ideal Guinness pint takes 119.5 seconds. Some things are truly worth the wait. If you’d like to know more about how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness, you’ll find a fact sheet on the Guinness website.

 

5. Guinness Had Originally Leased Its Brewery in Dublin for 9,000 Years.

At St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Arthur Guinness started his business brewing beer in 1759 by locking in an annual rent of 45 British pounds sterling after paying an initial 100 British pounds sterling for the next 9,000 years. The lease for the property, which was a four-acre, dormant brewery before Arthur Guinness’s use, was voided when the property was purchased by the company and expanded its brew-ing operation to 50 acres.

We hope you found these five fun facts about Guinness Beer entertaining and educational. And now reward yourself with a Guinness for getting a bit smarter — pre-order and pick up from our store!