The museum is housed in a 19th-century hop store but has been impressively adapted to tell the 200-year-old story of Guinness. You’re guided through all the brewing processes, and the explanation and visual displays are really informative. These include a chronology of Arthur Guinness’s life, the canny Irishman who signed a 9,000-year-lease in 1759 to secure the rent of the St James’ Gate Brewery at £45 a year. Now that was a bargain!

Guinness was based on "porter", a black London ale, and by 1769 it was being exported across to England. Now it will be exported once again, as I understand that the manufacturing plant in London is about to close. The museum has a continuous audio-visual show on the history of Guinness in Ireland.

A transport museum on the ground floor has in pride of place the narrow-gauge steam train that transported materials around the factory site and there are countless models of other "Guinness-owned" modes of transport.

There’s a static display showing the skills of the cooper, and on show, there’s the full range of containers used to store the ale over the generations. Sadly, now all Guinness is stored in standard metal containers.

It’s easy to get lost as you progress up the floors, and the upper floors are a maze of exhibitions, artwork, and posters. Indeed, there’s a superb display of all the advertising that’s been used since 1929. Everyone remembers the "Guinness is good for you" slogan, but we were just amazed at how influential the advertising has been over the decades. The Guinness Toucan was there in all its finery, and you could access videos of all the television and filmed adverts. They were and certainly still are works of art.

At the end of your self-guided tour, you’ll finish at the top of the building in the bar. Here you can get your "free" pint, and if you’re fortunate enough to be with a non-Guinness drinking spouse, there’s a second pint! From the top, there are some great, uninterrupted views over Dublin from the circular bar. As you handed in your voucher for the free pint, you were issued with a souvenir of your visit – a drop of the real thing encased in Perspex. There is no rush up here, but getting your freebie is a bit of a tussle and securing seats requires sheer luck. We found seats near the window and discussed our visit and the finer things of life.

When you’re ready to move on, make sure you call in on the souvenir shop, because even if you don’t intend to buy, there are plenty of quality ideas for that original birthday present!

This is where I was instantly nauseated by the combination of height and Guinness aromas. Using your entry ticket, in the shape of a light paperweight containing a small amount of Guinness itself, you can receive your complimentary pint and grab a seat to soak in the sights and atmosphere of Dublin from a height. Personally, I would try and do this at sunset, a truly awesome beauty in my experience.

An alternative is to have lunch in the restaurant (try the soup!) or nosy around the gift store, which has some very entertaining souvenirs!

I can only say that the Guinness Storehouse is great fun. Some may prefer just to grab a pint with the locals in the city, but the museum has something to interest everyone.

Opening times:

July and August 9:30am to 10pm
Rest of the year 9:30am to 5pm
Open all bank holidays
Closed: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Stephens Day, and Good Friday

Admission:
Adults: 13.50€
Students: (over 18) 9€, includes "free" pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar
(under 18) 6.50€
Children: (6 to 12) 3€
Children: (Under 6) Free

Guinness Storehouse (www.guinness-storehouse.com) opened in November 2000, in what was originally one of the factory buildings. In March 2004, Guinness welcomed their 2 millionth customer - an annual draw of 750,000+ visitors/year! The Storehouse won the prestigious Themed Entertainment Association Award (THEA) for 'Outstanding Achievement' by an International Visitor Center in 2003 - it really is quite a handsome exhibit, 4 acres over several floors, with a central atrium shaped like a giant ale glass. They are located a short walk or bus ride from the city center, and have free parking.

Guinness was founded in the mid-1700s by Arthur Guinness, using a £150 legacy left to him by his godfather, the Archbishop of Cashel. It was run by the Guinness family for 227 years. Guinness treated his employees well, with wages 10-20% above local average, guaranteed widow's pensions, paid vacations (unheard of at the time), and provided free benefits like medical care, homes, education etc, plus free beer - truly a man ahead of his time.

We only had to wait in line twice: 1) for tickets (€13.50 adult/€30 family/€9 students + seniors), and 2) to get our free drink at the Gravity bar afterwards. They're open 9:30am-5pm daily (till 9pm July/August), and only closed 4 days per year.

The tour is entirely self-guided with a beautifully designed brochure that guides you through the museum. While there is a fairly logical progression to the tour, starting at the lowest levels and how Guinness is made, working up through different aspects of the Guinness experience, you are not forced to take them in a particular order. Stairs, elevators and escalators connect the various levels.

If you follow the layout, however, you start out by learning about the main ingredients in Guinness: barley, water, hops, and yeast. The first two floors of the exhibit are rather deafening due to the waterfall, but this is a trendy museum and quite unique among brewery tours.

On the higher floors, learn about the history of Guinness, see some of their advertising (both print and televised). One of the highlights for me was seeing the gorgeous antique harp which has lent itself to the trademark of Guinness: a golden harp on a dark background.

Once you have had your fill of Guinness history, head up to the top floor to the Gravity bar, where floor-to-ceiling windows provide a 360-degree view of Dublin and beyond. The acrylic token they give you back also has a dime-sized sample of Guinness embedded in it; it's a cute souvenir.

If this hasn't been enough Guinness for you, stop downstairs on the way out and stock up on Guinness-branded things ranging from T-shirts to jewelry to pure kitsch, or even the Guinness-infused chocolates. (They're quite tasty.)

The Archbishop would be proud.