Arthur Guinness was born in 1725, founding the Guinness St James Gate Brewery in 1759, the earliest records of Guinness being in London not being until 1794 and it took till 1936 for the Park Royal Brewery to be opened. Other breweries and bottling facilities were later opened across the world.
Arthur Guinness sadly died in 1799 but the company which he founded was stable, and continued to grow until and no doubt past today.
By 1833 the Guinness brewery was the biggest in
Ireland, which is saying something. With the huge influx in
Irish emigration to the United States global demands grew, leading to 1910 when it was first bottled in the United States.
Irish emigration coupled with
Irish drinking culture is also a key reason for
American prohibition, but that’s another story.
The commonly associated harp logo wasn’t introduced until 1862, which continues to be a symbol of not only Guinness but
Ireland.
By 1914 over 17.5million pints of Guinness were being exported annually. Leading 1929 when Guinness where the first ever British advertisement. And Guinness are still
well known for their pioneering advertisements, such as the horses/wave/Ahab.
The
Irish culture which was sparked by Guinness can be seen as a major reason for why there was over 1,500
Irish theme bars by 1995 and 2,500 by 1997. in 2001 over a million pints of Guinness were sold a day in Great Britain alone.
The latest chapter in the Guinness story would be the closing of the Park Royal Brewery last year (
2004) which for those in the UK means all our Guinness is now made with the filtered
water of St James Gate giving a creamier and smoother taste, amen.
