Stone upon stone upon fallen stone

The Guinness Storehouse! It takes up several city blocks just west of city centre and you can smell the hops from easily a 1/4 mile away. Before you can even tell you're in the neighborhood, a slightly sweet - yet slightly bitter - odor greets you and you think: Yes. Hops. We're close.

The tour was crazy interesting and you learn all that there is to learn about the history of Guinness. The tour gives a real taste for the craftsmanship that has been used for decades to brew Guinness. Aditya and I were transfixed for 20 minutes by a video of a carpenter making barrels for the beer. A black and white film from several decades ago shows a warehouse, filled to the teeth with wood shavings, planks, and tools; each barrel was made by hand. There was an unmistakable look of pride on the carpenter's face when he finished: that feeling that you only get when you've created something with your own hands.

Of course, let's not forget the process used to make the stout, from the barley:

To the hops:

To the yeast (which is supposed to be the same yeast used by Arthur all those years ago):

To the water:

And let's not forget drinking the freshest Guinness you'll ever have! At a max of 2 weeks old, it's smooth as water and as rich as ever. Bartenders teach you the art of the "perfect pour" and I tell you, I think that having poured it yourself makes it even a bit better to drink.

There was an unmistakable pride among the Irish in the presentation of the Guinness Storehouse. It's clearly as much of a part of the history of this country as the Easter Rising or the famine. When we first arrived here, I was surprised to see the locals drink Guinness as often as they do. I thought maybe it would be a stereotypical Irish ideal, that those who live here surely must have microbrews or other imports which they enjoy as well. No. Everyone here really drinks Guinness and really takes pride in it, and after visiting the Storehouse, you understand that a bit more.

TOMORROW will be a very exciting day and you'll hear more from me soon, I'm sure. Liz is giving Aditya and I around Belfast for the day. We'll take bus up to Northern Ireland, then spend our day absorbing some history: a black cab tour to learn about the troubles and visit sectarian neighborhoods. It's bound to be a fascinating day.

Cheers!