Nothing speaks Irish internationally more than Guinness beer. This is no coincidence. Arthur Guinness was a visionary and he wanted to brew such a beer that would be internationally recognized as an Irish product for many years to come. Hence, the choice of a harp as the symbol of the brewery. Yet, this is not just any harp, it is the “Brian Boru” harp, which you can see in the Long Room at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. It’s a medieval harp that stood the test of time and became the true symbol of Ireland. You can find it as the symbol of the Irish Government (adopted after the independence from England in 1922) and on Irish coins.

Founded in 1759 at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, where it is still being brewed today, Guinness is the most well-known stout beer in the world. Originally, when Arthur Guinness took hold of it, St. James’s Gate was an ale brewery, but he decided to change that and started producing a type of black beer. The final formula obtained in those early days was so unique that it gave rise to the “Irish Stout” style. To this day, “stout” is the only type of beer produced by Guinness. Their diversity is restricted to this condition, and they do not have that much diversity. When it is perfect, you do not need to change anything, right?

Back in 1945, Sir Hugh Beaver was hired as manager by the Guinness family and he underwent several changes that took the brewery to the next level. One day, while he was hanging out with friends at the pub, he engaged in a fierce argument about which was the fastest bird in the world. A conclusion was not reached, but an idea was born: to compile facts in a book to solve these kinds of questions. As the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison, said, “if there is a book you want to read, and it is not yet written, then you must write it yourself”. That was exactly what Sir Hugh Beaver did. Well, he did not write it himself, but commissioned who did. That book was “The Guinness Book of Records”. The idea grew and grew and now is a yearly publication that confirms all kinds of records all over the world.