Synopses & Reviews
For millions of beer lovers the world over, a properly poured pint of Guinness Stout is as close to perfection as beer gets. Each year, fans of the legendary black liquidation enjoy two billion pints of the beer known for its distinctive creamy head and rich drinkability. Ireland's most famous export, Guinness Stoutand the people who have brewed ithold a unique place in the history of beer, business, and Ireland itself.
They say that good things come to those who wait. When you wait on a perfectly poured pint of Guinness Stout, you know you're getting something good. It's more than just a pint of beer; it's a mouthwatering visual presentation of the quality and taste you're about to enjoy. And millions wait patiently for their pint every day. To find out why, famed beer and beverage writer Bill Yenne talks to everyone from Guinness's master brewer to typical pubgoers about the beer they hold dear. Whatever magic makes it so delicious, it's powerful enough to soothe the souls of beer lovers from Dublin to Boston to Buenos Aires to Lagos, and everywhere in between.
But Guinness is more than a delicious beverage, it's also the name of the remarkable family of brewers and entrepreneurs whose story is worthy of legend, and who occupy a prominent place in Irish history. In Guinness, Yenne traces the 250-year tale of the family and its namesake beer. Beginning with Arthur Guinness, the entrepreneur patriarch who first began brewing at St. James's Gate, Dublin, in 1759, the story follows succeeding generations of the Guinness family through the years. Yenne follows not just the fortunes of the family Guinness, but also the development of the brand and the beerfrom Arthur's earliest porter to the beer that is enjoyed in 150 countries today.
For Guinness aficionados, this tale offers an inside look at a legendary brewing company and the craftsmanship and pride that go into every keg. For anyone who hopes to keep their business vibrant and dynamic for the next few centuries, the book offers important lessons on continuity, quality, and innovation. For everyone who loves a good beer story, Guinness offers a perfect pint more than two centuries in the pouring.
Sit back and enjoy.
Review
"Marvelous As Bill Yenne embarks on his epic quest for the perfect pint, he takes us along on a magical tour into the depths of all things Guinness. Interweaving the tales of the world's greatest beer and the nation that spawned it, Yenne introduces us to a cast of characters worthy of a dozen novels, a brewery literally dripping with history, and of course the one-and-only way to properly pour a pint. You can taste the stout porter on every page." Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
Review
"Joseph Conrad was wrong. The real journey into the Heart of Darkness is recounted within the pages of Bill Yenne's fine book. Guinness (the beer) is a touchstone for brewers and beer lovers the world over. Guinness (the book) gives beer enthusiasts all the information and education necessary to take beer culture out of the clutches of light lagers and back into the dark ages. Cheers." Sam Calagione, owner, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Brewing Up a Business, Extreme Brewing, and Beer or Wine?
Synopsis
Guinness Stout has a unique place in global beverage folklore. It is a beer with a long and colorful history and mythology, while still having a passionate following among beer connoisseurs around the world today. Indeed, two billion pints are poured and enjoyed around the world each year.
Guinness is also a remarkable family of brewers and entrepreneurs whose story is worthy of legend, and whose name is an integral part of Irish history: First, there was Arthur Guinness, the entrepreneur patriarch, who became a brewer at age 30 and four years later leased a Dublin brewery for 9,000 years. There was his son and namesake, who penned the recipe for the legendary black liquidation with the froth on the top. And then there was the third generation Benjamin Lee Guinness, the First Earl of Iveagh, who became the richest man in Ireland selling stout, and who built the family business into the largest brewery in the world.
This book is the telling of the legends of Guinness the stout, the men and the mythology.
Synopsis
A perfectly poured history of the world's greatest beer.
"Joseph Conrad was wrong. The real journey into the Heart of Darkness is recounted within the pages of Bill Yenne's fine book. Guinness (the beer) is a touchstone for brewers and beer lovers the world over. Guinness (the book) gives beer enthusiasts all the information and education necessary to take beer culture out of the clutches of light lagers and back into the dark ages. Cheers!"
-Sam Calagione, owner, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Brewing Up a Business, Extreme Brewing, and Beer or Wine?
"Marvelous! As Bill Yenne embarks on his epic quest for the perfect pint, he takes us along on a magical tour into the depths of all things Guinness. Interweaving the tales of the world's greatest beer and the nation that spawned it, Yenne introduces us to a cast of characters worthy of a dozen novels, a brewery literally dripping with history, and-of course-the one-and-only way to properly pour a pint. You can taste the stout porter on every page."
-Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
About the Author
Bill Yenne has been writing extensively about beer and brewing history for two decades and has discussed these subjects as a featured guest on the History Channel. He is the author of more than forty books on a variety of historical topics, and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Table of Contents
Notes on Measurements and Terminology.
Acknowledgments.
Prologue. The World's Greatest Beer.
Introduction. What is Guinness Stout?
Chapter 1. Origins.
Chapter 2. Arthur Guinness, Brewer.
Chapter 3. A Family Business.
Chapter 4. Generations and Dynasties.
Chapter 5. Bottlers and the Export Trade.
Chapter 6. Building Sales While Building Rails.
Chapter 7. A Public Company.
Chapter 8. The Guinness World Travellers.
Chapter 9. To the Ends of the Earth, and Manchester Too.
Chapter 10. War at Home and Abroad.
Chapter 11. Trouble, Triumph and the Toucan.
Chapter 12. Brewed in Britain, and America Too.
Chapter 13. World War II.
Chapter 14. The Postwar Years.
Chapter 15. Great Men and Great Ideas.
Chapter 16. A Family Business at Two Hundred.
Chapter 17. Nitrogenation, the Really Great Idea.
Chapter 18. A Lager Called Harp.
Chapter 19. Into Africa, Malaysia and Beyond.
Chapter 20. Diversification and Expansion.
Chapter 21. The Watershed Decade.
Chapter 22. A Widget in the Pint.
Chapter 23. A Growing Company and The Perfect Pint.
Chapter 24. Guinness in the Twenty-First Century.
Chapter 25. Inside The Gate With The Master Brewer.
Epilogue. The World's Greatest Beer.
About the Author.
Appendix A. Generations of the Guinness Family in the Leadership of the Family Business.
Appendix B. Guinness Head Brewers.
Bibliography.
About the Author.
Index.