Beer & Books

Sept 20th-21st

Day 1 of the trip started us off in Dublin. Our hotel was comfy and put us within walking distance of most of our destinations. We got incredibly lucky with weather as the expected rain and fog generously held off until we were ready to move on to our next stop.

We started the day off at Trinity College Library to see the Old Library Long Room and the Book of Kells, which is housed there. The "Long Room" is notably one of the most beautiful libraries in the world, and has been on my bucket list for quite some time (bookworm's dream). It did not disappoint. The library's beautiful wooden shelves and high ceilings were breathtaking, and the smell of dusty old books awakened my soul (if you know, you know). What's also incredible is that the students at trinity college can still request to use these historic books on the shelves in the long room for their research. The jealousy was real here.

The Long Room at The Old Library, Trinity College - Dublin

The Book of Kells is an ancient illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels that was first created almost 1200 years ago by monks on the Scottish island of Iona that were known to be famous scribes. After Iona was attacked by Vikings, these monks moved to Ireland, after which the Book of Kells was stolen in the early 1000s. When it was later recovered, the famous gold cover and some of its pages were lost forever.

At least 3 or more monks contributed to the creation of the book, all having unique art styles and calligraphy. The monks often decorated the pages of the text with their artwork, around starting letters or between lines and in the margins, in addition to the full page illuminations that depicted various saints and religious scenes. The book is made up of over 600 pages of vellum, which is calf skin that was stretched thin and treated to prevent deterioration. The pages are rich in color that was derived from many natural sources such as copper or blue and greens from sea lichen.

More about the colors and pigments here!

Of course, we couldn't leave town without touring the Guinness storehouse! The facility is incredible and expansive, with a juxtaposition of historic brick buildings with a refreshed, modern interior. It's tour starts you at the bottom floor of the publicly accessible portion of the factory and leads you through both a visual and audio tour of the brewing process and history of Guinness. Guinness has a rich and fascinating history. Its creator, Arthur Guiness, began brewing porter in the 1770s, which was a new type of beer at the time, with roasted barley giving it a dark Ruby color and rich aroma. Arthur Guinness secured the site of his original St James' Gate brewery in 1759 with an outrageous 9000 year lease, ensuring the land and facility would remain in the family for all future generations to come.... if so desired.

Andrea: the future brand model for Guinness

More about the history of Guinness here!

The tour ended with a lesson on pouring the perfect pint and a free drink at the upper level Gravity Bar, which offers incredible 360 degree views of the city from 5 (6? 7?) stories above! Overall, we had a blast and I walked away with a new appreciation for the brand and brewing process.

Essential Education

Two EXPERT pours if we do say so ourselves