Legends of "The Black Stuff"
Wine-lovers may flock to the vineyards of France, but for connoisseurs of beer,
Europe's sacred site is the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. The old St James Gate
Brewery was derelict when it was leased by Arthur Guinness in 1759 using £100 left
by his godfather. When a craze for a new, heavy style of beer called 'porter' began
sweeping Dublin about 20 years later, Mr. Guinness decided to beat the English brewers
at their own game, and devised the velvety, pitch-black Guinness Stout. It soon
became an Irish staple. Today, Guinness is an international, $3 billion-a-year business,
but the recipe for "the Black Stuff" is still a closely guarded secret – part chemistry,
part mystery. We do know that Guinness' unique color and flavor stem from the addition
of barley -- rolled and roasted – to beer's traditional ingredients of malt, hops
and yeast.
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