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It was a cold day when Arthur Guinness signed a lease on the eve of 1760 in Dublin Ireland.

Located on James Street, close to the banks of The Liffey, this was an ideal place to build a brewery. Arthur Guinness was about to change the face of brewing in Ireland.

At a tender age of only thirty-four, he already knew that the domestic beer industry of Ireland was lacking, lacking in good, wholesome tasting beer, with a stout body. This was realised all over Ireland when the London Porter Breweries were granted extended import licenses.

During this time, the main alcoholic drinks available were, whiskey, the ever faithful gin, and a spirit that is unique to Ireland, Poteen. Arthur was among a few others that realised that brewing was actually one of the most prosperous industries in Ireland at the time.

The type of beer that Arthur wanted to produce was a new beer to the emerald isle, and due to the popularity of the brew from the Porters and Stevedores in London, became known as a Porter. Porter was developed several years before, and finally found its' way to Dublin.

And beating the British at brewing, he soon ousted them from the brewing industry in Ireland, and took a sizable share of the market in England as well. With a recipe that contains roasted barley, to give it a unique dark colour, Guinness was born.

The name Stout was added in the mid nineteenth century, and it was in the year 1825 that Arthur Guinness first put the family name to the beer; Guinness was born.

The success of the new Stout, was at worst a surprise for the English breweries, and at best a turning point for the brewing industry of Ireland. In 1881 the St. James Gate Brewery, was surpassing over one-million barrels a year, and in the year 1914, was the world's largest brewery.

Being brewed in over thirty-five countries around the world today, still bearing the synonymous harp logo, it has become a corner stone in our society today.