Hops were used for centuries as the bittering agent in beer and as a preservative. In the early 1800’s, Guinness brewers were faced with a challenge to keep the beer fresh on long sea voyages to distant lands. Our brewers love a challenge, so they put their heads together and created a beer with extra hops which acted as a natural preservative. In fact, there’s an entry in the Guinness brewer’s diary from 1801 detailing the recipe for our first export beer, created. to keep beer fresh over long hauls.

OUR HOPS: DID YOU KNOW?

This worked so well that the rich and characterful porter was quickly shipped to the Caribbean, America, Africa and Southeast Asia. Originally known as West India Porter, Guinness Foreign Extra stout has evolved through the ages, but its soul has stayed the same. Try it for yourself in the Gravity Bar upstairs.

Hop plants are vine-like plants which grow on bines. There are multiple varieties of hops, each with their own distinctive flavour and fragrance. Our hop buyers rub the flowers, known as cones, into their hands to assess the aroma and quality of the raw ingredient.

Hop plants are particularly temperamental and require a specific amount of sunlight. They can only be reliably grown in two regions of the world, between 35 and 55 degrees north and south of the equator. Our hop buyers source the highest quality from England, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the Czech Republic.

INGREDIENTS MASTERS

SIOBHAN RYAN – MARKET SPECIALIST

“I have been working with Guinness for over 24 years now. My role is to source and buy the hops that go into brewing Guinness. I work daily with our suppliers discussing new innovations, how the upcoming harvest is developing and analysing supply vs demand.

I am also part of a team who are the current guardians of the best-tasting beers in the world. Meaning we get to try every batch before it leaves the brewery, ensuring that it’s perfect, every time.”

PETER SIMPSON – OPEN GATE BREWER HEAD BREWER

“I have been brewing here at St. James’s Gate for over 15 years. As head brewer, I get to experiment, create new beers and explore all the different flavours that we can build into the liquid. The range of flavours we can achieve from hops is just amazing. Not only by using different varieties but also the way in which we brew with them can deliver totally different flavour profiles.”