Irish Beer

1. Most beer was imported from England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. However in 1756 Arthur Guinness set up a small brewery, moving to Dublin in 1759. Having initially brewed bitter, he switched to producing porter, which was a style from London. Unlike the London beers he used some unmalted roasted barley, as this avoided tax (which was on malted barley only), making it more bitter and dry. In the early twentieth century Guinness became the largest brewer in the world, exporting the Irish style to many countries.
2. There are 19 different versions of Guinness.
3. Brewing in Ireland has a long history, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century there were over 200 breweries in the country, 55 of them in Dublin. During the nineteenth century the number of breweries fell to about fifty, and today only about 12.
4. Historically Ireland produced ale, without the use of hops as these are not native to Ireland. Even in the late 18th century hops were not used, when almost all other countries had adopted the use of them as an ingredient to preserve and flavor their beer.