The incredible 257-year history of Guinness dominating the beer world

Kate TaylorBusiness Insider/Alyson Shontell

Guinness has come a long way since the brewery was founded in 1759.
257  years later, the brand is one of the most iconic beers in the world — and believes the best is yet to come.
Here are some of the highlights of Guinness’ incredible journey from a local brewery to international icon.

In 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease for a property at St. James Gate in Dublin that would become Guinness Brewery.

Flickr/Kevin Gessner

"We talk about being 257 years young, because there is still 8,743 years left on the brewery lease," says Eibhlin Roche, Guinness’ archivist.
Guinness maintains the lease in its archives, complete with Arthur’s signature.

In 1799, Arthur decided to start focusing on a new, darker beer: the porter.

Guinness

In the early days, ales were the go-to beer for brewers. These beers were intended to stay pretty local, with recipes that were tweaked depending on if they were intended for Dublin or wider Ireland and England.
"[Arthur] had been brewing it since the 1770s, as had other Dublin brewers, but he was was the first Dublin brewer to decide, ‘I’m going to stop brewing what everyone has been traditionally brewing and enjoying — I’m so convinced of my recipe for this new style of beer, that’s all I’m going to brew,’" says Roche.

Soon after, the Guinness family brewed its first international beer.

Kate Taylor

The West India Porter — a precursor to the modern Guinness Foreign Extra Stout — was created in 1801 as the first beer intended to travel overseas. The beer was hoppier, allowing it to keep during long voyages.

By the 19th century, Guinness was everywhere.

Guinness

The beer made it to the US by 1817, Africa by 1827, and Australia by 1858 — just 70 years after the first British ships landed on the continent to establish a penal colony.

In the 1880s, Guinness was the largest brewery in the world.

Courtesy of Guinness Storehouse

Forget staying small — Guinness was determined to go big, with the annual production of 1.2 million barrels. 

The brewery was a crucial part of Dublin’s economy.

Courtesy of Guinness Storehouse

An estimated one in 30 citizens of the city were dependent on the brewery for their livelihood by 1930. Roche says the brewery was the "Google of 150 years ago," providing health care, pensions, and housing for employees.

The 20th century brought about a new era of advertising.

Guinness

The first Guinness ad was released in 1929. After the advertisment’s success, artist John Gilroy was responsible for the long-running campaigns ‘Guinness is Good for You’ and ‘My Goodness, My Guinness.’

Guinness did not actually debut its famous Guinness Draught until 1959.

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Pairing nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide was a tricky puzzle to solve. After the Draught debuted, however, the draft beer quickly became Guinness’ top-selling beer.

Still, it took nearly 30 more years to figure out how to can Guinness.

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The solution was the “widget” — a ping pong ball-esque piece of plastic that adds pressurized nitrogen to the brew. When you open a can of Guinness, the widget squirts nitrogen gas into the beer, giving it the thick, creamy head you’d get straight from the tap.

Today, Guinness is looking back at its history for inspiration for new brews.

Guinness

As part of The Brewers Project, a group of Guinness brewers are working with archivists to create new recipes and reinterpret old ones, such as the Dublin Porter and West India Porter. 
"It’s not history for history’s sake, or just keeping it because it’s 200 years old," says Roche. "It’s using history to innovate."