Last visit of the day: to the Guinness brewery. It's very well put together, it's not a mere factory visit. There's exhibitions on every single one of the details involved. From explanations of how the beer is made (including presentations that highlight the importance of each ingredient), to how it's sold (we spent a very entertaining time watching adverts, from the oldest ones to the most current). And finally, we had a delicious pint at the Gravity Bar, on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows giving a 360º view of the city.
En la entrada.
Coming in.
Parte de la exhibición sobre uno de los ingredientes: la levadura.
Part of the exhibit on one of the ingredients: the yeast.
Y otro de los ingredientes, el agua.
And another of the ingredients, the water.
Cada un par de horas permiten que uno de los visitantes empiece uno de los lotes, apretando el botón correspondiente. Yo quería, pero me dio un poco de verguenza sacarle el lugar a los niños que se estaban postulando.
Every couple of hours, they allow one of the visitors to start one of the batches, pressing the button that starts the brew. I wanted to, but I was a bit embarrassed to beat the kids who wanted it too.
Los barriles en los que se transporta (transportaba?).
The barrels in which it is (was?) transported.
En la exhibición sobre cómo se transporta, todos los destinos a los que va, incluido Uruguay.
In the exhibition about how it's transported, all the places to which it's sold, including Uruguay.
Las diferentes botellas y como han cambiado a lo largo de los años.
The different bottles and how they've changed throughout the years.
Esto fue lo mejor: podías pedir para servirte tu propia pint, y te enseñaban el método correcto para hacerlo.
This was the best: you could choose to pull your own pint, and the bartender would instruct you on the correct method to do so.
Primero se llena el vaso casi hasta arriba, con la "canilla" cerca, empezando con un ángulo de 45º y enderezándolo gradualmente mientras se va llenando. Hay que tirar de la palanca hacia uno, así va con aire y se forma la espuma.
First you almost fill the glass holding it close to the spout, starting at a 45º angle and straightening it up gradually. You need to pull the handle towards you, so there's also air coming in and you get some foam, the head.
Se llena sólo hasta cierto punto, y después se deja para que se "asiente" durante unos dos minutos. Como ven, ahí recién servida está toda agitada.
You fill up the glass only to a certain point and then leave it to settle for about two minutes. As you can see, it's all churned up when it's just pulled.
Mientras mi cerveza se asentaba, otras personas iban sirviendo la suya. Acá se ve todo el proceso. La mia, la primera servida, es la segunda que se ve empezando de la derecha (la primera que se ve entera). Ya habían pasado los dos minutos, así que ya estaba bien negra, con la espuma cremosa totalmente separada... lista para terminar.
As my beer settled, other people were pulling theirs. Here you can see the whole process. Mine, the one that had been poured first, is the second you can see starting from the right (the first whole glass that you see). The two minutes had gone by, so it was already perfectly black, with the creamy head separated from the body... ready to top off.
Se la dí a Cit para que la terminara (así ella también tenía foto!). Es simplemente acercar la canillita y servir un poco más, pero empujando la manija, así no entra más aire. Hay que tener cuidado que no se vuelque nada.
Y pronta para tomar!
I gave it to Cit to top off (so she could also have a pic!). It's just putting the glass close to the spout and fill it all the way up, but pushing the handle, so that no more air comes in. You have to be careful not to let it overflow.
And ready to drink!
El Gravity Bar.
The Gravity Bar.
Con la vista de fondo.
With the view in the background.
Una chica que no quería tomar su cerveza nos regaló el cupón que te dan con la entrada, así que esta pint que se ve acá la sirvió el barman. Si se fijan, van a ver que la terminan dibujando un trébol.
A girl who didn't want her beer gave us the coupon you get with your entrance fee, so this pint was pulled by one of the bartenders. If you look closely, you'll see they finish it by drawing a shamrock on the head.
