Brewing up a storm: Guinness workers thirsty to create new beer

THE magical brewers at the home of Guinness are getting a run for their money.

Ordinary workers at St James’s Gate brewery and beyond are being given the opportunity to mix their own tasty concoctions – for charity.

Employees at the legendary Dublin site, be they accountants, administrators, technicians or marketers, have been given a chance to create their own unique brews, as part of a “festival of beer”.

The lucky winning team will have their successful swig bottled and sold at an international brewery festival.

According to Diageo master brewer Steve Gilsenan, excitement is growing among workers as they prepare to get mixing in the inner sanctum of St James’s Gate, where prized stouts have been dreamt up in recent years.

“It’s a rare opportunity for staff at the site and from other sites in Ireland who never had the experience to learn about the craft of brewing and to brew their own beer in a style chosen by themselves.”

Up to 18 teams numbering nearly 200 employees have signed up so far.

Beer festival competitors pay €50, which will go to Diageo’s Water of Life charity, a foundation aiming to give one million people in Africa access to clean water annually.

All proceeds from the sale of the winning brew will also go towards the charity.

Already an eclectic mix of stouts, ales and lagers are being dreamt up by novice brewers as they prepare to start brewing next week.

There’s talk of brewing beers and maturing them in whiskey or rum barrels to get that extra special flavour.

Entrants are also considering making wheat beers, pale ales and even nut-roast tasting brews.

“We have everything available for them, from different types of hops to different types of novel malts. We’ve a list of nearly every beer in the world and based on our own materials, we offer that list to them.”

Each team will be assigned a master brewer and will make up to three brews a week for six weeks, totalling 100 litres or 200 pints. Up to 1,000 litres of the winning tipple will be produced after judges make their decision in August.

The lucky team will then have their winning drink showcased and sold at a brewery in Vienna, Austria.

“Some of the employees who’ve expressed interest in entering are actually home brewers themselves,” added Mr Gilsenan, Diageo’s global standards manager.

But any chance of the public getting in on the brewing game is still some way off, especially considering the closely guarded recipes behind the doors of St James’ Gates.

Mr Gilsenan added: “There are health and safety issues and we also have regulations in there because we have a lot of innovations.

“But I think the scale of interest would be massive.”