Guinness is a world-famous beverage that was founded by Arthur Guinness in Dublin, Ireland. The company’s most popular product is the Guinness, dark beer which is a specialty blend dry stout. The beverage was first produced in St. James Gate Brewery which Arthur was able to rent out for only 45 Irish pounds.

But there are still pieces of the puzzle that would be interesting to the public. Some little parts of history that people would be curious to learn about. Guinness is without a doubt one of the most popular beers in the U.K. and the number one-selling beer in Ireland. Although Arthur Guinness built the first brewery in Dublin, Ireland the headquarters were later moved to London, England in 1932. Many often debate whether Guinness is authentically Irish or British. Regardless dark beer is incorporated into several national dishes of both countries.

The Guinness brand is over 250 years old

Arthur Guinness founded the company back in 1759, but it’s doubtful he knew the brand he created would stand the test of time. The Guinness family grew to fame and prominence as a result of the success of the brewery. Had it not been for Arthurs’s son Edward the Guinness brewery would never have been listed on the London Stock Exchange. Back in 1886, this single move secured the company’s future for many years to come.

The Guinness brand continued to expand its reach and explore new markets after it was established. In the early 1900s, the demand was approaching 3 million barrels per year. It’s little wonder that the company soon emerged as being of the top ten largest companies in the world by 1930.

Guinness is one of the most popular beers in the world. It is brewed in over 50 different countries and is readily available in more than 120 countries. Over 220,000 gallons of stout beer are sold every year. Over 10 million pints are drunk every single day.

The Guinness CEO and two directors were involved in a stock price fraud

The Guinness brand was known to be a family-owned business. At least three of Arthurs’s sons and many descendants followed in his footsteps and became brewers. The Guinness share-trading fraud was one of the most famous British business scandals of the 1980s. Guinness shares were to be inflated to assist its takeover by the Scottish drinks company Distillers. Ernest Saunders, Gerald Ronson, Jack Lyons, and Anthony Parnes were the perpetrators of this crime. They planned to raise the share price of Guinness to win the bid for the takeover of Distillers. They paid out indemnities to the companies who were part of the scheme and other awards were paid to the companies that supported them in the scheme. All four were convicted of dishonest conduct of share support in the Guinness Affair.

Guinness’s secret share-buying network included not only blue-chip London financial institutions but even a Swiss bank and the Wall Street inside trader Ivan F. Boesky. In fact, the investigation here began after the American Securities and Exchange Commission passed information about Mr. Boesky’s Guinness dealings to British inspectors.

Although the company has undergone significant changes throughout the years the Guinness family remains a major shareholder. However, it should be noted that no member of the family currently sits on the Board of Directors. Still, they continue to have incredible influence over how the company operates. The Guinness family still owns 51% of its brand.

The Guinness company once avoided hiring anyone who was a Roman Catholic

The Roman Catholic religion had a long and controversial relationship with alcohol and those who consumed it. We can’t be certain why it was done but until 1939 there was an unwritten rule that Guinness employees had to resign if they intended to marry someone Catholic. There is evidence that suggests that even until the late 1960s Guinness executives would avoid even hiring Catholics. This was viewed as very controversial because many Catholics would purchase and consume Guinness-brewed beers and other alcoholic beverages.

It is not clear if it was done because of the politics at the time. There was a deep divide between Protestants and Catholics at that time in Irish history and the Guinness family was protestant in the early days of the company. In these modern times, there are no restrictions in place. Catholics have been employed by the Guinness company and some of them have achieved high positions in the company management without any issues.

Guinness adjusted its recipe to make the beer vegan-friendly

Traditionally Guinness was made with isinglass which is derived from the bladders of a specific type of fish. It was this ingredient that shunned vegans who seek to avoid consuming any food from animals. Isinglass is a collagen product made from fish bladders that helps to remove extra yeast from the stout during the fining process. It is traditionally used as a clarifying agent in the manufacturing of alcoholic beverages like beer and wine to make them clear and is the reason that not all alcohol is vegan.

After years of pressure from vegans and vegetarians, makers of the thick, dark, and creamy Irish beer Guinness will stop using a fish organ byproduct in the brewing process.

The Guinness brewers and engineering teams at St. James’s Gate are continually working to drive improvement as well as ensure the quality and craft of the brewing techniques developed here over the last 256 years, Isinglass has been used widely within the brewing industry as a means of filtration for decades. However, because of its use, we could not label Guinness as suitable for vegetarians and have been looking for an alternative solution for some time. We are now pleased to have identified a new process through investment in a state-of-the-art filtration system at St. James’s Gate which, once in place, will remove the use of isinglass in the brewing process.

Until the late 1920s Guinness relied on the word of mouth to sell its products

In 1868 the demand for beer was a little less than 400,000 barrels per year. Less than 8 years later in 1876, the demand for the beer had doubled to almost 800,000 barrels annually. By 1886 the demand for Guinness beer had skyrocketed to over 1 million barrels. This steady increase in demand was incredible because the company would not pay for any form of advertisement, refused to discount their products, and did not own any pubs that exclusively sold their beer.

When sales began to decline in the 1930s, Guinness hired S.H. Benson, an ad agency from London. The agency, which later merged with Ogilvy & Mather, would produce some of the best-known campaigns in advertising history.

Through much of the 20th century, doctors thought Guinness had medicinal properties. Even until the 1950s mothers in Irish hospitals were given Guinness after giving birth because of the high iron content.

So it’s no surprise that the Benson agency’s simple tagline “Guinness is good for you” was a hit with consumers when it was introduced in 1929. The slogan remained the foundation of the brand for the next 40 years until the advertising environment became a little more regulated.