Guinness Brewmaster Fergal Murray
The Art and Science Behind an Irish Classic
Guinness lays claim to the title of “first stout ever brewed.” In December 1759, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease for the former Rainsford’s Ale Brewery in Dublin (now the St. James Gate Brewery), and quickly went to work.
Thicker Than English Porter
One of the brews he focused on was a new introduction to Ireland, the English-style porter, made with roasted barley that gave it the characteristic dark color. Guinness improved on the style, making it thicker and richer, and began calling his creation “extra stout porter.” In time, stout was recognized as a beer style in its own right, and Guinness has become probably the best known example of the style in the world.
Guiness' current Head Brewmaster Fergal Murray’s career began with Guinness in 1983, when he joined the company as a research chemist. At that time, he had already received an Applied Sciences degree from Trinity College in Dublin, and an MBA from Open University. While working as a team member, Murray satisfied the rigorous requirements of the Institute of Brewing in London, and was awarded a Master Brewer degree.
His hard work has paid off handsomely, however. It can’t be easy, upholding almost 250 years of tradition, but one of Murray’s duties is overseeing quality assurance – and yes, that includes tasting each batch. Could a job get any better?
Beer Ambassador
In a word, yes. Murray has traveled far and wide, and he represents Guinness and Southwick as technical ambassador in markets around the world. This includes regular visits to the U.S., a country that celebrates St. Patrick’s day almost as much as Ireland (although the Irish celebration is traditionally a religious observance, not the secular holiday familiar to Americans).
In 2007, for instance, his U.S. travels will include acting as judge in “Pour the Perfect Pint” contests being held in Atlanta, Chicago, and Phoenix, where the cities’ best bartenders will compete. He will also lead pub crawls in Boston, New York, and Denver, hitting the best Irish pubs.
Hitting the pubs is one way that Murray can perform an important function of his job – making sure that Guinness is being served fresh and poured perfectly. It’s hard to imagine, but although Guinness beers are available in over 100 countries around the world, the famous Guinness Draught is brewed only at St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.
Four Million Pints a Day
He has a lot of beer to worry about, since the brewery produces roughly four million pints of Guinness every day. The company estimates that 13 million pints of Guinness will be raised on St. Patrick’s Day, or roughly 150 pints every second. 3.5 million of those pints will be in the United States alone, compared to our “normal” daily consumption of 600,000 pints.
Murray told Dan Dunn of the Santa Monica Daily Press of his favorite foods to pair with his pint. “My favorite is seafood with pints of stout. Then again, there’s nothing better than a cottage pie or an Irish stew with Guinness. Also, fusion foods – Asian fusion, especially. And it goes great with salads with bacon on top, too.”
So, for St. Patrick’s Day, remember the Gaelic phrase “Beannacht na feile Padraig ort” – Happy St. Patrick’s Day. And for everyday, there’s “Pionta Guinness led thoil’” – a pint of Guinness, please!
