History and pints on tap at Dublin's Guinness Storehouse

Guinness logos from different eras on displayed.two tourists attempt to pour the perfect pint. [Photos By Shawn Pogatchnik / AP]

Picture this. You're standing in the bottom of a beer glass that's seven stories high.

Could be the beginning of a really strange dream, but more likely you're at the Guinness Storehouse, the venerable shrine to suds that is Ireland's top tourist attraction and a fun place to visit if you have a few hours to spend in Dublin's fair city.

Built between 1902 and 1904, the Storehouse was used for fermentation, the last stage of the brewing process, until 1986 when production was moved to more modern facilities. In 2000 it opened as a visitor center with floors of exhibits designed around a glass atrium that mimics the design of a pint glass, although it would take 14.3 million actual pints to fill this one.

Tours begin at the bottom of the "glass", where a copy of the original 9,000-year lease signed by Arthur Guinness in 1759 is set in to the floor. A guide gives a brief introduction and then the tour becomes self-guided.

Each floor is dedicated to a different facet of the beer with lower floors featuring displays of ingredients and demonstrations of the brewing process. A gallery of interactive video portraits gives insight on the evolution of the brand. Galleries display advertising campaigns past and present.

In the tasting room, you'll be greeted by clouds of white vapor infused with the aromas of Guinness followed by the distribution of cute little sample glasses and a brief tutorial on how to taste. Don't worry; this isn't the pint that comes with the price of admission. That comes later.