Storehouse job a taste of the good life

THE many thousands of people who visit Ireland each year will always prioritise the Guinness Storehouse as one of their must-see attractions during their stay.
With such a vast obligation to meet expectations and to keep the Guinness brand as a key symbol of Ireland, it is no wonder that a huge amount of work goes into its operation.
This week The Gazette caught up with beer specialist and Guinness Storehouse ambassador Aaron Ridgeway to describe a typical day in his life.
“The time I’d leave my house at changes every day. I work shifts so the earliest I would head off would be around 7am.
“I live near the Phoenix Park, which is only about a 20-minute walk away from the Guinness Storehouse which is brilliant.
“My role is to basically make Guinness ambassadors out of anyone who walks into the building. I do that with interacting with anyone who comes through our doors by offering them a welcome, whoever they are.
“Personally, a big part of my job involves doing tasting sessions and talking about all of the different variants of Guinness that we have. I also do connoisseur sessions where our visitors get to try our variants in a private bar.”
Asked if he has ever crossed paths with anyone famous within the Guinness Storehouse, Ridgeway said that he had the pleasure of meeting actor and Anchor Man lead David Koechner and astronaut Chris Hadfield.
“Usually I’m fairly okay when I’m meeting celebrities but when Chris Hadfield came into the Storehouse I was very excited and extremely nervous.
“The man has literally been to the outer regions of the earth so trying to impress him was a very big deal to us.”
Ridgeway added that travelling abroad to launch a new type of Guinness or to simply keep the Guinness brand in the minds of people outside Ireland is also a big part of his job.
“The last trip I was on was for the launching of a new variant in Mauritius. It was amazing to go over there and meet the people. We had a massive launch with lots of food and drink, along with teaching the bartenders around the island how to pour our pints correctly.
“The time I get home at varies a lot too. I could walk in the door at 10 in the evening or even be out of here by 5pm. When I finish I may go for a pint or just chill at home and read.”
Guinness Storehouse is open seven days a week from 9.30am until 5pm.
Adult admission is €20, which includes a complimentary pint of Guinness in Gravity Bar, 5th floor restaurants or the Guinness Academy.
Book online at www.guinness-storehouse.com