1. Grab a Guinness glass
2. Hold it at a 45 degree angle
3. Pull the handle of the tap forward and fill it up to about 3/4 of the way
4. Wait an agonizing 120 seconds until the bubbles settle
5. Push the handle backwards and fill it to the brim (but make sure it doesn’t overflow – don’t be wasting it!)
6. SAVOR IT!

And now you’re officially ‘Guinness Pour Certified”, certificate and everything – courtesy of the Guinness Storehouse.

My friends and I came on St. Patrick’s Day. Is there even a more perfect day to visit?! (The answer is yes – when it’s NOT St. Paddy’s and it’s NOT as crowded, but it’s all about the holiday spirit, right?!)

The Guinness Storehouse is not actually a brewery, but it’s more like a museum. You get to walk around at your own leisure and see the history of this beautiful drink and how it has evolved over the years. You also get to taste some samples of it along the way. There are different floors that you work your way up on, all of which leads to the top floor, which houses the Gravity Bar. Here, you get to enjoy a pint of Guinness, while taking in a 360 view of Dublin.

Tip – buy tickets online to save 10% [comes out to roughly $18.74 USD] AND skip the line. I read Yelp/Trip Advisor reviews from people who went on St. Paddy’s without a pre-purchased ticket and they said the line was literally out the door. Even if you’re not going on St. Paddy’s, I would still recommend buying the tickets online beforehand. Why not? And your ticket comes with a pint of Guinness (the one you pour yourself).

Plus, if your friends don’t like Guinness, then you can drink theirs too! My three friends I was with are not really a fan, so that would have meant four pints for me! Unfortunately, I was forced to put all that Guinness to waste since I was slightly hungover from the night before (I know, I know…#firstworldproblems). Under normal circumstances, I think I could have been up to the task of helping them (or I should say helping myself) finish their pints. But even so, I’m not sure how great of an idea that would have been at 11 in the morning, with a jam-packed schedule ahead of us. So maybe it worked out for the best.

Guinness definitely isn’t for everyone. I admit, when I first started getting into beer, I didn’t like Guinness at all. I thought it was really bitter. But it eventually grew on me, and now it just so happens to be my favorite beer. It is super filling though, but worth every single calorie (not that I count calories – life is too short for that.) But even if you don’t like it, and you find yourself in Dublin (or anywhere in Ireland), I still think you should have that pint. It does taste different from Guinness you would have at a ‘pub’ in the United States. I can’t really explain what that difference is – you just have to see for yourself. But I promise you, you won’t regret it.

But back to the Storehouse. One thing I will warn you about – be careful at the souvenir store. You’ll want to buy everything.