Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint
by Bill Yenne
List Price:
Our Price: $4.70
You Save: $25.80 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.64 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Bill YenneEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-05
ISBN: 0470120525
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint
Book Review: A wonderful read for beer lover or businessperson.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent story of the development of a business over a period of more than two centuries. It's a fascinating read whether you're interested in the brewing of beer or in adapting a business to changing times and situations.
In addition to brewing one of the great beers of the world, Guinness also proved adept at developing markets and distribution systems, marketing their beverages in changing times, adapting products to the realities of markets, and using technology to improve both products and distribution.
Brewing was an industry that could achieve economies of scale before the Industrial Revolution. The Guinness family understood that. But they also understood that achieving great scale was worthless if you didn't also develop markets where people could drink your product and distribution systems to get it there.
Throughout the history of the firm, Guinness has been willing to adapt products to the need of the market. India Pale Ale, for example, was a hoppier product and one higher in alcohol content than other products so that it would withstand the ocean voyage to India. When lagers became popular, Guinness began producing lagers.
The story of Guinness, like the story of every successful and long-lived business is a story of good decisions and bits of good luck. It was a good decision, for example, to make a strong effort to establish Guinness as a brand in the days when the more dominant brands were local bottlers.
But luck also kicked in at various times in the company's history. In England in the 19th Century most pubs were "tied" houses, meaning that they were tied to a specific brewery. But since Guinness had no tied houses of its own in England, it could be a "guest" brew at the pubs of many different brewers as well as at the pubs that were not tied to any brewery. The result was wider distribution and brand awareness than could have been achieved through any wise strategic decision.
This would be a better book for the business reader if Yenne were a better business writer. He takes the firm's statement that they didn't pay attention to marketing and distribution until the middle of the Twentieth Century at face value. But the book describes a very different reality.
The book describes Guinness paying attention to distribution much earlier than other brewers or, indeed, other businesses. We see them paying attention to what we would call their brand as far back as the Eighteenth Century with an intensity that's more like a modern business.
In addition to the story of Guinness the company, there are wonderful bits of history here. As you read along you can't help but learn about the relationship between Ireland and England and about the impact of world events on commerce.
Want a picture of a different age? You'll find out that when World War I broke out, Guinness not only held the job of every many who went to war, they also paid that man a half salary while he was in service.
Want an idea of how the temporary can become permanent? You'll learn that England put in pub closing laws during World War I designed to get workers home early. But those laws remained unchanged until the dawn of the next century.
Want a sense of déjà vu? You'll read about how Guinness saw the developing market in the US as a place where rapacious businesses routinely produced shoddy goods and infringed on trademarks, much like what you hear Americans saying about the Chinese today.
Want an idea of how far-away events can affect a global business? When the US enacted Prohibition in 1920, the entire, up-till-then-growing US market disappeared along with a big chunk of Guinness' revenue.
There are things that could be better. Sometimes the author gets to running down lists of relatives and connections that remind me of all those "begets" in the Bible. When you hit one of these dry passages, skip it and move on. You won't miss anything important.
And the author likes to drop technical terms into the story without defining them or telling us why they're important. When discussing the building of a brewery railway, for example he mentions the purchase of a "0-4-0" locomotive. I doubt that many readers know what that is or know that it's a good choice for a tight space.
The bottom line, though, is that this is an enjoyable book, whether you read it because you're a beer lover and want to know about some of Guinness' technical innovations, or whether you're a business person learning lessons from a company that's been successful longer than most companies have been around, or whether you just like to see history through a different glass.
Summary of Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint
A perfectly poured history of the world's greatest beerFor millions of beer lovers the world over, a properly poured pint of Guinness Stout is as close to perfection as beer gets. Each year, fans of the legendary black liquidation enjoy two billion pints of the beer known for its distinctive creamy head and rich drinkability. Ireland's most famous export, Guinness Stout - and the people who have brewed it - hold a unique place in the history of beer, business and Ireland itself.
They say that good things come to those who wait. When you wait on a perfectly poured pint of Guinness Stout, you know you're getting something good. It's more than just a pint of beer; it's a mouthwatering visual presentation of the quality and taste you're about to enjoy. And millions wait patiently for their pint every day. To find out why, famed beer and beverage writer Bill Yenne talks to everyone from Guinness's master brewer to typical pubgoers about the beer they hold dear. Whatever magic makes it so delicious, it's powerful enough to soothe the souls of beer lovers from Dublin to Boston to Buenos Aires to Lagos, and everywhere in between.
But Guinness is more than a delicious beverage, it's also the name of a remarkable family of brewers and entrepreneurs whose story is worthy of legend, and who occupy a prominent place in Irish history. In Guinness, Yenne traces the 250-year tale of the family and its namesake beer. Beginning with Arthur Guinness, the entrepreneur patriarch who first began brewing at St. James's Gate, Dublin, in 1759, the story follows succeeding generations of the Guinness family through the years. Yenne follows not just the fortunes of the family Guinness, but also the development of the brand and the beer - from Arthur's earlier porter to the beer that is enjoyed in 150 countries today.
Praise for Guinness
"Joseph Conrad was wrong. The real journey into the Heart of Darkness is recounted within the pages of Bill Yenne's fine book. Guinness (the beer) is a touchstone for brewers and beer lovers the world over. Guinness (the book) gives beer enthusiasts all the information and education necessary to take beer culture out of the clutches of light lagers and back into the dark ages. Cheers!"
-Sam Calagione, owner, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and author of Brewing Up a Business, Extreme Brewing, and Beer or Wine?
"Marvelous! As Bill Yenne embarks on his epic quest for the perfect pint, he takes us along on a magical tour into the depths of all things Guinness. Interweaving the tales of the world's greatest beer and the nation that spawned it, Yenne introduces us to a cast of characters worthy of a dozen novels, a brewery literally dripping with history, and-of course-the one-and-only way to properly pour a pint. You can taste the stout porter on every page."
-Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
Company Profiles Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Company Profiles Books
You Bet: The Betfair Storyby Colin Cameron
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2009-05-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops:
The New Financial Capitalists: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and the Creation of Corporate Valueby George P. Baker, George David Smith
Cambridge University Press; Published: 1998-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Sam Walton: Made In Americaby Sam Walton
Bantam; Published: 1993-06-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.64
Price in other shops:
SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Goodby Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Crown Business; Published: 2009-08-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops:
The Partnership: The Making of Goldman Sachsby Charles D. Ellis
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2009-09-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Streetby Michael Lewis
Penguin Books; Published: 1990-10-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops:
Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computerby Paul Freiberger
Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media; Published: 1984-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolutionby Michael Hammer, James Champy
Harperbusiness; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.20
Price in other shops:
Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabiscoby Bryan Burrough, John Helyar
HarperBusiness; Published: 2008-10-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.72
Price in other shops:
Longaberger: An American Success Storyby David H. Longaberger, Robert L. Shook
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2003-08-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.95
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Jaywalking with the Irishby David Monagan
Lonely Planet; Published: 2004-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.65
Price in other shops:
Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drinkby Randy Mosher
Storey Publishing, LLC; Published: 2009-02-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.62
Price in other shops:
Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Breweryby Steve Hindy, Tom Potter
Wiley; Published: 2007-02-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.85
Price in other shops:
The Beer Bookby DK Publishing
DK Publishing; Published: 2008-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
3x5 Guinness Irish Soccer Ireland Football Flag FlagsNationalCountry Flags; NationalCountryFlags; NationalCountry Flags; Home
Best price: $2.39
Price in other shops:
The Parting Glass : A Toast to the Traditional Pubs of Ireland (Irish Pubs)by Eric Roth, Eileen McNamara
"Stewart, Tabori and Chang"; Published: 2006-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
The Goodness of Guinness: A Loving History of the Brewery, Its People, and the City of Dublinby Tony Corcoran
Skyhorse Publishing; Published: 2009-05-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops:
Pint-Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinnessby Evan McHugh
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-02-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the Worldby Stephen Mansfield
Thomas Nelson; Published: 2009-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.97
Price in other shops:
Guinness: Celebrating 250 Remarkable Yearsby Paul Hartley
Hamlyn; Published: 2009-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.35
Price in other shops: