The 9,000-Year Deal Behind Guinness

Arthur Guinness signed a brewery lease designed to last 9,000 years. If the original term ran all the way to the end, it would expire in the year 10,759. But when Guinness signed that extraordinary deal, he wasn’t even brewing the beer that would eventually make his name famous. This is the story of Arthur Guinness, St. James’s Gate Brewery, the rise of porter and stout, the famous Guinness harp, employee benefits, advertising, nitrogen draught—and one of the strangest leases in business history. Neat tells the remarkable true stories behind the drinks we know—from strange origins and forgotten people to scandals, rivalries, inventions, disasters, myths, and moments that changed drinking culture forever. New stories every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Stories Behind Every Pour. Please drink responsibly. Chapters: 00:00 The 9,000 Year Lease 01:25 Arthur Takes Over 02:15 The Switch to Porter 03:15 Going Global 04:35 The Famous Harp 06:40 Guinness World Records 08:00 The Nitrogen Revolution