Liquid Bread

When Susan and I visited Ireland on our Celtic pilgrimage in the fall of 1989, I asked permission to leave her side at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin to visit another edifice a few blocks away. Within a few minutes I was standing inside the Guinness brewery. I have always loved tours of wineries and breweries because of a special fascination with the fermentation process and, especially, because of the aromas. The Guinness factory is the Nôtre Dame of breweries. At first I was disappointed that the actual processing plant is no longer part of the tour, but given the security problems in Ireland, that is understandable. My disappointment, though, was greatly offset by the incredible smell of roasted barley malt permeating every brick, slat, and corner of the museum where the tour took place. I was interested in the information about the history of brewing, the three-hundred-year-old heritage of stout and porter in Dublin, and the antique equipment on display. But my attention was continually pulled toward that deep malt aroma filling the air. By the end of the tour, when they offer a complimentary glass of fresh stout, I had determined to make a bread that tastes like the Guinness brewery smells.