Free Guinness at the Nebraska/Northwestern Game
I had to be in Ireland for work next week. So 2 Michigan buddies and I put together a Guinness Quality Control trip this past week, driving counter clockwise out of Dublin north to all of these pinned spots to make sure the beer was on the up and up.
Since I have to be here next week I decided to catch the game today. The internet/wifi at Aviva Stadium apparently went down right at kickoff, so the concession stands could no longer take credit card payments. They made the decision to just give out free beer to anyone that waited in line. To make matters worse/better their policy is that you can only buy 4(!) beers per person so as to act responsibly:
So from kickoff until halftime they were just handing out 4 beers per person. Once word got out the lines exploded, so many Northwestern & Nebraska fans opted to wait ~20 minutes for 4 free beers instead of watching the game. In the 3rd Q they scaled it back to 2 beers per person. In the 4th Q the systems were back in place and things went back to normal.
Even though the decision to hand out free beers might seem absurd, I think it was the right decision. And I can only assume that this news will make the rounds and it can only help Irish tourism. To that point, this was all of our first times here and it was absolutely amazing.
Cheers!
August 27th, 2022 at 6:39 PM ^
***schedules trip to Ireland***
August 27th, 2022 at 6:44 PM ^
Serving them in Frost-y mugs would have been appropriate.
August 27th, 2022 at 6:52 PM ^
Hard-hitting Guinness!
August 27th, 2022 at 7:20 PM ^
But NOT puking Guinness.
August 27th, 2022 at 6:48 PM ^
Did Scott Frost have some?
August 27th, 2022 at 7:58 PM ^
His onside kick happened in the third quarter, after most of the festivities. Hmmm.
August 27th, 2022 at 6:56 PM ^
Sounds like a fantastic time! I've been in England a dozen times, but never made it to Ireland - much to my chagrin.
August 27th, 2022 at 7:21 PM ^
Chagrin go bragh?
August 27th, 2022 at 7:19 PM ^
Guinness...nectar of the Gods
August 27th, 2022 at 7:20 PM ^
"Um, I know you don't accept cash but that game in August, when you gave out Guinness free because of online trouble? Yeah, well, I have online trouble accessing my accounts, so I'd like a pint or two free."
August 27th, 2022 at 7:59 PM ^
This must feel like “adding insult to injury” for Husker fans at the game.
Huskers were winning, the Guinness was flowing and it was free.
Then - Frost calls for the onside kick - the network comes back up - and the stadium begins charging for beer. So, the Husker fans must “pay” to drown their sorrows.
August 27th, 2022 at 8:02 PM ^
I can never drink more than two, after that I am FULL. If you are ever in Dublin, the Guinness Storehouse Tour is a must-see, even if it is a little touristy (and if you do the Craft A Perfect Pint demo the floor below the rooftop bar, you end up with two free pints!). Word of warning: If you drink Guinness in Dublin, it will pretty much ruin it for you anywhere outside Ireland and the UK.
August 27th, 2022 at 10:08 PM ^
It is much better there. Guinness basically runs the country. It’s really important and it’s everywhere. Shit is taken seriously. They knew all customers without cash would basically riot if they were told no Guinness so seems like they did the prudent thing.
August 28th, 2022 at 1:27 AM ^
In that tour, if I'm not mistaken, they tell of the lease of St. James Gate, that was signed in something like 1400 AD for ~ 100£ per year for ~2000 years. Someone more into these things, please correct my errors, but that "fact" always stuck with me as an interesting business school lesson. I went on that tour in almost 20 years ago on my second visit to the Emerald Isle.
August 28th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
Lease terms were laid down in 1759. £100 down and then £45 per year for 9,000 years!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness_Brewery
August 27th, 2022 at 10:07 PM ^
Brilliant!
August 27th, 2022 at 10:29 PM ^
What you forgot to tell everyone about the trip as depicted on your map is that the roads are actually straight.
August 28th, 2022 at 12:54 AM ^
Just awesome. Guinness served in Ireland is the worlds best beer.
August 28th, 2022 at 5:08 PM ^
WTF did you just say? You tell me now?