Get the skinny on stout at Dublin's Guinness Storehouse

For devotees of the creamy dark brew known as stout, a visit to Dublin's Guinness Storehouse is a heady mix of sacred pilgrimage and theme-park frivolity. The seven-story building at St. James Gate, which draws a million visitors a year to the spot where Arthur Guinness founded his namesake brewery in 1759 , is even known as the "Disneyland of beer."

Now, acolytes willing to pony up an extra 25 euros (about $33) per person on top of the regular adult admission of 16.50 euros (about $21.50) can get a more in-depth look and taste of the "black stuff" at the new Guinness Connoisseur Bar Experience.

The "intimate tasting sessions," limited to 16 participants and lasting an hour and a half, will teach Storehouse visitors how to savor four Guinness varieties: Guinness Draught, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness Original and Guinness Black Lager. Guinness Generous Ale, a limited-edition holiday ale, will be included in the lineup for a limited time.

And, of course, the tutorial includes tips on how to pour and enjoy the perfect pint. (A few hints: It takes 119.5 seconds to produce the foam and iconic "surge," a byproduct of the nitrogen used to create tiny bubbles, and an expert will raise his or her elbow and "drink through the head.")

But the pinnacle of a Guinness Storehouse visit, both literally and figuratively, continues to be the Gravity Bar, where tourgoers can drink in a panoramic view of the city and Wicklow Mountains beyond. Among the Gravity Bar's patrons: Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and (rumor has it) Hillary Clinton, who may stop by during this week's Dublin trip.