Guinness was invented by Arthur Guinness, an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in Dublin by signing a legendary 9,000-year lease in 1759. Arthur Guinness initially brewed ales, but by the late 1770s, he began brewing porter, a dark beer which eventually became the iconic Guinness stout. His focus on porter led to the creation of the legendary Guinness Stout, first brewed in 1799, which gained widespread fame and continues to be brewed globally today.