House of Guinness: Who was Sir Benjamin Guinness? Explained ahead of the Netflix drama 

It's time to step into the fascinating world of stout brewing with Netflix's upcoming historical series House of Guinness, created by Peaky Blinders fame Steven Knight. This eight-part series, which will premiere on September 25, 2025, will take its viewers behind the popular Guinness dynasty, one of the richest and most successful alcohol brands in the world.

The drama series is set in late 19th-century Ireland and New York in the wake of Sir Benjamin Guinness' death. Benjamin is the grandson of Arthur Guinness, the man who established the brewery at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century and gave the world its finest Black Gold.

Years later, Benjamin Guinness was bequeathed his family's legacy, who expanded it to even extraordinary heights and created a successful empire for his four children. While House of Guinness is set after the death of Sir Benjamin, his presence and legacy loom large in the historical series, as his children are locked in an inheritance battle over the finest stout.

More on Sir Benjamin Guinness in our story.

House of Guinness: Who was Sir Benjamin Guinness?

While Sir Benjamin Guinness will likely not appear in Knight's House of Guinness, he is one of the successors who took his family dynasty to unprecedented heights. Born in 1798 in Dublin, Benjamin was Arthur's grandson and the man who popularized and expanded his family business of stout brewing, and made it into the dark-hued Black Gold with creamy white foam we know today.

Since Benjamin was always fascinated by his family juggernaut, he did not attend University and instead joined his father's business in his teens. After his father died in 1855, Benjamin became the sole owner of his family's dynasty and eventually set up a huge export trade, which made him the richest man in Ireland. The Guinness business flourished under his leadership, and the numbers went from 78,000 hogsheads in 1855 to 206,000 hogsheads in 1865. Among these, 112,000 were sold in Ireland, contributing to the economic recovery after the Great Famine of the 1840s.

In addition to making Guinness a Global brand, Sir Benjamin Guinness also restored St Patrick’s Cathedral and heavily invested in Irish railways. By 1867, his brand owned £86,000 worth of Irish railway stock. Sir Benjamin Guinness eventually became the MP for Dublin, and his varied work in philanthropy also made him the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1851.

Sir Benjamin Guinness married his cousin Elizabeth Guinness in 1837, which led to the birth of his four children, who also make up the House of Guinness cast.

House of Guinness is set in the aftermath of Sir Benjamin Guinness' death

Netflix's upcoming period drama series picks up just after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness in 1868, which led to a power vacuum and an inheritance struggle between his four children- Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Anne (Emily Fairn), and Benjamin Jr. (Fionn O’Shea).

House of Guinness will follow the Succession-esque joint inheritance between Arthur and Edward, as stipulated by their father's will and the various highs and lows the siblings go through to attain their birthright of Guinness. The dynamics between Benjamin's son form the heart of this historical epic, and the unique circumstances that bring them together in this joint venture will be closely examined.

As Knight revealed in an interview with Netflix Tudum, Edward and Arthur form the core story in House of Guinness:

''They’re [Arthur and Edward] young and are given the task of taking on this incredibly successful brand. The first priority is: Don’t screw it up. And the second priority is to make Guinness even bigger.’'

He added:

‘'I won’t give away the plot — but they were given joint stewardship of the brewery for very interesting reasons. Before he died, their father very deliberately chained Arthur and Edward together in responsibility for the brewery. You’ll find out why when you watch.’'

Tune into House of Guinness on Netflix on September 25, 2025.

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