First Guinness brewery in USA open to the public

The new home of Guinness in America – the Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House in Maryland opened its doors on Friday, August 3, 2018. Will you be planning a trip?

“This brewery has long been a dream for Guinness, and an incredible amount of hard work has gone into getting these doors open,” said Diageo Beer Company USA Chairman and Diageo Global Chief Sales Officer Tom Day.

“I can’t wait to see people enjoying the fantastic beer our brewers have made in this historic and beautiful building. I’m proud that we have created something special and quintessentially Guinness here in Maryland.”

Located just 10 miles from downtown Baltimore and 30 miles northeast of Washington DC, the Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House is part of an exciting and growing brewing scene in Maryland. It will be the home of Guinness Blonde, along with new Guinness beers created for the US market. The creation of a world-class brewery, barrel house and visitor centre and development of packaging and warehousing operations has generated more than

200 jobs and represents an investment by Diageo of approximately $90 million in the Maryland project.

The Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House is the first Guinness brewing operation on US soil in more than 60 years and is home to two custom-built brewhouses: A 10-barrel brewhouse and a 100-hectoliter brewhouse, both of which are set up to brew and ferment different styles.

The 10-barrel system is the small-batch experimental brewery, while the 100-hectoliter system will initially brew Guinness Blonde for national distribution.

Led by Brewmaster Peter Wiens and Head Brewer Hollie Stephenson, the Maryland brewing team has already begun producing beers for the on-site taproom. While the majority of beers will be available exclusively in the taproom, a few brews will make their way to the greater DC, Maryland and Virginia areas, with some even rolling out nationally.

The first part of the brewery’s name takes inspiration from the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Dublin – where the company has experimented in beer for more than a century. The second part of the name, ‘Barrel House’, is a nod to the long history of Guinness brewers maturing beer in wood barrels, a tradition this new brewery intends to continue. While many Guinness classic stouts, including Guinness Draught, Extra Stout and Foreign Extra Stout, will continue to be brewed at St James’ Gate in Dublin, guests can enjoy them responsibly alongside the new American innovation beers in the brewery taproom.

The exact number of beers on tap will vary, but there will typically be more than 15 beers available at one time.

Visitors can tour the 10-barrel brewery and try the beers made on site. The initial line-up will include: Guinness IPA, a hit in the Test Taproom and Crosslands Pale Ale, a beer made entirely with Maryland-grown malted barley and hops. Tickets will be available for purchase on site, but

Guinness recommends buying them ahead of time at www.GuinnessBreweryBaltimore.com.