Skip to main content

Guinness to Open New Experimental Brewery in Baltimore Next Month

guinness open gate brewery baltimore
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Baltimore is the latest East Coast city to witness a boom in its brewing and distilling scene. Now, Guinness is bringing its namesake to a dedicated brewery in the Maryland port city. The new Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House will be the company’s first brewery in the U.S. in more than 60 years.

Baltimore’s one-time, post-prohibition Maryland Whiskey Distillery is being transformed from the ground up into the 66-acre, $80-million-dollar Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House. The former distillery’s rickhouses — essentially storehouses to age and shelf whiskey — will become a new, full-scale industrial operation for Guinness. The facilities will boast two-barrel and ten-barrel tanks for its most experimental beers, a larger, 100-hectoliter system for mainstream products like Guinness Blonde Lager, and the company’s first-ever barrel-aging house.

Recommended Videos

Like Dublin’s famed Guinness Storehouse, the grounds will be home to an interactive visitor’s center. On the planned one-hour tour, guests will be able to watch Guinness brewers and the brewing process in action. Two full on-site restaurants will offer Maryland-inspired cuisine and beer-pairing menus to encourage visitors to linger as long as they like. More casual eats will also be available via local food trucks near the pint-glass-shaped outdoor courtyard.

What Guinness is really after is to inject a healthy dose of creative American brewing into their process. Brewery Ambassador Ryan Wagner confirmed the beermaker hired Holly Stephenson, Peter Wiens, and Sean Brennan (of Highland Brewing, Stone Brewing, and Jolly Pumpkin, respectively) to head the new brewery. They’re tasked with unleashing their considerable beer-making chops and creativity to craft some truly one-of-a-kind brews. While the iconic brand already has a significant share of the worldwide beer market, Wagner notes that it’s looking “to become a bigger part of the American craft beer industry, to have a place for innovation and creativity for Guinness in the states.”

A temporary Test Taproom has been open since October with a rotating menu of experimental beers brewed on site. As of July 2018, the list included unique offerings like Guinness Oatmeal Stout, Guinness American Wheat Beer, and Guinness Guava Wit. The taproom will be closed once the full Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House officially opens August 3, 2018.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Ferment Brewing Company and Oregon Wildlife Foundation offer collab beer
An ale for frog safety
Ferment Red Legged Ale.

One of our favorite west coast breweries has teamed up with a local critter advocacy group in the name of our amphibian friends. Ferment Brewing has dropped the Red Legged Ale in partnership with the Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF), working together to support red-legged frogs of the Pacific Northwest.

Every year around this time, red-legged frogs move from Forest Park in Portland to wetlands closer to the Columbia River Gorge to lay eggs. It's a dangerous journey these days, given all the highways and roads in the area that have paved over their ancient migration route. The solution? Not just a delicious beer that helps support the cause, but a push for a protected route for the amphibians as well.

Read more
The most exciting mezcals on the market, according to a pro
Exciting mezcals to enjoy
Dark bar with three empty barstools

At República in Portland, mezcal is sacred. The Mexica-forward restaurant features more than 80 different types of the fantastic agave spirit. It's one of the most impressive lists this side of the border.

Co-owner Angel Medina says his restaurant changed the way people talk about agave in the region. "When it comes to this spirit, there is no one more knowledgeable in the Pacific Northwest (and dare I say in the US) then our little hospitality group, part of that is intentionality in the way that we create around us," he says. "The other part is truly just obsession by everyone who pours you something to sip on."

Read more
Matcha vs. coffee: Which hot beverage is healthier for you?
Which is the better hot beverage?
Person pouring coffee drink into a white ceramic mug

From starting your morning to ending your day, many of us look forward to sipping on our favorite cup of hot tea or coffee daily. For me, heading downstairs to brew a delicious cup of coffee is a morning ritual I look forward to. Die-hard coffee drinkers like myself swear by a warm cup of joe, yet die-hard tea drinkers believe it's the superior hot beverage. So, how do we end the matcha vs. coffee debate once and for all?

Both matcha and coffee offer health benefits (and lots of enjoyment), making it tricky to find your drink of choice. If health is your motivating factor for selecting a hot beverage, here's what to know about choosing between matcha vs. coffee and determining which drink is the healthier choice for you.
What is matcha?

Read more