I’ll begin this editorial by saying I’m sad Guinness Baltimore Open Gate is closing on November 1, 2026.
I’ll begin with what a brewer there told me: they were happy they got to work there, it was the best place they’ve worked so far in the brewing industry, and don’t cry cause it’s over but smile because it happened.
If I had checked in with my editor before I started writing this editorial, he probably would have told me: you’re being too kind. Let them have it. This is an editorial after all and we’re DC Beer, we need hotter takes! He might have told me to recount how much money the state of Maryland gave Diageo. How a sweetheart deal for Diageo saw a lot of jobs created only to have them taken away. How those who wished to stay on with the company would need to apply and get another job with the company as is normal at the massive firm.
So how about I appease my editor? I could write something like: a bigger brewery, like Guinness, took our best brewers from DC and Baltimore. So their closing is good because now these brewers can go back to work at other breweries and apply what they learned at Guinness at breweries in Baltimore, DC, and all locations in between.
But of course that’s not taking into account what I know: best gig these brewers have ever had. That benefits, health insurance, educational and professional opportunities, and similarly good things that only come with working for a big firm. A firm like Diageo and a brand like Guinness.
Additionally, my editor might ask me, “Remember when the PR firm that represented them got all mad at us when we published their layoffs?” And yes, of course I remember that. But I would argue that in addition to being sad that employees are getting laid off again, I’m happy Guinness came despite how sad I am to see them leaving.
Guinness will continue in America with its Chicago brewery. Perhaps worth noting, Guinness in Maryland lasted longer than Guinness in New York. The brewery in Baltimore County made it from 2018 to 2026. The brewery that was in New York, in Long Island City, made it from 1949 to 1954.
Guinness in Baltimore County is our beat. We regularly cover Maryland beer and breweries and their news. We cover Maryland maltsters. We have maltsters like Bear Branch on our show. I think it’s worth noting that Guinness in Baltimore County used Bear Branch malt to good effect in different brews.
Finally I’d like to add some insight, further blurring the editorial line of this article. The headlines read “Diageo to Close Guinness Open Gate in Baltimore,” and that’s fundamentally true. But there is some sussing out of what Diageo has said and what actually happens. As another outlet published the headline “Maryland’s Guinness Open Gate Brewery shutting down; company cites rising costs,” which quotes the company: “We have made the difficult decision to close the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore. This decision follows a careful review of our operations and long-term business priorities,” a spokesperson for Diageo stated. “It is not a reflection of the passion, talent, or dedication of our team, nor of the support we have received from consumers and the Baltimore community since we opened our doors in 2018.”
I would say that Diageo took a gamble on Guinness Baltimore, purportedly a $90 million gamble. Baltimore Blonde didn’t pan out. But to my mind, with Michelob Ultra, Modello, and similar beers vying for the number one spot domestically, if I were a C-suite executive the goal would be to take a slice of that overall beer sales pie. Alas, in 2023 that ruled impossible when the production of Guiness’ Baltimore Blonde ceased in the Maryland facility.
So here we are, three Mays later, and the plant is actually closing. It wasn’t so in 2023, but there remains a massive amount of miseducation surrounding Guinness. If you simply read the comments (never read the comments) surrounding the post Guinness published October 1, you can see how much miseducation surrounds the brewery, its history, and its operations.
For starters, Guinness’ eponymous draft is NOT brewed in Maryland. “Over the years we’ve brewed more than 700 different beers,” their post on social media read. Guinness Draught Stout was never one of these 700 beers. It remains an Irish export, made in Dublin. Similarly, Guinness’ Foreign Extra Stout was never one of the 700 beers brewed in Baltimore County. Some were IPA. Some were lager. And if you get to the brewery before November 1, you can try things like Helles, Festbier, Schwarzbier, Smoked German Lager, American IPA, and Double IPA. Recently, Branch Nectar (American IPA) and Bärenzweig (Kölsch) were both brewed with Pale and Pilsner Malts from Bear Branch for September’s Craft Malt Month.
Whether you’re mad at Diageo, sad the Guinness Baltimore County brewery is closing, or in an entirely different headspace, this chapter of brewing history has come to a close. However you categorize Guinness, big brewer or craft brewer, they will no longer be a Maryland brewer. Their operation in Baltimore County joins the likes of Flying Dog and DuClaw as closures in the Land of Pleasant Living continue.
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