Guinness Open Gate Closing: Diageo to Shut Baltimore Brewery Nov. 1.

Guinness to Close Its Baltimore Brewery on November 1

Diageo is closing the Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House in Halethorpe, just outside Baltimore. The company announced the decision Thursday, ending an eight-year run for the first Guinness brewery on U.S. soil since 1954.

The brewery will pour its last pint on Sunday, November 1, and Diageo expects to fully end operations by the end of the year.

Aramark, Diageo’s hospitality partner at the site, said 174 of its employees who supported the location will be affected and that it is “working to identify opportunities in other areas of our organization where possible.” Diageo declined to give exact numbers, saying most of the lost jobs were with Aramark.

“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 Diageo spokesperson said in a statement. The company pointed to increasing operating costs, shifts in consumer demand, and broader economic pressures.

Open Gate opened in August 2018 at 5001 Washington Boulevard after a roughly $90 million investment, and it originally included brewing, packaging, and warehousing. Diageo shut down the larger production operation in June 2023, laying off about 100 workers and moving Baltimore Blonde production elsewhere. The site kept running as a destination with a taproom, experimental brewery, beer garden, restaurant, and tours.

In a farewell post, Guinness said the brewery welcomed more than two million visitors and brewed more than 700 different beers. Diageo also plans to set up a $250,000 fund to support local organizations.

Once Baltimore closes, Guinness’s only remaining U.S. brewery will be the Open Gate location in Chicago’s West Loop.