(Courtesy Guinness)

In 2018, Guinness opened its ambitious Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House just south of Baltimore, marking the iconic Irish brewer’s return to American brewing for the first time since leaving New York in 1954.

Built on a historic 62-acre brewing campus once home to the Calvert Distillery, a legendary post-Prohibition operation that for decades produced the Mid-Atlantic’s popular Lord Calvert Whisky, the brewery’s opening was widely celebrated.

The $80 million operation was home to three separate brewhouses, including a small two-barrel pilot brewery, a 10-barrel brewhouse dedicated to experimental beers and a custom-designed 100-hectoliter production brewery, as well as large and small-scale packaging lines.

But unfortunately, that big-time U.S. operation didn’t last long.

In April 2023, Diageo, the London-based drinks giant that owns Guinness, announced that it was ending large-scale beer production at the site, while keeping its visitor center and much smaller experimental brewery in operation.

And now that’s going away as well.

Diageo has announced that the Guinness Open Gate Brewery will close to the public after November 1, 2026, with remaining operations winding down by the end of the year. The company cited rising operating costs, economic pressures and shifting consumer demand.

The company said the closure follows a “careful review of our operations and long-term business priorities.”

“We are deeply grateful to the Baltimore community, which welcomed us and helped make the brewery a destination for residents and visitors alike,” a spokesperson said. “This was not a decision we made lightly.”

Diageo will also establish a $250,000 community fund to support local organizations focused on expanding economic opportunities and supporting the local hospitality industry.

has welcomed more than two million visitors since opening in 2018.

Once Baltimore closes, Chicago will be home to the only remaining Guinness brewery in the United States.

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