Following the success of its touristic open brewery concept at St. James’s Gate in Dublin/Ireland, stout maker Guinness wants to open a new brewing facility and visitor center in Relay, Maryland. The brewery will cost about $50 million and will be located at Diageo’s historic Calvert Distillery site, which first opened in 1933. Guinness will be renovating an old spirits bottling facility that was closed in 2015.
"Opening a Guinness brewery and visitor center in the U.S. will enable us to collaborate with fellow brewers and interact with the vibrant community of beer drinkers," said Tom Day, president, Diageo Beer Company, USA. "Given the success of our Open Gate Brewery in Dublin and the popularity of beer tourism in the U.S., we are confident that Americans will welcome the opportunity to come experience Guinness brewing in Baltimore County."
In August 2016 Diageo renamed its American beer business, which was formerly known as Diageo-Guinness USA to Diageo Beer Company USA. Dropping ‘Guinness’ from the name “will help highlight the contributions and potential of our other great brands like Smirnoff Ice, Smithwick’s and Harp”, said Tom Day.
The brewery will produce new beers created for the American market while the well-known brands Guinness Draught, Guinness Foreign Extra Stout and Guinness Extra Stout will still come from Ireland.
In 2013 Guinness closed its other Irish breweries in Kilkenny, Dundalk and Waterford and concentrated production at the historic St James's Gate brewery in Dublin. The site, which was chosen by Arthur Guinness in 1759 to brew his legendary Irish stout, was developed as a leading tourist attraction in Ireland.
Diageo, parent company of Guinness, hopes now to replicate this success in the United States. The company wants to start construction this spring and to open it already fall 2017, just in time for the 200th Anniversary of Guinness being first imported into the United States.
