Reuters reported<\/a> in July.<\/p>\n\u201cThis decision follows a careful review of our operations and long-term business priorities,\u201d a Diageo spokesperson told Fox News Digital. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since opening in 2018, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery has welcomed more than 2 million visitors, according to a post on its Facebook page.<\/p>\n
The brewery was the first to open in the U.S. since the Irish beer maker\u2019s previous brewery in New York closed in 1954, FOX Business reported at the time.<\/p>\n
The Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland, will soon close, leaving the iconic Irish beer brand\u2019s Chicago brewery as its only U.S. location. NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Brewery Ambassador Ryan Wagner pours a glass of local Stout at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore on March 9, 2020. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s obviously a shame to see the Guinness brewery close in Maryland,\u201d said Derek Brown of Drink Company, a Washington, D.C.-based hospitality consulting and events company.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, I\u2019m not surprised in the sense that their core product remains Guinness, and now Guinness Zero,\u201d Brown told Fox News Digital. \u201cThe brewery focused on experimental products, which are interesting in themselves, but not necessarily primary drivers of Guinness\u2019 business.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experimental portion of the brewery allowed guests to concoct their own brews, and more than 700 beers were created over the years, according to the brewery\u2019s Facebook post.<\/p>\n
From left, Guinness Brand Director Emma Giles, Diageo Beer Co. U.S.A Chairman and Global Chief Sales Officer Tom Day, Diageo Beer Co. U.S.A President Nuno Teles, President Diageo North America Deirdre Mahlan, Governor Larry Hogan, County Executive Don Mohler, and President of Supply, Diageo North America, Erik Snyder cut the ribbon on the Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House on August 2, 2018, in Halethorpe, Maryland. Getty Images for Guinness<\/p>\n
Nov. 1 will mark the brewery\u2019s final day open to the public, leaving 174 Aramark employees out of work, according to a notice filed with the Maryland Department of Labor Oct. 1. Getty Images for Guinness<\/p>\n
But changing trends in alcohol consumption likely played a role in the decision, industry experts say.<\/p>\n
New research shows that U.S. alcohol use has declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News Digital recently reported.<\/p>\n
More Americans are also alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages \u2014 a practice known as \u201czebra striping\u201d \u2014 partly contributing to the decline, according to experts.<\/p>\n
New research shows that U.S. alcohol use has declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News Digital recently reported. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Since opening in 2018, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery has welcomed more than 2 million visitors, according to a post on its Facebook page. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cOur immediate focus is supporting affected colleagues through this transition,\u201d a Diageo spokesperson said. \u201cWe are committed to treating our team members with respect and providing resources and assistance to help them navigate the change.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson added that Guinness \u201cremains one of our most important brands, and we are committed to investing in its long-term growth and success. While our Baltimore brewery will close, our commitment to bringing Guinness to consumers around the world remains as strong as ever.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland, just outside Baltimore, will soon close, leaving the iconic Irish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":650639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[11313,24796,41648,72,10764,604,61,60,166,11089],"class_list":["post-650638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-alcohol","tag-beer","tag-breweries","tag-business","tag-food-drink","tag-guinness","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-lifestyle","tag-maryland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=650638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/650638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/650639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=650638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=650638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=650638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}