Diageo to Close Guinness Brewery in Maryland by November
Diageo is closing the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland, on November 1 as part of a $1 billion restructuring plan.
The British beverage company Diageo will close the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland, on November 1, 2026. The shutdown is part of a $1 billion restructuring plan that has already resulted in some internal teams losing 20% to 30% of their staff. The closure will lead to the loss of 174 employees employed by Aramark.
Opened in 2018, the facility was the first Guinness brewery established in the United States in over 60 years. It served as a hub for experimental brewing, producing more than 700 unique beers and attracting over 2 million visitors. The site had already seen a reduction of 100 jobs three years ago and the cessation of most commercial brewing operations.
Diageo stated the decision followed a "careful review of our operations and long-term business priorities." Industry experts and local reports attribute the move to soaring operating costs, declining U.S. alcohol consumption, and the rise of "zebra striping," a trend where consumers alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The Maryland Department of Labor received the official closure notice on October 1. Following the shutdown, the Guinness brewery in Chicago will be the brand's only remaining location in the United States.
