Guinness enthusiasts will no longer have to book a transatlantic flight to St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland to experience the brewery first hand. Guinness announced a new brewery project in Relay, Maryland, about 10 miles south of Baltimore, and fans will get a peek at what’s to come with a test taproom opening on Friday, October 27.
The preview is meant to advertise the opening of Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House, Guinness’s first brewery in the U.S. since its first attempted brewery in Long Island City, New York, which was open from 1949 until 1954. While Guinness already has active breweries in 49 countries, Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House marks Guinness’s first American venture in over 60 years.
The taproom will not brew Guinness’s flagship draught stout, but it will serve it. However, the taproom is intended to be more of a research and development project. Guinness is taking the opportunity to debut some of the new beers they will be brewing in the U.S.
“The test taproom is a way for us to experiment and play around with some new ingredients,” brewer Peter Wiens, formerly of Stone Brewing, told the Baltimore Sun. “We’re thinking of it as a place to have a conversation with American consumers, figure out what they like to drink.”
While Guinness is famous for its iconic stout, the brewery wants to inform consumers about its other tasty brews. The taproom will be serving the American-brewed Guinness Blonde Lager and three to six new experimental beers brewed using their two-barrel pilot system. While there won’t be food available like at Guinness’s St. James’s Gate headquarters, the taproom does plan on having a food truck on site each week.
The taproom will be open to the public every Friday through Sunday. Since Guinness is a large brewery, its exciting to see them experimenting with new beer styles. One can only guess what the next Guinness beer will be, but the unknown definitely fuels the excitement.
