The opening of the Guinness Brewery near Baltimore this year is a nod to Maryland’s history of bowing out of Prohibition.
“During that time, Maryland did not actively enforce the Prohibition laws, and a local editor declared that Maryland should secede from the Union to become a ‘free state,’” says Rich Gilbert, travel trade sales manager with Maryland Office of Tourism. “With the popularity of craft breweries and local distilleries, I think it will be great to add a destination like Guinness into the local tourism mix.”
Though the Guinness stout will still be brewed in its Dublin home (and shipped to the United States, of course), the Maryland location will produce styles like the Guinness Blonde American Lager. Resident Guinness brewers also will develop new creations on-site.
Gilbert says the brewery, an $80 million investment by Diageo Beer Company, will be the first Guinness presence on U.S. soil since 1954, and the first-ever purpose-built Guinness brewery in America. The new attraction is located on more than 60 acres southwest of downtown Baltimore in the historical Calvert distillery district. Guinness will host groups for full brewery tours beginning in August, where they can sample beers and browse Guinness merchandise.
Another new Baltimore-based attraction is Sagamore Spirit Distillery, a four-building complex that opened its doors in April. It includes a restaurant and event space, a 22,000-square-foot distillery and a 27,000-square-foot processing center.
Adjacent to the distillery is the Rye Street Tavern, a new American restaurant featuring locally grown ingredients, farm-raised meats (including the chef’s famous fried chicken) and lots of Maryland crab. Visitors can enjoy craft beers and wines while taking in views of the Patapsco River.
For more information, email Gilbert or go to visitmaryland.org.
Top photo: Guinness Brewery
Photo by newguinnessbrewery.com
