Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House

Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel HouseGuinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House
Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel HouseGuinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House
Brewery, Bar, Eatery

5001 Washington Blvd
Halethorpe, Maryland, 21227
United States

(443) 575-6893 | map
guinnessbrewerybaltimore.com

We’re here to combine 259 years of Guinness brewing experience with American beer creativity.

The U.S. is the world’s epicenter of beer innovation. American brewers excel at re-interpreting traditional styles and creating new ones. So, we decided it’s time to open our first stateside brewery since 1954. Our site in Baltimore will take everything we’ve learned in Ireland and up the ante with an experimental brewery, taproom, restaurant — and a barrel house, enabling us to experiment using our centuries-old expertise in aging beer in wood.

THREE BEER MAKING FACILITIES (ON THE SITE OF A FORMER WHISKEY DISTILLERY)
1. 100-hectoliter production brewery where we make Guinness Blonde and other new Guinness beers.
2. 10-barrel experimental brewery where we explore new Guinness beers.
3. A barrel-house, where we experiment with aging Guinness beers in an assortment of spirits barrels.

WE’RE LOCATED ON THE SITE OF THE FIRST MARYLAND DISTILLERY OPENED AFTER PROHIBITION.
Since 1934, whiskey has been distilled, aged and blended right here. The building that contains our tap room, experimental brewery and barrel-house is one of four rick houses specifically constructed to age whiskey in oak barrels. We’re just adding a new chapter for beer.
BEER STATS
Average:
3.72
Beers:
90
Ratings:
781
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.13
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
17
pDev:
7.02%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Arg914:
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Rated by Arg914 from New York

4/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4

Aug 22, 2019
More User Ratings:
Photo of BJB13
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5
Large industrial space with cool lighting and architectural features. This used to be Calvert Distillery and it is nice to see it producing adult beverages once again. It has a corporate/commercial feel, more like being in a large crowded restaurant than a brewery.

Selection was OK, the current list was somewhat repetitive, but the beers I had were good. Good clean glassware and great friendly service.

While I thought the vibe was off, I bumped that score up a little because they have several historical vignettes set up and I really enjoyed walking around with my pint in hand while I visited each one. Wish I could do that at a museum. There is also a barrel tasting room which wasn't open. I have to look into their event and maybe check that out sometime. It also had a large tent outside that had it's own party going on, it seems they are gearing up for St. Patty's Day early.

Definitely worth a visit.
Mar 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.81 by beerrat from Virginia

Mar 21, 2022
Photo of DanO1066
Reviewed by DanO1066 from Maryland

3.76/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.75
Industrial Chic? Redeemed? by good food (I'm NOT a ketchup guy, BUT this was VERY good - more like bbq sauce) & good ale: Try the smoked brown ale, and the FES
Oct 30, 2021
Photo of edthehead
Reviewed by edthehead from Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Really great place to visit. Huge outdoor beer garden and outdoor bar, nice indoor restaurant, and cool gift shop for fanatics. Really big tap list for Guinness too, featuring a lot of current more innovative recipes.
Oct 01, 2021
Photo of Fr33man
Reviewed by Fr33man from Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Tour and tasting was fantastic. Service was average and the Guinness 200th anniversary was supposed to be on tap wasn't available. Excellent but pricey food in the restaurant.
Jan 19, 2020
Photo of zachattack12
Reviewed by zachattack12 from Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3
Vibe: a little bit on the corporate-y side, but other than that, it was pretty cool. It was almost like a museum of brewing, so that was interesting. I went early in the day, and it wasn't too crowded. By the time I left, herds of people had come in. Glad I came when I did.

Quality: Over the Moon... a stout that I actually like. That is almost impossible. That alone gives them 5 stars.

Service: Excellent. Everyone here was incredibly nice. The bartender was very friendly and helpful. I guess she was a different person than the other reviewer had, because she encouraged us to try different samples of the beers (she gave my friend FOUR samples before he also settled on Over the Moon). The people that work here seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs. Way to go!

Selection: Very, very dark beer heavy. While I'm usually not a fan, they actually had some pretty good ones. Tried sips of the Barrel Aged Stock Ale, and it was really good. If you aren't a fan of dark beers, they had a raspberry ale and I'm pretty sure I spotted some bottles of Flying Dog for sale.
Dec 02, 2019
Photo of Chris_n_Rod
Reviewed by Chris_n_Rod from Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5
Once you get over the fact that it is a bit of a tourist trap and will therefore be kinda cheesy, it is a nice place to enjoy some beer. The outdoor section on a nice day is a fantastic place to be and they have a great selection of dark beers with new offerings being released regularly. I wouldn't say it's a place to go out to regularly, but definitely worth a stop if in the area!
Nov 12, 2019
 
Rated: 3.71 by O-Meg from New York

Aug 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by gabe71tx from Virginia

Jun 18, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by macshark from Virginia

Apr 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Jan 25, 2019
 
Rated: 4.46 by Higdon from Maryland

Dec 28, 2018
 
Rated: 3.67 by JonB25 from Delaware

Oct 26, 2018
Photo of BillRoth
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland

3.91/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
Big shiney new and corporate like. Everything including people are nice. But pretty sterile.
Beer selection is wide but let’s face it... this is Guinness entering a robust diverse craft beer market that it is just another... and relatively untried option. That tastings weren’t offered/almost discouraged... does little to help someone try something without purchase.
Getting high quality and properly poured Guinness and FES is very welcome. But visit likely to be a one off.
Worth going /experiencing once.
Sep 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by paulish from New York

Sep 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.3 by Boone757 from Virginia

Feb 22, 2018
Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House in Halethorpe, MD
Brewery rating: 3.72 out of 5 with 781 ratings