Notice: We were able to get 15 tickets - but have 24 signups! We are trying to get Guinness to accomodate our bigger group - but so far, they haven't been helpful! So for now, this event is maxed out!
CBC Oktoberfest Guinness Brewery Baltimore
October 7, 1:30 Hosted by Bartletts (pinch hitting)
The CBC is doing a casual “October Fest” this year by visiting the new Guinness Brewery outside of Baltimore.
5001 Washington Blvd,
Halethorpe, MD 21227
The brewery opened August 2 for tours. The event will include a 1 hour tour and a flight of 4 beers brewed on premises for $10. We have to pre-book and pay for the tour – so we will need you to email us and let us know if you’d be interested, so we can pre-pay – bayleif@verizon.net. They project their restaurant to be open in September, so we hope to follow the tour with an optional lunch/early dinner.
The new brewery will also be the home for Guinness Blonde (previously brewed by City Brewing in Latrobe, Pennsylvania).
And it gives us the opportunity to welcome Guinness fans, old and new, to the first Guinness brewery on American soil in over 63 years (we briefly owned a brewery in Long Island City, New York, from 1949-1954) and offer some Irish hospitality!
Why Maryland?
The Guinness Open Gate Brewery & Barrel House is on the site of the historic Calvert distillery in Baltimore County, 10 miles from downtown Baltimore and 30 miles northeast of Washington DC.
The distillery, originally called the Maryland Distilling Company, was the first opened after prohibition in Maryland, in 1933. For decades it distilled, barrel-aged and bottled several spirits brands, notably the Lord Calvert Whisky brand. In 2001 the site was acquired by Diageo as part of the purchase of Seagram, and spirits aging and bottling continued at scale until 2015 (and actually continues to this day as a live production site).
The site itself is almost 62 acres in size and is adjacent to Route 1, is minutes from the I95, 195 and 895 freeways, and is 4 miles from BWI International Airport. It has a long history, integral to the local area, just off the Civil War trail and even has a protected pre-Civil War graveyard on its grounds.
Geographically, the site is fantastically situated, with several large cities within a 300-mile radius of the brewery and excellent transport links, by air, rail, sea and road. It's also a large brownfield site with wonderful history and heritage and enormous potential to be redeveloped.
But also, we love the area. Baltimore is an amazing city with respect for the past combined a sense of dynamism and excitement for the future. The brewing industry in Maryland is growing fast with several notable breweries making a name for themselves locally and nationally. We hope we can help the industry prosper and achieve the recognition we think it deserves. We also believe there is huge potential for increased tourism in the area. We look forward to working in concert with local partners to bring about a significant impact from increased visitors who will be able not just to experience what we hope is a best-in-class brewery visit, but everything else Maryland has to offer.