Guinness is to open a brewery in the U.S. for the first time in more than 60 years, following an $80 million investment.
The brand’s owner Diageo said in a statement Thursday that the brewery near Baltimore will include a visitor centre, a 270-seat restaurant and a tap room. It added that around 200 jobs will be created.
Guinness was established in Ireland in 1759 and its dark stout has grown into a world famous brand. The beer-maker said none of the company’s stouts will be brewed in Maryland, however, with the site initially focused on producing lager.
According to the Beer Institute’s 2016 report, the U.S. drinks industry contributes more than $250 billion to the economy each year. But the sector is undergoing rapid change as younger consumers turn away from big U.S. brands in favor of European labels or domestically-produced craft beer.
“The USA is probably the most dynamic and exciting beer market in the world right now, and, put simply, we’d like to be closer to the action,” Diageo said in a statement.
“Having a brewery in the USA will help us understand and respond to trends more quickly, as well as brew smaller batches and get them to market faster,” it added.
Guinness currently brews in 49 countries, but until now has had a limited footprint in the United States. The firm briefly owned a brewery in New York from 1949 to 1954.
The Baltimore site will officially open on August 3.