The Guinness brewery at Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore County will close.

       The Guinness brewery in Baltimore County on the site of the Guinness Open Gate brewery will close this spring and lay off about 97 workers.
        The bar, 270-seat restaurant and small innovative brewery, which will employ about 100 people, will remain part of the brewery, said drinks company Diageo, which owns one of the most famous brands in the beer market, Guinness and spirits brands. open. Examples include Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Baileys and Smirnoff.
        The Relay brewery is Guinness’s first brewery in the United States since the 1950s. The plant, located on the site of the former Seagram bottling plant, opened five years ago with a bar and restaurant and is considered an important economic engine for the area. The company said the pub has welcomed more than 1.3 million customers since opening.
        The plant is expected to close in June, the company said. After that, the brewery’s flagship Baltimore Blonde will be brewed at other locations. A company spokesman said Diageo was considering options to continue producing the beer.
        “After careful consideration and analysis of our supplies, we have made the difficult decision to permanently close our manufacturing facility in Leary, Maryland,” the company said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun. sustainable growth, we are optimizing our existing facilities across North America to meet changing consumer preferences.”
       Guinness Open Gate will continue to brew experimental beers and serve them in the innovative 10-barrel brewery’s taproom located on the ground floor of the Visitor Center.
        Diageo North America reported the closure to the Maryland Department of Labor on Friday, saying it would affect 108 workers. But company officials said Monday that about 97 job cuts are expected.
       “We do not make these decisions lightly and are aware of the impact they have on our employees,” the company said in a statement.
       Diageo will provide severance, outplacement and other assistance to employees, as well as information about job openings within the organization.
       County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said Diageo North America has informed the county of its plans to close the Relay plant.
       “We are working with Diageo and union representatives to provide assistance to employees affected by this decision,” spokeswoman Erica L. Palmisano said.
        Diageo opened Guinness Open Gate in August 2018, a $90 million project on 62 acres of land that Diageo had previously acquired and used long-standing assembly facilities until 2015. Bottled and aged Captain Morgan Rum.
        After Prohibition, the estate was home to the Maryland Distilling Company and was used for decades to produce several brands, including Lord Calvert Whiskey. Diageo acquired the site in 2001 as part of its acquisition of Seagram. The company repurposed the site for the Guinness Book of Records project.
        The company said, “We have been part of the Baltimore community for many years and will continue to be an active member of it through our work at the Guinness Open Door Brewery, contributing to local tourism and the economy, and supporting local charities.” .
        Last month, the company announced plans to open a Guinness Open Gate brewery in Chicago this summer. It will be similar to Open Gate in Baltimore County, with a beer hall and an innovative 10-barrel brewery.