Guinness Baltimore Blonde Beer Production Moving To New York

BALTIMORE, MD — The parent company of Guinness announced this week that its Baltimore Blonde beer will no longer be brewed in Maryland, according to multiple reports.

Diageo announced Wednesday that production of the beer will be taken over by New York-based brewer FX Matt. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the move in an email to the Baltimore Banner:

“After conducting a due diligence process, which also considered options to keep production of Baltimore Blonde in the state, the supplier that best met the business case and production timeline was FX Matt Brewing Company in New York,” they wrote.

The news comes two months after Diageo announced it was closing its production facility in Halethorpe after just three years, reports said. The closure does not affect the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, WTOP reported.

The beer will keep its Baltimore-inspired name despite the move, reports said. Production will begin in New York in October, the Banner reported.

The decision to move brewing operations to New York came despite officials offering the company incentives to stay in Baltimore, reports said.

"While Baltimore County is disappointed in Diageo's decision, we will continue to do all we can to support local impacted workers and to promote our region’s vibrant craft brewing company," Erica Palmisano, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, said in a statement to WBAL.

The decision comes just weeks after FX Matt acquired Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick. As part of the sale, Flying Dog will shift all operations and production from Maryland to New York by the end of summer.