Diageo plc is a British multinational alcoholic beverage company. It makes lots of spirits and beer that you know — the likes of Smirnoff, Moët & Chandon, Johnnie Walker, Baileys and also the “world’s bestselling stout,” Guinness. Whilst still owned by a company that is based in London, Guinness is Irish and it’s also a pretty darn good beer, so it’s always been an American favorite (hey, great calorie count too!).
Though kind of late to the party, folks at Guinness apparently have seen the rise in popularity of different beer categories in America (including porters and stouts) and have decided to open a destination brewery in Baltimore. It wants to build a brewery and taproom at its former Seagram’s whiskey bottling plant (yes Diageo owned/owns parts of Seagram’s) near Relay, Maryland. Plans are to renovate the former Seagram’s buildings on Washington Boulevard. From the Baltimore Sun:
The brewery would focus on new beers for the U.S. market while the brand’s classic Irish dry stout would continue to be made in Dublin. The proposal is contingent on the General Assembly’s approving a new kind of liquor license that would allow the scale of on-site sales Diageo envisions for the brewery.
Developers are incorporating cognitive technologies into robotic process automation—and giving bots new power to take on some of the tasks people currently perform. Diageo would invest $50 million in the project and could create up to 70 jobs, including 40 in brewing, warehousing and packaging. About 30 people could work on the visitor side of the operation, which would include a restaurant.
Insanely enough, Diageo wants to begin construction this spring and open in the fall (2017!). Also, the site will look to test and brew new products for the American marketplace. It should also be noted that Heavy Seas Beer (the Clipper City Brewing Co.) is only a few miles away. Clever, Diageo.
Also, Guinness Store Las Vegas got renovated
Guinness also smartly decided to renovate its Vegas presence with something similar to what you might experience in Dublin. Visitors to the Guinness Store Las Vegas (next to Rí Rá Las Vegas inside The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay) will have the opportunity to learn the six steps to pour the perfect pint of Guinness (guess, that’s a thing). Here’s what’s going down (to the press release!):
Welcomed inside by the grand Gilroy ‘Zookeeper’, a famed Guinness icon from Guinness history imported straight from Ireland, beer enthusiasts will be drawn to the beautiful bar top framed by a wall of Guinness branded pint glasses and a high polished copper ceiling. The bar, fully equipped with three Guinness bar taps, is where guests can take part in the only ‘Official’ Perfect Pint Experience in the world outside of the GUINNESS Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland.
The exclusive experience is designed to teach beer lovers the essential six steps to pouring the perfect pint while also learning the history behind the iconic brand. Guinness lovers can join in the craic — or Irish-style fun — after learning each step and pouring a pint into their own 20-ounce official Guinness glass. At the end of the experience, guests will take home a personalized certificate to celebrate their completion of the perfect pour, a framed commemorative photograph and the 20-ounce glass they filled with Guinness.
Man, personalized certificates is where it’s at! Take notice, craft brewers. Guinness is flexing its corporate coolness.
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