The Only 2 US States Where Guinness Actually Brews Beer

The beverage best associated with Ireland might be Guinness. The frothy, dark stout has been brewed in Dublin for 260 years – and when you crack open a can in America, your mind might go to cozy pubs and rolling green hills. So would you believe that the iconic Irish stout is also brewed in two U.S. states? If you're sipping a freshly brewed Guinness in America, it may have come from either Maryland or Illinois.

While the very first Guinness brewery in America closed 64 years ago, the first one to open in recent years was in 2018 in Halethorpe, Maryland (just outside of Baltimore). The Chicago, Illinois, location opened a few years later, in 2023. These locations are called the Guinness Open Gate Breweries, and here, the brand brews experimental, small-batch beers to appeal to the American consumer.

If you're not familiar with the brand's more experimental beers, the cold brew coffee beer is one example. You can also expect to find beers like tropical IPAs, fruit-infused options, lagers, and styles that are popular in Europe. The Open Gate Breweries are open to the public to sample beers, enjoy the taproom and restaurant, or take tours.

It might seem like a shock that American-brewed Guinness exists — but the company actually brews its iconic beer in over 50 countries! It's had international brewing operations outside of Dublin since the 1930s, first expanding to Great Britain and Nigeria. This is why the beer is surprisingly popular in Africa.

Guinness is said to taste different in Ireland, and if your Guinness isn't brewed in Dublin, is it still real Guinness? Here's the catch: The American Guinness breweries don't actually produce the famous Guinness Draught stout. This core beer is exclusively brewed at St. James's Gate, the iconic Dublin brewery that's been running since 1759. In the United States, any Draught stout you get has been imported by Diageo, which now owns the Guinness brand. At the stateside Guinness breweries, you can still order a stout in the taproom – but it will have been brewed in Dublin.

On the Chicago Open Gate Brewery website, the company states, "While Ireland will always be our home, the beer industry here in the States is arguably the most dynamic and exciting in the world right now, and, put simply, we love being a part of it." Expanding its operations to America with breweries focused on experimental beers gives the brand the opportunity to be known for something other than its most famous stouts.