E-Malt.com News article: UK: Guinness to open a new microbrewery in the UK this year

Guinness is set to open a brand new microbrewery in England this year after major delays, The Mirror reported on January 8.

Plans for the brewery were first announced back in 2022 with plans to open just a year later, in 2023. However, the project saw some setbacks, which caused delays; one of which was the administration of the project's lead contractor, Beck Interiors, in July last year.

However, the new 50,000 sq ft microbrewery and culture hub is reportedly set to open this year - although Guinness owner Diego has yet to confirm the exact date. A spokesman for Diageo, owner of Guinness, told The Grocer Magazine in October 2024: “We remain very excited to open the doors of the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in London next year, reaching an even broader audience for Guinness than before.”

The project - which is costing the brewery £73million - will be based at the Old Brewer’s Yard in Covent Garden in London. According to Secret London, the entire space will feature numerous bars, community and events spaces, a merch store, an open-fire kitchen, and a rooftop restaurant boasting 360-degree panoramic views of the capital. Alongside this, the space will feature a massive microbrewery that will produce the popular stout and limited-edition beers. The venue will also offer tours with Guinness experts, much like those at the famed Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Before Christmas, pubs up and down the country were hit by a shortage of Guinness as the company struggled to keep up with an unprecedented spike in demand. The black stuff has had a surge in popularity over the last year after a run of rugby union matches during November - of which Guinness has been the official beer since 2007 - and a viral TikTok trend which made the drink more popular with young adults.

The brewery reassured drinks that taps would not run dry over the Christmas period. However, to ease the strain on production, Diego placed “allocation limits” on the number of kegs that pubs could receive. The limits only applied to pubs in England, Wales and Scotland, and not Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. At the time, a Diego spokesperson said: "We are grateful to all our customers for their engagement, collaboration, and patience over the past three weeks.

"We are producing more Guinness today than we ever have in our 265-year history, and we continue to work closely with customers across our network to manage Guinness distribution as efficiently as possible, ensuring we maximise supply and minimise disruptions for pubs, retailers, and consumers."

The disruption to supplies continued over New Year and into the first few days of January. However, a spokesperson for the chain confirmed that things would be back to normal across the UK in time for the Six Nations at the end of January. The first match is set for January 31, with Wales vs France.


08 January, 2025