Guinness brewery that welcomed 2 million visitors closing its doors for good

The Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Maryland, just outside Baltimore, will soon close, leaving the iconic Irish beer brand's Chicago brewery as its only U.S. location.

Nov.

1 will mark the brewery's final day open to the public, leaving 174 Aramark employees out of work, as cited in a notice filed with the Maryland Department of Labor on Oct.

1.

The move comes amid a $1 billion restructuring plan at Diageo, Guinness' parent company.

BREWERY THAT OFFERED FREE BEER WHEN TRUMP DIES FACES POSSIBLE CLOSURE AFTER STATE REVOKES ALCOHOL PERMITS Some teams at Diageo are losing 20% to 30% of their staff, Reuters reported in July.

"This decision follows a careful review of our operations and long-term business priorities," a Diageo spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

"It is not a reflection of the passion, talent or dedication of our team, nor of the support we have received from consumers and the Baltimore community since we opened our doors in 2018." Since opening in 2018, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery has welcomed more than 2 million visitors, according to a post on its Facebook page.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER The brewery was the first to open in the U.S. since the Irish beer maker's previous brewery in New York closed in 1954, FOX Business reported at the time.

"It's obviously a shame to see the Guinness brewery close in Maryland," said Derek Brown of Drink Company, a Washington, D.C.-based hospitality consulting and events company.

"However, I'm not surprised, in the sense that their core product remains Guinness, and now Guinness Zero," Brown told Fox News Digital.

"The brewery focused on experimental products which are interesting in themselves, but not necessarily primary drivers of Guinness' business." The experimental portion of the brewery allowed guests to concoct their own brews, and more than 700 beers were created over the years, according to the brewery's Facebook post.

But changing trends in alcohol consumption likely played a role in the decision, industry experts say.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS New research shows that U.S. alcohol use has declined for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News Digital recently reported.