Diageo to create £73m Guinness microbrewery in London
The site was used to brew beer back in the 1700s, with Guinness now ‘bringing the site back to life’.
The new site builds on the success of the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin and the opening of Johnnie Walker Princes Street in Edinburgh in 2021; as well as the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Baltimore, USA.
Diageo says the new investment shows its confidence in London and the wider hospitality and tourism sector, noting sales of Guinness in Great Britain have grown by 30% over the last six months with one in every 10 pints sold in the capital now a Guinness.
The new 50,000 sq ft venue will create up to 150 jobs for the Capital and provide a community space within the Covent Garden area. The site will also become the Southern UK hub of Diageo’s Learning for Life Bartending and Hospitality Program: with the ambition for over 100 students to graduate from the ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’ program each year.
The new site will include:
- A microbrewery which will produce limited edition beers and offer guests tours with Guinness beer specialists to taste/enjoy and learn about the stout, its history and ambitions for the future.
- Event spaces and central covered courtyard hosting events across food, drink, the arts and special cultural occasions, which will be open for use by the local community.
- Guinness store selling rare items via collaborations and partnerships bespoke to the London experience.
- Chance to try exciting new brews, some only available at ‘Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard’.
- Rotating cuisine and events at a stunning open-fire kitchen, restaurant and 360 degrees glass rooftop space within the development.
- The site will be carbon neutral by 2030.
