You came to Baltimore from Asheville, which has
the most breweries per capita in the U.S. What
drew you to Baltimore to work for Guinness?
Q
I lived in Washington, D.C. for 10 years in my first career so I
knew Baltimore well, and I knew I loved it already. So when
this opportunity came up it wasn’t a huge risk because it was
a place that was familiar. I always loved South Baltimore and
being by the harbor, and Mount Vernon, Fell’s Point too. There
was always just such an artsy and easygoing community vibe
in the neighborhoods I used to hang out in. Funny enough, I
used to come to the city regularly to go to Max’s Taphouse in
Fell’s Point. Before I even went to brewing school, I was just
fangirling over the bottle list at Max’s. They’re like pioneers
in what they do, offering so many imported and craft beers in
one place.
You’ve already worked with a few local
breweries and purveyors. Can we expect to see
more of that in the future?
Q
Absolutely. We have a Crosslands series where at least
quarterly we’ll put on a beer that either features a Maryland
ingredients. The Crosslands Honey Ale is made with raw, local
wildflower honey from Apex Bee Company. [The] hives are
just 1.5 miles from the brewery.
Q
What are your goals for the brewery?
ingredient prominently or is made of all Maryland
Hollie Stephenson
We want to continue to be the home of Guinness
Blonde, which is made right here on site. But beyond that, the
pilot brewery is the testing ground for what might move to the
production hall next, so I keep thinking, ‘what will the first
Baltimore-born Guinness beer be that makes it nationally?’
Half of what we make will never have a chance at being scaled
up to production, but that’s where we really get to play and do
stuff we wouldn’t normally get to do.
Barrel-aging is another big piece of what we do. We [did] a
beer for our one-year anniversary in August. We brewed an
imperial stout and put it into Bulleit bourbon barrels and
then we brewed a Belgian golden ale and put it into old rum
barrels from this site, and we [blended] them together to
create Grand Cru for our anniversary party. [It was] a blend of
our partners within Diageo and a wink to the history of aging
barrels on this site.
nearly all its money to scholarships for women in beer. That’s
really important to me. Ensuring representation and diversity
in hiring processes—just bringing other women along with me
and involving them. And it’s not just brewers, it’s involving
women in every stage along the way. One of my favorite
partnerships in Baltimore has been with Sarah [Walker] at
Vent Coffee Roasters to create our coffee stout.
Q
What are some of your favorite
spots in Baltimore?
Most of my favorite things to do in Baltimore have to do
with eating and drinking. I love the 23rd Street corridor in
Remington with Fadensonnen, Clavel and W.C. Harlan. I like
all of Cindy Wolf’s restaurants. I love Little Italy. I’m super
stoked for Cross Street Market to be back open. I love Mount
You were named the 2019 Beer Person of the
Q Year by Imbibe and you’re one of very few female
leading brewers. Do you feel any responsibility with that? Vernon Marketplace and I’ve been going to Broadway Market.
Absolutely. It’s not something where I just look forward to Visionary Art Museum because they’re all self-taught or
the day where I don’t have to talk about it anymore. I support amateur artists and reading their stories about what they’ve
the Pink Boots Society, which is an organization that devotes gone through is incredible. Take a water taxi to get there!
Barfly’s is an absolute go-to for salad and pizza. Cocina
Luchadores is my favorite for tacos. I also love the American
B A LT I M O R E . O R G
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