BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Hollie Stephenson, the head brewer at Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, is leaving.

"While we will miss her greatly, we are very happy for Hollie. She played a big role in our success story to date, and her passion for her craft and community is downright infectious, " said Brewmaster Peter Wiens. "We're rooting for her as she goes on to build her skillset in a new capacity in the Diageo family."

WJZ spoke to Stephenson in March 2020 about blazing a trail for women in the brewing industry.

"What a head brewer does entirely depends on the brewery that you're at and the size that you are," she said then. "I manage the schedules. I manage the tap list that we have here in the taproom."

It's one of the most important jobs in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

"I mean it's definitely a growing demographic, because of people putting serious effort into it, but yeah, we're still a very small percentage," Stephenson said.

In 2019, Stephenson was named Imbibe Magazine's Beer Person of The Year, and for good reason. In just a year and a half, she's helped Open Gate welcome more than 600,000 guests.