A Visit to Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria

I recently met up with Bill Butcher for a private tour of Port City’s state-of-the-art brewery in Alexandria. Bill, the brewery’s founder, opened Port City’s doors in February of 2011. Having worked in the wine business for many years, Bill noticed that there weren’t a whole lot of options for the beer drinker in our area. Deciding it was time for a change, he teamed up with brewer Jonathan Reeves and the two embarked on a mission to bring beers to the area that “are complex with layers of flavor, but are also approachable for new beer drinkers.” They’ve succeeded wildly, and are expanding at an impressive rate.

Currently, the 30 barrel system at Port City cranks out about 6000 barrels of beer annually, and that number is set to double in 2014 when new equipment arrives to handle the increased production. The demand for Port City’s beer continues to grow, and they now distribute to multiple locations in the mid-Atlantic.

The Custom 30 Barrel Brewing System.

Port City currently brews four “essential” beers, which include an IPA, a Pale Ale, a Porter, and my personal favorite; Optimal Wit. Alongside their four flagship brews, there are usually one or two seasonal ales available, and they are currently working on perfecting a Pilsner which they are hoping to make their next year-round beer. You can read more about Port City’s selection here: http://www.portcitybrewing.com/beer/ or stop by during tasting hours to sample them in person and get a tour of the brewery first hand.

There are a lot of craft breweries out there that have a vast portfolio of different beers that they offer to the public, so I had to ask Bill, why only a handful of beers on the Port City menu? His response was that they’re more interested in doing a few things exceptionally well, while covering a broad range of styles. If you’ve had the pleasure of drinking any of Port City’s beers, you’ll appreciate their dedication to perfection.

During our walk around the brewery I noticed a piece of equipment, well a contraption really, that I’d never seen before. You may have heard of the term dry-hopping. If you haven’t, it’s the process of adding hops to a beer after fermentation. The process results in an additional burst of hop aroma without adding any bitterness to the beer. Typically, hops are allowed to soak in the finished beer for several days to several weeks. So back to this contraption…one of the issues with dry hopping is the potential for beer to come into contact with too much oxygen, as brewers will typically open the top of the fermenter and pour the hops directly into the beer. Not Port City! They have a patent pending on a device which uses CO2 to force hops into the fermenter without exposing the beer inside to oxygen at all. It’s called the Hopzooka, and it’s a super cool innovation in brewing technology.

The Hopzooka

Port City Brewing is truly an impressive operation, and Bill was a great host during my visit. If you get a chance, their tasting room and brewery tour is a lot of fun. They also fill growlers and sell kegs on the premises. Their hours vary so here’s a link to help you plan your visit. http://www.portcitybrewing.com/brewery/visit/.

Until next time…Stay thirsty DC!

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