Port City Brewing Co. is located off Duke Street near the police station and McDonald's at the intersection of Quaker Lane. Why give you an address if that's the best description of its location known to mankind?! Ha!
The bus left the bar I work at around 12 PM with about 12 staff from all three sister restaurants. I don't think any of us really knew what to expect as these things are more of a courtesy and never traditional. I was expecting this to just be an average tour, but when I didn't see the pineapple outside as we pulled up (which means they're open), I figured that this would be a little more tailored.
We were greeted by the owner and two of the brewers when we came in. We were also surprised to find Kathy in the corner.....who was pretty much the creepiest cardboard cutout we'd ever encountered.
When they announced that we would taste through the entire beer list....we knew it was on. We started with the Port City Wit, a light and slightly fruity wheat beer. It was extremely refreshing and a great session beer. This is definitely Port City's biggest seller. Of all the beers we tasted, my favorite was definitely their Tartan Scotch Sour. This brown had a subtle tartness which was delicious and refreshing during the summer, but still retaining some heaviness of a brown ale. The Monumental IPA and the Essential Pale Ale are also some of their more popular sellers, standard but consistently good. I generally do prefer their seasonals though...the Tidings winter seasonal being my ultimate favorite as a Belgian style blonde.
The tour was great. They really targeted the tour for our group and went into all the detail we wanted. One of the highlights was the fact that they label their brew tanks with the songs they were playing at the time they were making it. They also have a workout station in the back, including a pull up bar which one of the beer managers proceeded to show us all up on!
The story of Port City is a great one. The owner informed us that they have pretty much doubled their production every year they have been open. For such a small company, it really is an impressive growth rate. The owner/founder, Bill Butcher, used to work in the wine industry, and switched over to beer in 2011 to create this gem of a craft brewery.
The guys at Port City were really generous hosts and so much fun. I can't wait to go back and refill my growlers! Be sure to stop by if you're in the area and the pineapple is out front, it's well worth a visit. They also do beer tasting flights for visitors which are an excellent way to try the entire list!
Until next time, cheers!
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