Port City Brewing Company

Port City Brewing simply rocks. They are cranking out some amazing craft beer and the brew pub area is low key and chill. For $ 12 you get 5 tastings of 4 oz pours, which is quite affordable. I usually opt for the Colossal line, which I nave not found out tap outside of their brewery. The Colossals are heavy, high alcohol, Belgian style beers that are incredibly complex and delicious. Of course everything Port City produces is excellent and I am a huge fan of the Maniacal IPA, super hoppy, a touch of sweet/​citrus, and nice bitter and crisp finish.
When we visit we usually head upstairs to grab a seat a the couches and watch TV. They also have a pool table and dart board up there too. I think not many people realize there is an upstairs because usually the downstairs area is packed and there is no one upstairs.
Next to DC Brau, Port City is my fav DMV area brewery. Again, outstanding beers across the board and the staff here is always super friendly. A must visit for anyone looking to taste some exceptional Virginia craft beer.

This is hands-​down one of the best breweries in the DMV area. The prices are right, the atmosphere is relaxing and welcoming and the folks that work there really are the best. Knowledgeable and friendly. There is limited parking but tons on the street. They also have events such as beer yoga, special tastings and have food trucks come on certain days.
I moved to WNY and I wish I could get their Optimal Wit here :(Every time I go visit I pick up a couple 6-​packs and bring them with me!

I did the brewery tour once and went back a few more times just for the tasting room. It can get a little crowded and loud in there, so I usually got a beer and went straight back through the double doors to the bench seating. Love that they have bags/​cornhole set up back there, and sometimes the food truck out front for bonus snacks. This is a great stop if you’re in the area.

6 glass Sampler with 30 min tour for $ 12. Can’t beat an awesome price like that. Look out for the pineapple outside on the sign — confirmation that it’s open for business. Parking is a challenge but be patient on the side and scout for vacating spots.

Excellent beer, and a good food truck selection. Most notably, every person that works here is incredibly friendly and happy to help with beer selection (and be friendly in general!) Can’t wait to go back!

Spent an entire afternoon at Port City trying every beer that they brew — success! We ordered several flights until we had a taste of them all, and then even brought home a full growler of the porter. The crowd here was also great, young people who just wanted to enjoy good beer. We easily found a place to sit and enjoy our time. I would come back here next time I’m in the area, and try out some of the food!

Great atmosphere, good beer selection, good service and baby friendly.
Was very happy with my recent experience, looking forward to going back.

Beer is really good, most pints (actual 16 oz, not 14 oz tumblers) are $ 5. Parking is almost non-​existent, but there is street parking. Main bar area had a decent crowd on a Saturday night, but not elbow to elbow. There are big picnic tables in the actual brewery area if you actually want to talk to your friends. There is a small upstairs area with seating and a TV.
Only suggestion is get more bathrooms… all that tasty beer has to come out at some point.
We were surprised that it was a younger crowd, mostly early to mid 20s is my guess. So it looks like craft beer is here to stay if the kids like it.
Yay beer!

What to do on a rainy, boring Saturday? Check out new places! I’ve long been a fan of Port City’s Optimal Wit and was excited to visit the source.
Tucked away on an industrial ave, port city isn’t exactly flashy from the outside, but it satisfies with a down to earth interior containing a small bar area (tvs and 2 bars included) and a much larger warehouse/​table area where the brewing actually occurs. So what about the beer?
As I mentioned the optimal wit is a good go-​to. It’s got a nice subtle flavor and is some smooth drinking. For our visit, we tried their seasonal Tidings beer. This one packed a stronger APV punch and while Christmasy, struck a good balance of having the nutmegy/​cinnamon of the season without tasting like you’re drinking a cake.
I love supporting local, and out of the DMV breweries, port city’s star shines brighter for me than Cap City and DC Brau (Dog fish head still #1. Midas touch all days ppl). Don’t expect to order food, but on my first experience there was a food truck strategically parked outside…

I’ve been to a lot of breweries (in lots of states) that have beers that taste like PB&J, grapefruit, and the like, but not one single staple. Port City is full of classic beers you’ll want to make a staple in your fridge rotation (whether that’s the Wit, pale ale, porter, or IPA), but they also have those rarer brews to try in-​house. I loved the Maniacal IPA and my husband liked the Colossus 1, which really tasted like beef jerky. I’ll forgive you, Port City. You’re allowed to try weird things when you have already established that you can actually brew good beer!
The great thing about Port City is that it’s not just one beer that’s good – each beer is consistently good, which is rare for a small brewery. That’s why they won Best Small Brewery in America at the Great American Beer Festival. If you don’t like beer, I’m not sure why you’re reading this review, but if you love beer, do yourself a favor and head to Port City already!
As for the spot, it’s out of the way, especially if you live in DC, but this is when it’s helpful to have that friend who doesn’t really like beer. They can come along for the company! The interior has a lot going on: a bar room with high tables and the brew room with picnic tables. It was busy on a Saturday night, but since they close at 9, it’s not your typical club crew. The bar room has the gross dropped ceilings common in 90’s buildings, but they try to compensate with brightly painted walls. The brew room is brightly lit and the picnic tables are neon orange – this could be disastrous for a first date, but with your friends, who cares?
For beer, I’d rate a 5, but for overall ambiance, location, etc, the brewery is a 4. The 4.5 average on Unilocal makes total sense.

I love beer. And I love yoga. So when one of my fellow yogis from the studio that I frequent mentioned that Port City offered a beer yoga event (a yoga class with a voucher for any beer of your choice), I was in there like swimwear!
The yoga class is right in the brewery with the huge tanks right in front of you. Although the sounds and the employees working in the background could be a little distracting, once you’re in the zone — you start to forget about all of the white noise. The yoga class is only about 45 minutes long and great for beginners (don’t worry; there aren’t any arm balances or crazy inversions!).
The tasting room has two bars and several tables, and there’s also an extension of the tasting room with a couch and other tables. Bathrooms are located both downstairs and upstairs (single bathrooms only). You can also purchase 6 packs of beers, or you can mix-​and-​match and create your own 6 pack with their different beers! Hands down, Optimal Wit was my favorite. Unfortunately, they don’t sell any food or snacks here (but are open if you would like to bring your own), so we went to eat afterward.
I’ll be back again for beer yoga… or just the beer. ;)

Came here for a friends surprise bday party. It was nice to try something different and new. They have the tasting set up where you can get 6 tasters for $ 10. If your in to beer I would recommend going this route, so you can taste their own selection. Plus you can pick what you want to taste, not to mention they give you tickets so you don’t get your flight at once.
I ordered an optimal whit, which is a Belgian style white ale, so delicious! They did offer three different sizes to drink from. They also offer tours of their beer garden. We opted out of this, however I did go into there beer garden for a bit. The smells were to dye for amazing. All the spices that where hitting my olfactory, was calling FALL!
I would highly recommend this place for beer lovers, as well as a fun indoor activity when the weather may not be as nice outside.

I’m not a big fan of Port City beer, it’s certainly decent enough, but there’s no shortage of some really great craft beers on the market. It boils down to this — pay for a good Port City beer, or pay the same price for a great beer from another brewery.
However, Port City Brewing earned extra points (and stars) for their Tap Room. It’s fairly large, with several of their beers on tap (naturally), and most importantly the staff was very nice. On top of that, their beer is a bit cheaper at their Tap Room than in the stores or other bars.

When you pull up to the entrance, you will see a giant sign with a pineapple on top. That is a symbol of hospitality. They might as well have the walls covered in pineapple. You will feel welcome in the entire space.
Hubby loves home brews and anything to do with brewing/​beer/​awesome beverages. There are all sorts of fun events here. We recently visited during the Oktobertest tapping. The tasting rooms are clean and festive. You can even play games inside. In addition to trying various brews, you can take home a growler or six pack. Some evenings you can even catch a band or artist playing.
The pub doesn’t serve food but you will frequently find food trucks outside. Don’t forget to take a peek upstairs. There are cozy couches and another bar.
Port City has appeared at a few Unilocal events. Their staffers are always friendly.
Bonus points for the cool chandelier hanging in the stairway.

I went there 10 minutes they closed. They were not that busy so perfect timing! I ordered a beer flight quickly.
Beer: Various. Lager, Ale, Amber, IPA, wheat, Port,… I like white beer the most. Port is good too. I’m not an IPA fan btw.
Price: Good. Beer flight 6 small glasses for $ 10?!
Staff: Friendly and nice:)
Interior: Cool! Many things to see.
CHEERS!

This was the second stop on the beer tour that I was a part of this past spring. We were treated to a private tour and tasting by Lou whom just as he started to give the tour poured us a sample of Optimal Witto start… needless to say it was awesome. It was a great start to our tour and subsequent tasting in their rambunctious and active tap too. The entire facility, located along a string of warehouses is deceiving, but once inside you are greeted by a fairly modest sizebrewing/​distribution area in the back as well as a tasting room that has two bars and several tables. I could tell there were a lot of regulars there when I visited. It looks like a cool place to hang on a Saturday afternoon.
Although they have only been brewing since 2011 (with their Essential Pale Ale being their flagship beer) — I have to say their have a very solid line up of beers.
As we had another place to be — I did not get to spend as much time as I would have liked to but picked up a mixed 6 pack which I am currently savoring.
I am not sure how much the brewery tour costs (it was included in my weekend package) but I know that afterwards each guest is given a set of tickets which allows you to try most of not all of the beers they have on tap.
Definately a place to check out if you are into craft beer, like a good atmosphere and are in the Alexandria, VA area.

I have been looking forward to trying Port City for awhile now so my boyfriend and I came in on a Friday evening from 7 – 9 for live music and Rocklands bbq food truck. It gets very packed and loud inside, so depending what atmosphere you’re looking for… keep that in mind.
Inside the place is a little commerical; it has a smaller bar and a larger bar, and then a large tour room in the back. Kind of what I would picture a large beer-​chain tasting room to look like. It was also extremely hot inside. We started our tasting at the smaller bar but was told they don’t have all the beer there so we ended up having to hop back and forth with our «tasting tickets» to complete our tasting of 6 beers for $ 10. That got to be annoying.
Halfway through, we broke for dinner. No beers outside. We wait in line at the food truck, get our food (very small serving of bbq, btw) and wander around looking for a place to eat. No picnic tables. We ended up sitting in the back of my car and sharing the last fork that was left.
We go back inside and stand by the stage to finish our beer because it was the only room available to sit. Did I mention it was extremely crowded and loud and hot inside? It just got old. And crowds and noise aside, this brewery just felt very commercial; little heart. Service was short and a little cold. We didn’t feel the love.
It’s a shame the service and atmosphere here detracts so much, because I found the beer to be really good. I actually think their beer is better than Forge Brew Works, my FAVORITE brewery, but the difference is Forge has a real low-​key, hip environment where the entrance opens up to an open-​air garage, you can bring your dogs & kids, and the staff is warm and friendly. So due to the off-​putting atmosphere here, it’s back to Forge Brew Works for the rest of the summer!

I want to like this place a lot more than I do. My most recent trip to Port City was my 5^th trip and it finally warmed up to me.
So you have two options when you hit Port City, you can drink or you can drink and take a tour. The Brewery Tour for $ 10 and you get 6 free tasting tickets. If you don’t take the tour, for $ 10 you still get 6 tasting tickets. With whatever option you go with you get to keep your tasting glass!
Parking is a little iffy. The parking lot is rather small so be prepared to park on the street.
The workers are knowledgeable and seem to love their jobs. If you have any questions about your beverage, be sure to ask!

I’m a big fan of Port City. I like almost every beer I’ve tried, with Colossal III and Tartan Ale being my favorites, though I can never go wrong with the Optimal Wit.
Their tasting room is big, with two bars and plenty of tables, but it’s a popular place so it’s fills up fast. Unfortunately, you can’t drink outside. But, they do have food trucks outside, so yay! Plus, everything is reasonably priced. Also, there’s plenty of parking.
Staff is friendly and knowledgeable (and cute!), so that’s very helpful if you are not a seasoned beer drinker.
If you love beer, cute boys, and food trucks, you should definitely visit Port City.

My fiancé and I visited Port City Brewing Co in Alexandria, VA for a brewery tour and beer tasting recently. He loves beer and I hate it, but I was still interested in visiting and learning about the beer-​making process from an educational standpoint. I even had one sip of each of his beers so I could understand the differences: D.
For $ 10, you get 6 beer tasters. They have about 10 on their tasting menu. You also get a brewery tour. You generally should probably book one of those in advance, but we arrived around the time they opened (noon on a Saturday), so we didn’t have to sign up in advance since there weren’t many people on our 1:00pm tour. They have tours every hour on the hour and make an announcement when they’re about to start a tour.
The tour took about half an hour and was very interesting. Our tour guide was very educated and he told us about the ins and outs of the beer production process, as well as the packaging and labeling and storage process. My fiancé also got to try some very fresh beer that hadn’t even been fully fermented.
Here are the beers that were on their tasting menu that day:
–Optimal Wit (Belgian — style white ale — fruitier than the rest)
–Tartan Ale (Scottish Ale)
–Essential Pale Ale (American Pale Ale)
–Northwest IPA
–Monumental IPA (British style IPA)
–Maniacal Double IPA
–Long Black Veil (Black IPA)
–Porter (with bitter chocolate and coffee flavors)
–Colossal One (Belgian Imperial Stout)
–Colossal IV (Belgian style quad)
The beers definitely got darker and more bitter (and higher in ABV) the further down the list you got.
This place is really sort of in the middle of nowhere. We took a cab to and from the brewery.
Note that the place does tend to get crowded after a couple hours, so space /​seating may be limited. This is especially true if you’re visiting on a very nice day like we did.
They don’t serve food, but they often have food trucks visit. The day we went, the Rocklands BBQ food truck was visiting and we got to enjoy amazing brisket and chicken BBQ and sides with our beer tasting experience. Their website lists the events /​food trucks that are visiting on certain days.
Oh, and they have a large blackboard near the front that lists all the restaurants in the DMV area that sell Port City Brewing Co beers. Very useful!
It was my first brewery tour experience and we both had a lot of fun! Highly recommended for a fun daytime weekend activity.