Alice Wang

Review of Port City Brewing Company

Great place if you like beer and breweries. For on...

Great place if you like beer and breweries. For only $9, you get a tour of their facility and 6 tickets for refills of the 8 beers they have on tap. Talk about a steal!

Public tours take place at 6:30 pm on Friday; 1-6pm every hour on the hour on Saturday; and 2 & 3pm on Sunday -- reservations are not required, but they are suggested, as tours often sell out.

Beers that I tried:
+ Optimal Wit: Belgian-style white ale. Very light and crisp with an aftertaste of oats.
+ American Porter: their flagship porter. Smooth.
+ Monumental IPA: pale ale with complex flavors. Blend of bitter and sweet.

Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, despite the madness of folks there on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Parking is actually pretty easy; I snatched a spot right outside their doors and there's plenty on the streets if there's none in the lot. The brewery is in this industrial part of Alexandria, so when you drive there, you'll notice a bunch of warehouses. Don't worry, you're in the right place.

You can buy your brewery tour ticket online if you want, which saves a bit of time especially if you're going on the weekend. The tour is pretty short but they even give you a sample on the tour. This is definitely a laidback place. I wish they sold food here to go with the beer though. Even so, I think a lot of people will enjoy this place.