It’s the perfect weather for an award-winning Port City Brewing Company beer, and this year there are two champion brews for the choosing.
The 30-barrel brewery and tap room in Alexandria’s West End brought home gold and bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival Competition.
This year’s competition saw 107 categories of beer and cider considered by 285 professional judges.
Port City was awarded the gold medal in the Robust Porter category for its Port City Porter. The silky smooth beer has a a honey, dark brown color with notes of coffee and chocolate.
The judges also presented the brewery with a bronze medal in the Smoked Lager category for their Rauchbier. This traditional German lager is brewed with Bavarian malt and hops.
The event was held last month in Denver, Colorado, and for the beer industry getting a medal is a pretty big deal.
“The Professional Judge Panel awards gold, silver or bronze medals that are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence,” the festival said on its website. “These awards are among the most coveted in the industry and heralded by the winning brewers in their national advertising.”
Below are the qualifications to medal:
Gold — A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance
Silver — An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma and appearance
Bronze — A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma or appearance
Port City was founded by Bill Butcher in 2011. The brewery has won dozens of awards, including the a gold medal for its “Optimal Wit” at the 2024 World Beer Cup in Las Vegas.
