Port City Brewing Company is doing something special this weekend for its 15th anniversary.
The brewery and tasting room at 3950 Wheeler Avenue will host a two-day release party for its new Golden Rum Barrel-Aged Colossal Anniversary Ale, with “familiar notes of toffee, dried dark fruit, and subtle hop balance paired perfectively with the sweet vanilla, coconut, honey, and molasses flavors of the rum.”
“To finish off the tasting experience, floral and herbal notes add a fresh and vibrant character to this unique beer,” Port City said in a release. The brewery will also offer its classic Colossal Anniversary Ale and reintroduce its first-ever recipe, Essential Pale Ale, in new 12-ounce cans.
A weekend anniversary kick-off on Friday will focus on the new beer release, while Saturday festivities will include a photo booth, food specials from La Tingeria and three live musical acts.
- “After the Party” from 2-4 p.m.
- Acoustic set from Chris Rote from 4-5 p.m.
- “No Quick Fix” from 5:30-8 p.m.
Owner Bill Butcher said it’s been a challenging 15 years. When Port City first opened in 2011, there were about 40 breweries in Virginia and 2,600 in the country, he said. Now, “there are upwards of 400 breweries in Virginia and 9,000 in the U.S.”
“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” Butcher told ALXnow. “Here, at the end of 15 years, what we can say is that people still appreciate good, quality beer, and we’re grateful that the community supports us the way they do.”
Butcher isn’t shy from talking politics. During general elections, the venue is home to the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s straw poll. The poll is an early indicator of how the public might vote for candidates running for Congress, the General Assembly and local city races.
“We work with everybody,” Butcher said, “but what I’ve found is that having political events at the brewery tends to bring people out, because then people can have a couple beers in a relaxed atmosphere, and it ends up being a good format for a political meeting.”
In 2012, Butcher spoke before 20,000 people at the Democratic National Convention about his experiences owning a small business. Last year, he warned on multiple major outlets that the Trump administration’s tariffs would dramatically drive up the price of his beer, from $12.99 to $18.99 for a six pack. It’s significantly cut into his margins.
Looking forward, Butcher said the plan for Port City is to grow distribution in the mid-Atlantic, while keeping the tasting room as a community gathering spot.
“My family’s been in Alexandria for at least four generations,” Butcher said. “Having a history in the city of Alexandria, I wanted our brand to reflect the geography of Alexandria, and just thinking about what really best represents Alexandria, it would be the fact that it was founded as a colonial port, and so Port City, that’s the origin story of how we came to that, as a tribute to my hometown.”
