Dan and I just got back from the Port City Brewery tour. Dan had gone last weekend, but was determined to bring me along this time around. I have to say, I was impressed. Their four staple beers are a wit, an IPA, a Pale Ale and a Porter. Given five tasting tickets, I tried all four and went back for another round of the Monumental IPA. Anybody who knows my taste in beer would be shocked. I opted for more IPA? It was a big surprised to me when it came out of my mouth, considering how much I liked the porter.
My impression was that they are going to do really well in this market. There were a ton of people there for the tour and the owner mentioned he may have to add a third tour to keep up with demand. They had a board up with all the retail locations that serve their beer and the list was long and filled with quality stores and restaurants. It seems they're off to a good start.
Since it was so busy, we only got a few minutes alone with the owner, but I will certainly be pestering him in the coming weeks about offering my services this summer to help out. Any experience in a brewery is better than no experience at all. And since Dan wants to model a future brewery after this one, the experience could pay off.
I would just like to add that their IPA and pale ale are both really good. The trip to Port City provided a good contrast to the DC Brau event the night before too, since the DC Brau Public that they debuted was supposedly of the "American Pale Ale" style which Port City's Essential Pale Ale also claims to be. Both of Port City's offerings are less hoppy and much more balanced (and much more drinkable, to me anyway) than the DC Brau version of the style, and I think Eric's comment about going back for more IPA really drives this home. Even people that typically don't love IPAs would enjoy Port City's version.
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