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When the beer world is turning to fruity sours and sessions, why would Port City Brewing Company release a big, hoppy IPA now?
“It’s not like IPA is in decline,” says owner Bill Butcher. “It’s still the most popular beer.”
After a year and a half of on-and-off development, Port City launches Integral IPA (7 percent ABV, 60 IBUs) with a party at the Alexandria taproom on July 21. It wasn’t until head brewer Jonathan Reeves judged the American IPA category at the Great American Beer Fest in 2015 that he became interested in developing one back in Virginia.
However, Butcher did stress this hop-bursting IPA is “still well-balanced,” a signature of Port City’s even-toned lineup.
The brewery is now in eight states and will start distributing to Pennsylvania next month. Down the street, the cold storage warehouse is now operational and acts as a shipping hub. Later this fall, a new bottling line will more than triple how many beers can be bottled: from 60 per minute to 180. Next year, the tasting room will get a facelift and increase to 28 taps between the two bars. But don’t expect a kitchen.
Says Butcher, “We’re in the beer business, not the restaurant business.”
