Port City

The Fourth in the COLOSSAL Anniversary series is appropriately a Belgian-Style Quad. COLOSSAL FOUR is dark caramel in color. It is rich in flavor without being overwhelming sweet or bitter. It is a malty brew made with a special dark candy date sugar. It has a slight roast flavor and shows complex, dark fruit flavors of raisins, dates and cooked apples all mixed with a bit of chocolate.

Our anniversary is in the middle of winter; the darkest, coldest days in the Mid Atlantic. To celebrate our first anniversary, we brewed a very special, strong dark ale to warm us against the cold. Imperial Stout is an extra strong version of stout, which originally was brewed by the British to withstand the rigors of export. We used the West Malle Trappist yeast to give it a Belgian character. The beer shows aromas of bakers chocolate and dried fruits. It is rich, dark and strong, with flavors of espresso and dark swiss chocolate, spice and a touch of orange zest.

COLOSSAL™ THREE is a Heller Bock. Heller Bocks are the palest and hoppiest of Bock style beers. Ours is a beautiful tawny color which comes from the Munich malt. We have chosen noble hop varieties that impart floral, spicy aromas and flavors. This lager beer was fermented cold and aged at 32 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 weeks. The long fermentation and aging process gives this strong beer a remarkably clean finish, for which our beers are known.

As our anniversary falls in the middle of winter, the darkest, coldest days in the Mid Atlantic, we have brewed a strong, dark ale to warm us against the cold. Our Second Anniversary Ale is a very limited Smoked Imperial Porter, called TWO. This Porter is a stronger, smoked version of our flagship Porter. It is dark brown, almost black in color, and has a smoky, roasted aroma and smooth, rich, complex smoke and chocolate flavors. Our Brewers and the Tasting Room crew teamed up to mill in by hand 5000 pounds of German beech wood smoked malt and 600 pounds of roasted malt. This was all done bag by bag over the course of an afternoon, truly a labor of love! Enjoy TWO with smoked meats and cheeses in front of a fire.

On June 29th, 2012, a “land hurricane” wreaked havoc on the DC Metro region and Port City’s hometown. Knocking over trees and powerlines, this derecho (day-RAY-cho), as the storm is called, left a million without power during a record-breaking heatwave. While the brewery was not damaged, we were left without power and searching for a way to SAVE THE BEER. Procuring a generator, we were able to keep the brewery online and the beer saved. One batch of lager fermented at higher temperatures, producing what is called a California Common beer, or steam beer. The storm left us a gift: our lager had changed into a golden opportunity, DERECHO COMMON. DERECHO COMMON is deep golden in color, and has toasty, biscuity malt flavors. It is medium bodied with an assertive hop profile. It is dry hopped with Amarillo hops, which give it a spicy, citrusy hop kick on the finish.

The beer is a deep golden color and medium bodied, with a soft round malt profile and crisp and spicy hop character on the finish. This lager is brewed in the traditional Pilsner style, using authentic Pilsner malt and noble Saaz hops. Downright Pilsner gets its carbonation completely naturally as it lagers in our fermentation tanks for six weeks. A unique twist on this beer is the dry hop ad

Essential Pale Ale is a deep golden color with hop aroma reminiscent of fresh fruit. The pleasing bitter taste from American hops is balanced with English and German malts, and offers a complex full flavored character that is smooth and refreshing.

Port City’s Hefeweizen is a Bavarian-style Wheat Ale pouring hazy golden with fluffy white foam. This beer has aromas of clove and spice with a softer note of ripe banana. The flavor is no less complex with tart and citrusy notes, balanced by subtle flavors of clove, spice, and ripe banana. The finish is satisfying and refreshing, prost!

They've taken their Hopzooka and double dry-hopped the new Maniacal Double IPA. Brewed with CTZ, Chinook and Simcoe hops.

Monumental IPA is a rich copper color, and is intensely hoppy. We add a special blend of American hops throughout the brewing and fermentation process to create a complex combination of aroma and flavor. This ale exhibits floral notes, flavors of citrus and resin, combined with delicious caramel background notes. The balanced style will keep the palate fresh and invite the drinker back into the glass.

Port City Oktoberfest is a traditional Märzen style lager, brewed with all German malts and hops. This beer is amber in color, with malty, gently sweet flavors of crusty bread, leading to a clean dry finish with a touch of noble hops. Our Oktoberfest is served in the 'keller' or 'Zwickel' style and is unfiltered.

Our Optimal Wit is brewed in the Belgian Wit Bier tradition. It is brewed with raw wheat and oats, and steeped with coriander, orange peel and grains of paradise. This ale is a pale golden color with a bit of cloudy haze from natural yeast in the bottle. This unfiltered ale offers layers of complex, nuanced flavors that evolve in the glass. It finishes crisp and refreshes the palate.

This American Pale Ale pours hazy golden in color. The nose is lively with notes of bright citrus and stone fruit. Silky-smooth in mouthfeel with a surprisingly full body, the finish is soft with flavors of clementine, apricot, and melon.

Pizza Night is your perfect, go-to pizza night beer. This amber lager is a czech-style Polotmavé or half-dark lager, that is unfiltered and lagered for over three months, giving the beer time to naturally clear. Amber in color, Pizza Night has a medium body with a crisp and toasty malt backbone that is balanced by notes of citrus and spicy tones implemented by the use of Czech hops. Everyone's favorite night is Pizza Night, and it just got a whole lot better!

One of our earliest noted brews, our robust Porter remains a flagship brew for Port City. This beer shows bittersweet flavors of coffee and dark chocolate, with a very complex malt character enhanced by yeast fruitiness. It pours ink black with a rich brown lace in the head.

Port City Revival Stout is a limited edition beer that we made with oysters from War Shore Oyster Company. Crafted by Head Brewer Jonathan Reeves, this beer is brewed in the British and Irish tradition of oyster stouts. We steep War Shore’s Chesapeake Bay oyster shells in the brewing water to add mineral content and then add the oysters and their liquor to the brew during the boil. The oysters add a subtle whiff of a sea breeze, a slight briny character and a smooth textural element to the beer.

Port City’s Schwarzbier is a German-style black lager pouring deep brown in color. Notes of coffee and toasted malt are in the aroma with a hint of hops. This smooth lager has a soft bittersweet dark chocolate flavor, finishing.

Scottish beers in the 1800’s were taxed on their strength, with the strong and better quality beers costing more. Customers developed the habit of asking for them by the tax ratings, or shilling names. The 80-shilling style was one of the stronger types that could be purchased, containing 4.0-5.5% alcohol.

Tidings Ale is a strong Belgian style blond ale is brewed with local Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat. These special ingredients store away the flavor and essence of summer, and later warm us during the cold winter months. It is gently spiced with coriander, cardamom, fresh ginger and grains of paradise. This strong holiday ale is meant for sipping and sharing with friends and family. We hope this limited production beer brings tidings of cheer to you and yours during the holiday season!

Crafted specifically for the return of spring, Ways & Means will be a full bodied ASB. It will be complex and hoppy with a spicy, peppery character, which comes from a generous addition of rye malt. This golden-amber ale is also remarkably low in alcohol, at only 4.5%, making it extremely crisp and thirst-quenching for the transition of spring into the summer season. This ASB will have pleasant bitterness, with 55 International Bitterness Units (IBU), making it smooth and refreshing.