Port City (Photo by
Since Port City Brewing Company opened in 2011, the local craft brewery scene has exploded—and so has business for the oldest packaging brewery in the D.C. area. Now the brewery that created nationally-acclaimed beers like the Optimal Wit is expanding, with a little help from both Virginia and Alexandria.
Both the city and state kicked in $250,000 each to help fund Port City’s $2.6 million expansion on an industrial site in Alexandria. In return, they expect to receive $300,000 in tax revenue from the company over the next five years. The brewery has also agreed to source 75 percent of its agricultural products—like the hops, wheat, fruit, and herbs used in its beers—from Virginia, since the state grant comes from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. The expansion effort is expected to create 26 new jobs, help the brewery double production, and expand its distribution outside the Mid-Atlantic, according to a release from the state.
Port City President & CEO Bill Butcher trumpeted his family’s deep Virginia roots dating to the 18th century and the Virginia wheat that goes into the famous Optimal Wit.
Governor Terry McAuliffe lauded the brewery in a statement and called craft brewing a key part of the state economy:
“Port City is a nationally renowned craft brewery, and I am thrilled to help them launch a new chapter in their growth. Growing the craft beer industry and all the industries it supports is an integral part of our new Virginia economy, and the Commonwealth has quickly become one the most significant player in the craft beverage industry on the East Coast.”
