JMUSB Special: JMU Alum Founds Brewery

Bill Butcher attended JMU in the 80’s and graduated with a B.S. in Economics. He spent years working in both the restaurant and wine businesses, including eight years in sales with Robert Mondavi Winery before he eventually founded Folio Fine Wine Partners, a wine import agency, with Michael Mondavi. Bill recently turned his focus to craft beer and founded Port City Brewing Company in Alexandria, VA.

While JMUSB might be a sports blog, Todd and I really love craft beer. So since Bill is a JMU grad, and since it’s our blog, we decided to reach out to him and to see if he’d do an email Q&A. Luckily, he was game and agreed to answer our questions and give JMUSB readers a sneak peek at the brewery.

We started off by telling Bill a little bit about what our experience on campus in the 90’s was like (Beast Lite kegs, dime drafts, etc) and asking him to let us in on what the social scene was like in the 80’s and how he transitioned from JMU to the beer and wine industry. From his response, it certainly sounds like Todd and I would have been right at home in Bill’s days. He explained:

Micro brews weren’t really a factor in beer drinking during my days at JMU. I remember buying the best value for money, and flavor was less of a factor. Our fraternity (Ed. Note – Bill was in Sigma Phi Epsilon) poured Schaefer and Natural Light kegs. There was an obvious emphasis on quantity over quality. We stocked Busch and Natural Light in our fridge at Forest Hills, which we would buy from Jiffy 66 on Port Republic Road. Is this now Mike’s Chevron? I remember seeing Anchor Steam at Midway Market for $6.99 a six pack, and could not see why people would pay so much for beer.

After graduating, Bill moved up to the DC metro area and began working in the restaurant industry. As mentioned above, from there he moved on to working in the wine industry. He saw first hand how diners and drinkers in the DC area sought out quality and realized the timing was right to start his own brand. Bill told us:

I’ve said many times that over the past ten years, the craft beer business has gotten more like the fine wine business. There are more choices available in a growing array of styles, and people are always seeking out something new. You see more beer dinners, tastings and other events that people used to associate just with wine. I’m happy to see that craft beer is starting to get the respect in the market that it deserves, and I think it is a long term trend.

Bill definitely knows the market and definitely knows his beer. After the jump, we’ll post the entire Q&A complete with Bill’s suggestions for pairing Port City beers with JMU sporting events. Take a load off, pour yourself a cold one, and learn a bit about this exciting venture by a JMU alum.

You mentioned that consumers have evolved and begun to view craft beer much like they do fine wine. Beer is no longer just something you drink with your buddies, but something that can add to one’s enjoyment of food. How will that trend impact the styles of beer Port City Brewing brews?

Our over-arching style for our beers will be similar to wine in many ways. We are looking for a balanced style, that highlights both the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of the hops. The beers will be easy to drink, delicious, and complex, with a crisp, clean finish that invites the drinker back into the glass for another sip. This same sense of balance is what I look for in wine, both red and white. For red wine, I look for a balance between the bitter tannins and fruit character, and in whites I look for a balance between ripe fruit on the palate and the crisp acidity in the finish of the wine. This balance is what makes wine enhance the flavor of food, and the same can be said for beer. However, our beers will also drink great on their own!
I never got into high alcohol, over-ripe wines, or “fruit bombs” that have become popular, especially from Australia and then California. I have always looked for complexity and balance. The same philosophy will guide our brewing profile.

We agree that the DC area has a sophisticated dining, craft beer, and wine scene. There are a number of high quality retailers offering tastings, plus a bunch of great restaurants and bars that specialize in craft beer, such as Rustico, Columbia Firehouse, ChurchKey, Pizzeria Paradiso. Do you have any plans at this time to tap into those sorts of places with special limited release beers, beer themed dinners, or tastings?

Absolutely, YES!! We are thrilled at the growing number of great and successful beer-centric restaurants and bars in the area. We plan on working with them to put on exciting and fun events, as well as educational tastings. We are looking forward to it, so stay tuned!

It’s funny that you specifically bring up the importance of balance in a beer, because we were talking recently about how some brewers seem to be cranking up the bitterness and catering almost exclusively to hop-heads in recent years. You’ve explained your preference for more balanced beers, so what are some of your favorite beers to drink now?

There is definitely a trend towards many more stronger beers, more hops, more exotic ingredients. The great thing about this is that there has never been more choice available to beer drinkers. There an unprecedented amount of experimentation going on right now among small brewers, and this results in new styles being created. Some will last, others will not, which ultimately is up to consumers to decide. The preferences of beer drinkers also evolve, and a style that has been popular may not be in a few years. I’ve seen in the wine business that the shift to extremely ripe, rich, and alcoholic reds, in some areas, it’s actually starting to turn back again, like a pendulum, towards more a more restrained and again, a balanced style with more structure and less ripeness, less oak and less alcohol. The same may be true with craft brew in a few years, when all of the hop-heads have been discovered, and people may rediscover balance and restraint in brewing. The truly exciting thing is the amount of choice in styles of beer. The U.S. Is without question the most dynamic and exciting beer market in the world right now. What a great time to be an American craft beer drinker!!

As far as my favorite beers to drink now, like virtually all craft beer drinkers, I eagerly seek out new offerings, and have a select few go-to beers. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Achor Liberty Ale have been staples, and I mean basic daily necessities, in my house since the early 90s. Lately we have been enjoying Bell’s Oberon and Two Hearted Ale, and Harpoon IPA and Summer Beer. I’m also a big fan of Brooklyn Brewery, and I could go on and on.

We know that you’ve brought Jonathan Reeves on to be the head brewer. He spent a lot of time perfecting his craft brewing at Sweetwater Tavern. What is it about Jonathan and his beers that made you realize he was the one you wanted brewing for Port City?

Jonathan Reeves has been brewing professionally for over 16 years, and has a long consistent track record of crafting award winning beers. He has won five medals at the Great American Beer Festival, and dozens of regional awards. He has brewed at small brewpubs, established packaging breweries, and has worked several startups as well. We share a similar philosophy of seeking balance and integration of flavors in our beer.

I like to say that Jonathan is “suitably obsessive over quality for our project,” and he believes that the best beers come from the best quality ingredients. He also is appropriately committed to cleanliness in the brewery, and knows that in order to make great beer, you have to start with and maintain a clean brewery. I believe that you can taste that in his beers!! In short, Jonathan is a great brewer!!

As you’ve mentioned, craft beer, much like fine wine, is now recognized as something that pairs well with food. Todd and I would argue that craft beer also pairs quite well with JMU sports. In your opinion, which of Port City Brewing’s beers pair best with each of the following scenarios? 1.) Tailgating in the Fall getting ready to watch the JMU football team crush Delaware at Bridgeforth Stadium. 2.) Celebrating with friends on a cold Winter evening after watching the Dukes basketball team beat ODU in the Convo. 3.) Enjoying the warm sunshine from the comforts of Veterans Memorial Park while watching the Diamond Dukes play baseball.

Tailgating in the Fall getting ready to watch the JMU football team crush Delaware at Bridgeforth Stadium: I’d suggest our IPA. It will be hop-scented, full bodied and complex. The hops will be perfectly balanced with the fruity malt, and will have a crisp finish that invites you back for another sip.
Celebrating with friends on a cold Winter evening after watching the Dukes basketball team beat ODU in the Convo: This sounds like it might be the last beer of the evening, and I’d suggest a Port City Porter. This brew will be dark and full bodied, rich both in flavor and texture. Bitter dark chocolate notes will intermingle with the creamy texture, and the brew will have a long satisfying finish, just like game you just watched!

Enjoying the warm sunshine from the comforts of Veterans Memorial Park while watching the Diamond Dukes play baseball: I’d send over a case of our Port City White Ale. This beer will be lighter in body, and very crisp and refreshing. Traditionally, Belgian white ale is brewed with coriander and orange peel, and ours will continue this tradition. While not heavy on the palate, it will be complex, with layers of bright flavors that evolve as you sip this beer. You will notice the citrus flavors on the crisp finish of this refreshing beer, and it will be perfect for spring and summer outings.

You and Jonathan sound pretty excited about the opportunity to develop your actual brewery. Where is it going to be located and when will it be operational? When do you expect the beer to hit the shelves?

Port City Brewing Company will be located at 3950 Wheeler Avenue in Alexandria, VA. We will be two miles west of the King Street Metro. We will conduct regularly scheduled tours and tastings at the brewery, and we will sell beer to go from our tasting room. Beer will be available to go in bottles, kegs, and 1/2 gallon refillable growler bottles. As we are a production and packaging facility, we will not have a pub, bar, or any food service, and beer will be for sale for off premise consumption only.
We hope to start brewing in late Fall, and have beer available in our tasting room by Christmas, 2010. We will roll out to the retail and restaurant market just after the 2010 Holiday Season. Look for our beers on the shelves and on tap in Metro DC in early 2011.

Todd and I really can’t thank Bill enough for taking the time do this. We can’t wait to try all the Port City beers and are sure they’ll become a staple at JMUSB tailgates in the future. We’ll keep you posted when the brewery is operational and the beers hit the shelves.