Located at the intersection of W.9th and Front Avenue, just above the Aloft Hotel, Portside is close to both the Warehouse district and the new East Side Flats developments, but sits off on its own. A little more relaxed and mellow Portside is a cool bar that brews its own beer and rum. The bar has lots of brick and wood which gives the place a welcoming feel and you would think the bar has been here for a long time.
On Saturday and Sunday afternoons you can do a tour and it is an interesting and different great time. I went on Sunday and had Tess as a tour guide, and she is wonderful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The tour will take you into two different rooms where the beer is brewed and the rum is distilled. Tess carefully explained the process for both and made the whole thing fun.
After the tour you get to sample one of the rums and one of the beers. I tried the Chocolate Porter and the Maple Vanilla Rum. The Porter was dark and slightly bitter with a smooth mouth feel and coffee and chocolate notes. It is a full bodied beer that is very satisfying. The rum is mellow with a hint of vanilla and a subtle maple aftertaste.
Portside is a great place to get some craft brewed beers or some great rums. If you are interested the tour is a nice activity and you can learn some new things.