What was brewery port wine?

In Anthony Trollope's Victorian era novel _Rachel Ray_ there is a passing reference to "brewery port wine." Luke Rowan, the young partner in an English brewery, "was sitting at the moment after dinner with his glass of brewery port wine before him." I wonder what this was. Without the word "wine" I would feel moderately comfortable guessing that it might be a glass of especially rich and alcoholic stout, also called porter. Then there is the possibility that the wine word was simply a mistake arising from the tremendous speed at which Trollope customarily wrote. But does anyone know of a beverage that was referred to specifically as "brewery port wine"?

In England the term "brew" is used to describe the production of all beverages through fermentation and not only to beer as we think in the States. So in the novel the "brewery" was simply the dedicated building in which the wine was made.

Drew

In current contemporary parlance, 'Rachel Ray' refers to a bottom heavy brew of great simplicity, managing to be annoying and vapid all at once.

I'll take a wild stab at this one. Many pubs in England are owned by the brewery and leased to the operator; all the beer sold is supplied by that brewery. These are known as 'tied houses'. Could it be that breweries had a private label port that would be sold in their tied houses?

This system has been breaking down in recent decades, BTW. Some brewing companines decided that running pubs was more profitable than brewing beer and became pub companies. As a result, some long time brewers have shuttered all their breweries, much to the disgust of those seeking a regional favorite. A pub without a tie is called a 'free house' and in the case of an authentic one, can be a have for a beer lover, due to the (sometimes) wider choices available.

Joe, I have drunk beer in English tied houses but have no idea when they were introduced and can recall no references to that term in Victorian era fiction. Does anybody have an idea when they came into being?

Joe, I have drunk beer in English tied houses but have no idea when they were introduced and can recall no references to that term in Victorian era fiction. Does anybody have an idea when they came into being?

I seem to recall the tied house becoming common in the 18th century, with the rise of porter brewing around London. But that was a long time ago, so my memory is hazy.

My thought on the question was that it was Port (i.e fortified wine from Portugal) sold from a pub under their own label.

Untill recently most pubs were 'tied' to the local brewery. Legal changes concerning pub ownership designed to open up competition cause a wholesale selling off of pubs. That and social changes including drink/drive laws and cheap supermarket beers have resulted in closing at an enormous rate.

I have the info re: Tied House origins in one of my books at home, I'll find the relevant text later.