Fort
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

FortFort
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From:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
Fruit and Field Beer
Ranked #103
ABV:
18%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,493
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 17.69%
Reviews:
576
Ratings:
1,335
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 17, 2023
Added:
Feb 05, 2005
Wants:
  174
Gots:
  438
An ale brewed with a ridiculous amount of pureed raspberries (over a ton of 'em!). Fort has a Belgian-style base, then we follow a similar fermentation process to the one we use on our other super-high ABV beers, 120 Minute IPA and World Wide Stout.

49 IBU
ABV varies from 15-18%.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Todd:
Photo of Todd
Reviewed by Todd from Finland

4.39/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured into a long-stemmed, wide-bowled red wine glass the 1 pint, 9.6 fluid ounce bottle pours a hazy tea appearance, with shimmering orange hues and shades of pink and peach. The beer is topped with a respectable white foam head with wispy lace and gentle cling to the inside of the glass.

Big aroma of raspberries and huge solvent alcohol fumes, akin to Chambord, and pungent as the beer warms. Dots of savory spices and fresh hops in the nose, too.

The lively carbonation not only helps to retain the lacing, but it's the first introduction to the beer. It's spritzy, invigoration and amps up the beer's sharpness on the palate, followed by a smooth creamy feel. Alcohol definitely makes itself known. The heat worms its way into the palate with solvent and spice. Raspberry flavor is juicy, tart and dominates as it mingles with the alcohol to create a unique cordial-like experience. Malty backbone with sublet caramel, honey and vanilla lingering in the background. Belgian-esque with a dose of candi sugar-like sweetness and spices found in some Belgian ales. Suggestions of lime in the bitterness compliment the tart raspberry. Slight leafy hop character comes across the palate, followed by a salty edged linger on the tongue as the beer fades and dries away. Some solvent heat and spice remain in the finish with faded raspberry flavors for quite sometime.

Definitely one to share with friends, or someone special as "lights out and good nightcap." Although the beer's flavors open up as the beer warms, some might want to stick to serving cold to avoid the alcohol heat.

Pair it with something big and bold, like a Baked Brie en Croute, a hot chocolate torte, or selection of soft dark Belgian-style chocolates. Or better yet, make mini-fruit cups with fresh peaches and raspberries and soak them overnight with half a bottle of Fort. Top with fresh cream and a mint leaf, and pair the dessert with the other half of the bottle.
Jan 27, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of MadMadMike
Reviewed by MadMadMike from France

3.96/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Cave treat 2015 12 ounce bottle, poured into 2 DFH taster’s snifters. Nice little foam pops up and sinks into the deep amber and reddish haze.
Sweet raspberry aroma is nice. Kinda lambic and there’s a whiff of alcohol present.
Taste is berry fruitness with a tart follow. Again, the alcohol.,.
Mouth is fruit forward, dry, medium body and liw carbonation, undoubtedly from the aging.
Overall, a nice surprise visit from an old friend.,.
Apr 17, 2023
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
2015 poured from tap in Austin, TX. Pours an interesting orange/red with a good amount of off-white head. Nose was full of grapefruit, raspberry puree, and booze. The taste was a bit much for me. Solvent, grapefruit, cherries, citrus peel, some toffee, raspberry. Burning alcohol on the way down.
Jan 05, 2023
 
Rated: 3.25 by mpenske from California

Mar 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.3 by tuka from New York

Jan 05, 2022
Photo of harrypowers
Reviewed by harrypowers from Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Reviewing a 10/24/15 or a 5 1/2 year old bottle here that I got on closeout sale.

Pours a murky reddish brown with a tiny head and little lacing.

Smells of booze and tart fermented sweet fruit. It is like hard cider smells.

Tastes of tart and slightly sour raspberries, plums and cherries. It is sweet with a slightly bitter and very boozy finish.

Medium heavy body with a slight prickly carbonation. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel.

This is a complex and powerful sipping brew.
Jun 25, 2021
 
Rated: 3.23 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

May 04, 2021
 
Rated: 4.14 by crazyspicychef from Pennsylvania

Nov 15, 2020
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 10/24/15, just about 5 years on this thing. Better days when this was bottled

So another huge, over the top DFH brew? I’m all in. But then again, I’m always all in for these guys

Pours a murky brown with tons of particulate floating about and a finger of off white head that reduces to a ring. No lacing but leaves legs

Despite 5 years of age, the raspberries still smell very fresh and jammy here. The berry notes are carried by sweet, heavy molasses and brown sugar

This thing is decadent but not overly complex in taste. To start things off, we get slight alcohol and malt with lightly tart raspberries. After the swallow, the alcohol heat comes through with fruity esters. The tartness subsides to bring just pure raspberry flavor

Medium full bodied with very mild carbonation leads this to drink like a dessert. Finishes mostly dry, just coating the mouth. Does not at all feel like 18%

This one was definitely big and rich, I was just wishing it was a little more tart. I found the fruit full fort a while back and set it down in the cellar for a special day, hopefully for an engagement or wedding. I’m glad I tried this and that I have the other variant, but maybe this wasn’t worth $10 a bottle
Jun 25, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Apr 23, 2020
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle date is hard to read but I think it's from 2015ish

A: Poured into a tulip to a deep reddish brown topped by a dense finger of off white head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S; Smells of raspberries and alcohol with a little bit of spice
T: Taste is tons of raspberries and a hint of spice. Alcohol is also apparent but builds slowly. Slight toasted malts and a hint of honey sweetness but mostly fruit on this one. On the swallow there's a lot of raspberries, alcohol, spice, and lingering hints of toasted malts.
M: This beer is fairly full bodied with a syrupy feel on the palate from all the fruit and sugars. Carbonation is slightly effervescent but it isn't over the top while the beer has a drying finish due to the high ABV.
O: Overall this beer is much better with time. Fresh the alcohol is way too hot but after some time it does mellow out well and allow all the raspberry influence to shine. Not much in the way of complexity but they set out to make the highest ABV fruit beer they could. Sort of worth a try if you want to tick it or want to try a high octane fruit beer.
Oct 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.43 by ajm5108 from Pennsylvania

Sep 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.61 by emerge077 from Illinois

Jun 14, 2019
 
Rated: 3.5 by Eychung from New York

Jun 05, 2019
 
Rated: 2.99 by probert from New York

Apr 06, 2019
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottled 10/23/15; drank 12/6/15 @ the Yarchives.

Semi-opaque ruby red appearance.

A rough pour yielded a nice white head; decent lace.

Tart raspberry, sweet strawberry, honeyed grain & booze heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Syrup-y raspberry & strawberry flavors up front; strong booze heat notes on the finish.

A cloying, boozy mess; not worth even trying fresh. I've tasted what a beauty this can become, but 2 months in it's a drainpour.
Mar 25, 2019
Photo of micada
Reviewed by micada from New York

4.56/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
OMG! 10/23/15 bottling date. Raspberries dominate the nose on opening. Poured cellar temp to a tulip glass. Copper-red color with no head, some lacing. First sips are super sweet raspberry with a back-end of Belgian funk. 3.5 years did really good things to this. 3 more on the shelf. ABV nowhere to be found, but I know it’ll show up later. Slight warming. Just wow! IIRC, fresh was more heavily funk flavor with a bitterness that was not appealing. The cellaring made a huge difference. There is a fair amount of sediment which is either the raspberry purée or yeast, but the beer is so thick now that the particles stay suspended all the way through. I’ll be trying to find more old bottles, and I think I should get some of the fruit-full to cellar.
Mar 17, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by shelby415 from Oregon

Mar 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.31 by Duncian from Pennsylvania

Feb 20, 2019
 
Rated: 3.52 by Reggie_Dunlop from Pennsylvania

Jan 13, 2019
Fort from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 1335 ratings