Fruit-Full Fort

Fruit-Full Fort

Dogfish Head Brewery

I guess at this point I should just give up and accept that I'm only going to review Dogfish Beers. I'm only joking of course but I couldn't help but laugh when my sister surprised me with a bottle of Fruit-Full Fort over the weekend. I swear I'll get around to some non-Dogfish Head reviews but they just have so many unique and delicious options to pick from!

Dogfish Head's Fruit-Full Fort is actually a reimagining of another Dogfish Head beer, Fort. The difference between the two? A lot more fruit, specifically berries. Fruit-Full Fort, like the Fort, is a Belgian-style ale, but this new rendition is loaded with blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries, and elderberries (I'm not sure I've ever had boysenberry or elderberry before).

The Look

Pouring the beer, I was actually surprised at how dark the color was. It looked almost like a brown ale which was unexpected given the amount of fruit packed into the beer. Holding the glass to the light, however, I found the deep reddish-maroon hues I'd been expecting.

The head of the beer was thin and tan, similar to what I'd expect from a brown ale. As with most high ABV brews, the head was not frothy or foamy at all and dissipated almost immediately after the beer was poured. If there was any doubt about the "fruitful"ness of this beer, those doubts were squashed as the sweet aroma from the brew filled the air as soon as the beer was poured.

Aroma

If you've read my previous reviews, you know that I sometimes have trouble identifying specific aromas or flavors in a beer, but that was not the case with Fruit-Full Fort. It's funny how strongly certain scents can be tied to memory, and this beer immediately transported me back to summer days spent picking fresh blackberries.

Flavor

Taking my first sip, as you'd expect, there's an immediate sweetness to this beer. The fresh berries give it a certain amount of tartness but it's not overpowering. I tend to taste sweetness from most high-ABV beers on the finish, but it's much less profound against the other flavors of Fruit-Full Fort.

The tartness of the berries seems to linger on your lips with each sip and the beer itself feels almost juicy. Not juicy in the traditional way it's used to describe more recent IPAs, but juicy in the sense that the beer leaves an almost tacky feeling in your mouth. I'd compare it to that somewhat sticky sweetness you get from a glass of cranberry juice.

Final Thoughts

Partially due to the high ABV, I took my time enjoying this beer over about an hour. As the beer warmed to room temperature the flavors morphed and began to taste less like a beer and more like a dessert wine.

There is so much going on with this beer, I wish I had another bottle to sample again, I'll definitely be on the lookout. If you love the tartness of fresh berries, I would highly recommend picking up a bottle. I think Fruit-Full Fort would be the perfect beer to enjoy outside, after dinner, watching the sunset on a warm summer evening.

Cheers!