Dec 7, 2018

Dogfish Head Fruit-Full Fort

Dogfish Head’s Fruit-Full Fort is a twist on one of the company’s classic releases — Fort. I don’t believe the original beer is still in production, but I could be wrong. At any rate, what we have here with this more modern version is a big beer (~18% ABV) that is packed with a fruity blend of Raspberry, Blackberry, Boysenberry and Elderberry. And much like its ancester, Fruit-Full Fort needs more time.

This is a big beer. It’s jammy and fruity from start to the long lasting, warming finish. That blend of berries is quite tasty as hints of raisin and caramel also make an appearance before the potent alcohol obscures everything. Fruit-Full Fort is syrupy and viscous on the palate which — when combined with the alcohol warmth and berry flavors — gives the beer a cough syrup like presentation.

The bottling date on my purchase read June 18, 2018 — just a month and a half prior to these notes being taken. It was a very fresh beer and, as a result, probably hasn’t had the required time in bottle to fully come together. It’s just too boozy and medicinal right now. Just like its predecessor, Fruit-Full Fort needs a good couple of years in the cellar for all of its elements to mellow and work out their differences.