Dogfish Head Fort sparkles as a fruit-infused "champagne of beers"

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The Beer Geek

Dogfish Head Fort sparkles as a fruit-infused "champagne of beers"

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Mac Evans

Columnist

March 27, 2009

Margot D. Miller

**SWEET TREAT:** Dogfish Head Fort, 18 percent alcohol by volume, is made with 20 pounds of raspberries per barrel and is often likened to champagne.

In the cold wind of the everlasting winter that will eventually make its way to spring, it's good to have a beer that keeps you warm and helps you feel protected throughout this extended season.

Dogfish Head Fort fits such criteria. It's named Fort since it is meant to be a beer that will last the ages, like a fort is meant to do. The beer is a whopping 18 percent alcohol by volume, putting it more into a category of wine or champagne, and even borderline spirit. Furthermore, it is brewed with over one ton of puréed raspberries: 20 pounds of raspberries for each barrel during the primary fermentation. This keeps the fruity aroma and taste after the boil, while the yeast eats the abundant natural sugars that boost the alcohol content.

Since 2005, this has been a limited beer that occasionally makes an appearance in large bottles. The artwork on the front is done by Tara McPherson, and the overall appearance of the bottle gives it more of a champagne quality. Indeed, this beer is intended to be shared. The president of Dogfish Head, Sam Calagione, has said in an interview with "Beer Advocate," a beer review Web site, that he has high hopes that this beer will be of the same caliber as a bottle of champagne or nice wine. He also mentions a couple of dessert recipes that can be created with the beer, and he has even higher hopes that this beer will be shared between two people in a hot tub with some Barry White in the background.

If you do manage to find this in a bar (Novarae Res in Portland is a good bet), you will probably be served in a much smaller glass than your peers, but the flavor and content of the beer will more then compensate for its small volume From the first sip to the last, there is a strong hint of a fruity flavor (I personally thought of bananas for some reason), and a blend of spicy and herbal aromas.

There is also an undeniably large dose of alcohol, which warms the digestive tract from mouth to stomach. The longer the beer sits out, the more the flavor of it will flourish, but the alcohol will become hotter and hotter. This produces a more complicated array of flavors like raspberry, spices, and some lime, but might also require a chaser to finish.

The overall fruitiness of the beer is balanced as much as possible, and the brew is not nearly as tart as one might expect considering it is made with more than one ton of puréed raspberries. It is strong but puckering, and the warmness of the mouth may also contribute to its distinct taste.

The bottom of the bottle, if you get there, has the most concentrated sweetness of the brew, and it is more viscous. It is also reminiscent of mead, if you're more into Valhalla. If you can find it, this is an interesting beer to pick up, and if the weather doesn't get any warmer, at least your insides can.

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