Fort Street is actually a short drive south from Detroit proper in the town of Lincoln Park. Last week we talked about Dhestil, a microbrewery with really good food and beer complete with an almost pretentious aura about themselves as evidence by their maverick spelling of a word that has nothing to do with what happens at the brewery.
This place is the opposite of that.
This place is more neighborhood bar and grill. More relaxing, more kick back and throw back several beers with friends. For example, I tend to gloss over the brewery descriptions of their beers. It can be valuable information for more eccentric beers, but often it's just what the brewer wants be to think of his beers, and I may respectfully disagree.
Here, they are worth a look for the entertainment value alone. For example:
"Supermassive Black Hole of Deliciousness (The name of the beer alone is pretty awesome): A rye stout made with Michigan tart cherries. Now before you go go off and say, "I'm a man! I don't drink fruit beer;" shush! Don't speak! Not all fruit beers are sweet. This beer starts chocolaty, with just a hint of tartness in the finish. So man up!"
They didn't actually have this one on tap when I was there, which is kind of a shame. I really wanted to try it.
The downside... okay the beers aren't as good. They are not bad. One bordered on undrinkable, for me at least, but not bad. The food is really good, fairly inexpensive and interesting. I had Pierogies & Bratwurst which, if you've never had pierogies before are like little cheesy potato dumplings. Pretty awesome. On to the beer:
Doug's Turbo Sarsaparilla: This is a root beer flavored beer. I think someone once asked me if something like this is possible. Well, now I have proof. The aroma is pure root beer. The flavor is not as good as I thought it would be. Root beer flavor starts off strong with a fizzy mouthfeel but the it just vanishes. I'm sitting there almost thinking, "Hey! I wasn't done with that!" Not a bad beer, just.... Meh.
Burning Leaf: This is the breweries obligatory octoberfest beer. No aroma to speak of, very bitter for the style. There are some malts at the beginning, but it finishes very dry and bitter. Slight herbal hops flavor but mostly just bitter. No flavor just that heavy, back-of-the-throat feel.
Downriver: Again, no aroma to speak of. It starts off big and malty and then it just deflates. Just like the root beer beer, the flavor hits and runs leaving a slight dry herbals bitter flavor in its wake.
Up North Rye Pilsner: Toasted caramel aroma here. For a pilsner, this beer is loaded with flavors. I imagine that pilsner purist would probably scream and yell, but you can't argue with the results. There is berry fruit flavors on top, then it slides in to caramel. Ends with medicinal hop flavors.
Chocolate porter: Slight coffee aroma. Smooth mouthfeel with lots of chocolate. It was like a glass of hot cocoa... except not hot. And some very slight roasted notes and hop flavors, but mostly like cocoa.
SIPA: Starts with a very very light hop aroma. Remember the beer I said was near, undrinkable... here it is. Not a hop bomb as much as a hop flood. Piney at times but is mostly strait up bitter. A spoon full of alpha acids. The flavor rises and rises, like biting into a hot pepper. It's good at first, then it starts getting a little too bitter, you make a face and finally you swear never to drink this beer again.
Count Chocula : Very light chocolate in the aroma. In the flavor the chocolate malts mixes with some pretty powerful herbal and pine hops. Different from most chocolate porters, but the flavors clash more then they compliment.
Backyard IPA: This one was by far my favorite. It has a very light wine aroma. The flavor is like slightly sweet hoppy wine. Piney, herbal hops kind of mix and enhance the citrusy sweet flavors present in the beer. Apparently the flavor comes from a hop I must find.
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