Was here recently with some friends and I have to base this review on the fact they only had four beers on tap and we only got dessert, but they have many more listed on their website. I get that home brewed beers are made in smaller batches but to me a brewery is going to have multiple brews on tap at all times. Now that said, the root beer flavored beer was good. I'm not a huge beer drinker but I really liked this one. On a side note, the desert was great. We got the brownie and between three people it was more than enough! I will be back again to try more of the menu and update my review. One last note, our server acted like she would have rather been anywhere else but there and was lax in checking on us. At one point we caught her gossiping with another waitress about a table right out in the open. I get it, a table might have been bad tippers, etc. but go in the back - your attitude gets reflected in tips and if I see you have one I might be inclined to tip you less.
Review Source:We went here on a Friday night and they only had  4 beers on tap with more coming out the next day.  The waitress mentioned they didn't think they were going to be as busy as they have been and ran out.   The service was ok and the beer was pretty tasty.  They had very reasonable prices for both spirits and also beer.  They also had an interesting section on the menu that I didn't try but wouldn't mind going back to try for beer and liquor combo drinks.  The only beer that I wasn't a big fan of was the root-beer flavored beer.  It reminded me of drinking a flat root-beer.  I could just shake up a can at home for the same effect. Â
On a side note we didn't eat at the fort street brewery except for dessert. Â Let me tell you the brownie dessert is huge. Â Our table of 4 picked at it and had lots left over.
I have swung by a few times and I always have had a good time with inexpensive yet quality bar food and a bit of a different take on beer.
I'll be honest, you have me with chicken and waffles. Beer battered smelt? Yeah It requires me to bring my dad to feast. Beer can chicken? Oh yeah now I am happy. At least treat yourself to a fabu scotch egg if you aren't that hungry or some pierogi smothered in kraut and onions. It's bar food yes but tasty bar food. Wash it down with beers like Doug's Turbo Sarsaparilla (a great beer for a lightweight like me) or a smooth as silk Corktown Red.
Service has been good. It's roomy in here and overall just a comfortable place to be. It has a distinct taste and personality and I for one appreciate that. Kick back and watch a game or just sip a brew (or two).
Excellent place to be at any day of the week, but especially Thursdays. Each Thursday a new, carefully concocted keg gets tapped, and the beer will flow until the keg is empty. If you're lucky, your glass of the newly tapped beer will have a sticker at the bottom of the glass for drawings for different prizes. Doug, the brewmaster, will propose a toast as well.
Don't expect any beer there to taste like the cheap and nasty stuff you can buy at the store, every beer (except for one, IMO) is an absolute treat. I won't tell you which one  is the exception, you'll have to go and find out. But I guarantee you, you'll know exactly which one it is when you try it. LOL. The food is fabulous. I love the French Dip. The soft pretzel is great, so are the pierogies and sausages.
The atmosphere of FSB is relaxed and fun. Everyone is having a great time. The staff is attentive, even Doug will jump in and help out as a host, or even a server, when it gets busy. That makes me enjoy FSB that much more endearing. :-)
If you like craft beer and watching sports while eating great burgers and sandwiches, then check out the Fort Street Brewery. Â There's plenty of room for you and your friends, and the prices are very affordable. Â My personal favorite off the menu is the crab cake sliders - they're out of this world.
Review Source:The beers are always great, its not in the best part of Lincoln park, but parking is good. Â Food was tasty but nothing exciting, though they had just changed their menu when I was there last. Â Dessert was practically non-existant, but they did at least know how to get me a rye without a million questions.
Review Source:Stopped here with my mom the other day for an early dinner. Â The food was IMO improved from the last time I had been there. Â It appears that they have streamlined their menu and the offerings are more cohesive and appropriate for the beer-pub atmosphere. Â I had the black bean burger which was really really good. Â I think that they made the patty there, it had a homemade flavor and texture. Â My mom had the sliders which were...well sliders. Â The fries were really good and served piping hot. Â The waitress recommended a beer that was to my taste as I prefer a Belgian ale style of beer. Â Kudo's to the owners for filling a niche Downriver.
Review Source:I discovered this place through the Michigan Brewer's Guild and have never made such a wonderful discovery. This is my "go-to" place any time friends from out of town come to visit, and my hangout when my friends are willing to spend a few bucks. Fantastic beers, wonderfully rotating selection, excellent gourmet food, and a brewmaster (Doug) who personally greets every table and remembers your face (if not your name). This place is one of the greatest nights out you can have, whether it's a Tuesday or a Saturday.
Review Source:This place is really great - Super staff :-) I love me some Guin & Krystal! Darts, pool, good food, and a very nice clean facility. Really cool, personable bartenders. It's also never been crazy busy, and I like that about this place. Can comfortably play some pool and enjoy a brew. I love the funny descriptions of the beers in their menu. Haha so good! I leave off a star because I'm not totally blown away by the beers but they're still good! I think I've just spoiled myself with too many Michigan beers. I do remember this place had a tapioca one though that I thought was pretty delish! Nice long bars, easily viewed tvs, and good company :)
Review Source:This place is pretty good. Great beer, good food (could be better, but good for bar food). Good place to catch a game on the big screen. My only complaint is that they would not fill up my growler from another brewery...which is fine, so I asked to purchase one of their growlers but they were sold out. They still refused to fill up the growler, so I was left with no beer and they were left without my business. Seems odd?
Review Source:Can't believe someone actually gave them one star because they, "Didn't come for beer, but that seemed to be the thing here." IT'S A BREWERY, ARE YOU KIDDING?
This place is a diamond in the rough that is Lincoln Park. Constant changing beer, most of it incredibly solid. I had a "Muffin Top Stout," I believe that was a special for a month--I regret that it was only on special, as I still consider it one of my favorites. They have a pretty varied menu, most of which is pretty solid. It's all good bar food, and it's all a pretty good price. The space is also great--very open, beautiful high ceilings. Very surprisingly pretty. Nonetheless, it can get *loud* in there--acoustics are wonky.
I do agree with other reviewers, that service is a mixed bag. I've had an awesomely sweet waitress and bartender, and also had a server who was so dumb and vapid I couldn't believe she was real.
That being said, I've come here enough times to know that I will be happy the majority of the time, hence the five stars.
I really like the beers that Doug makes. Â They are very creative brews that are not simply copies of Bell's beers, like most breweries brew around here. Â Recently I had super hoppy IPA from a firkin that had gummy bears in the cask. Â Also, the imperial stout "Beernormous" is very tasty.
They always seem to have a great IPA Â on the offer. Â Right now there is a brew "One Bag of Hops" that is a very nice double IPA.
Its a great thing that Downriver has a good brewery. Â My concern is that Downriverites who love their Bud Light and Natty Ice would not support it over the long run. Â I wish them luck.
Went here for a big group lunch at work. This place is DEAD during lunch. Their menu was pretty good for lunch and was even on the cheap side. I got the black bean burger (this should be a shocking choice if you know me). I am no pro of black bean burgers but i thought it was good. It took awhile for the food to get out but that's expected with group of 15+. I think everyone expected out boss to flip the bill but that didn't happen so we tried ot get it split up and did not succeed (which i hate). So we spent 20 mins figuring the bill out (thank god i had cash).
I would like to come back to this place again after work and try there oatmeal wheat stout. I didnt have the balls to order it with my new boss their.
Not sure if i am going to add this to my list of "places not to go if you only have an hour." I think i have to try going without a huge group first.
I have only been here one other time. It left a really good impression with me. This time a friend and i stopped by to scoop a growler and smash a pint or two. We had a chance to talk to the brewer for a few minutes and he seemed to take great pride in his work. Rightfully so. Doug brews amazing beer. I would go so far as to put them in the ranks with Kuehnen, Dragonmead and Traffic Jam as metro Detroit's best breweries.The bartender was super personable and knowledgeable about the beer and the overall state of local beers. She poured us spots of all the taps and decribed them well. The whole place is geared towards beer heads. They also have a pretty good liqour selection.
They had a number of offerings on the board. The 6x6 is an interesting and complex brew. Made with 6 types of hops and 6 types of grain it offers a malty and well rounded hop flavor. The flavor profile changes nicely through the sip and the pint. The chocolate porter was an interesting flavor as well. It didn't have the thick body of most chocolate beers and still hit the bitterness of dark unsweetened chocolate. I remember the IPA being pretty good, but a little too hot for my tastes. She poured us some sort of sarsaparilla brewed beer that was fantastic as well. Everything on the beer menu was far above average and brought a smile to my face. The happy hour menu offerings looked pretty tempting too, but i was still stuffed and had to pass. I hope to come here again. Super friendly environment. tasty pints and cheap happy hour eats. A+.
Both times that I've come here, I left saying "I've got to get back here more often!"
The first time I came, I had a pretty good visit. Good food, good beer.
This time was pretty awesome, too. I suggested going because I had a coupon from their e-newsletter. Wouldn't you know? I forgot the coupon -- I should have just shown it to the waiter on my phone. Anyway...
After  staring at the menu indecisively, I settled on the burger. How basic and boring of me?? Well, it was delicious anyway... I added the carmelized onions and pepper jack cheese.
I keep wanting to try sweet potato fries... I've tried 3 times and each time, I end up saying ... "eh. big whoop." But what did I do? I ordered them here. They were just okay. I guess the whole sweet potato fry thing hasn't won me over. I asked for a little cup of syrup to dip them in. That contrasted with my burger and all of its juicyness. My bad.
I ordered the Lincoln Lager and sampled the Sarsaparilla. The Lincoln Lager was... as they called it "for the people who don't know how to drink beer". Okay, I know how to drink beer, but the light, Lincoln Lager was familiar to me. The Sarsaparilla tasted like root beer.... then you get over it.
My friend had the fish sandwich, cole slaw and tried an appetizer which was a boiled egg wrapped in sausage and rolled in breadcrumbs. Interesting.
We also got the beer sampler. I highly advise this. Each little glass is enough for you to share with another.
The food was as delicious as I last remembered. The service was swift and our server was cool. So cool that when he came to take our order, he said "okay, ready to rock?" Â hee hee.
They have your typical bar trivia, Keno, a few TVs (not flat screens).
DO sign up for their e-newsletter. You get a weekly newsletter from the beermaster and you get a heads up on the weekly specials, an occasional coupon and more! Friend them on facebook, also, to stay up-to-date.
Cool place, not trashy, not all upscale. It's jussst right... I just have to remember to stop in more often.
We came for the sarsaparilla beer and sauerkraut balls, and we stayed for the extremely reasonable pricing and friendly service.
Fort Street does very interesting things with beer. The "root beer beer" was well done, with a nose that was very much root beer, but the taste was happily more mellow. I was also delighted to see that they had beer cocktails, but the lagerita was bland and sweet, despite the salt rim. The Snowplow and Scotch ale were both quite good.
My love affair with sauerkraut was the tipping factor in making the trip down to Lincoln Park, but the fried sauerkraut balls didn't quite live up to my imagination. They were tasty enough (what fried food isn't, really?), but too bready to consume a whole order of 8, even with four of us at the table. My vegetarian burger was OK; others at the table enthused mightily over the chicken and waffles.
The atmosphere was very chill on a Sunday afternoon. There were just enough other patrons for the bar to feel friendly, but plenty of room to spread out and the pool table was open. I would definitely want to stop back by to try more unusual beer concoctions.
To be honest, you earn at least 3 stars just for opening as a microwbrew, in a vacant market.
But Fort Street Brewery strives to really impress. Their interesting concoctions are always fun to try, and their staples pretty solid.
Their sarsaparilla beer is one of the most popular, and oddly tastes just like a root beer, but beer. Yeah, odd yet good.
They have cask pours pretty regularly, which can be hit or miss.
All of their pours are cheap, which is another shining point that Fort Street has in my book. Their hours are a bit strange, as during the week they close fairly early.
The crowd is equally as interesting, as some days you can go in and there are only a few people late in the evening, and other days where it is packed.
Either way, I love having a decent microbrewery a few miles from my family, making visits much easier.
This is a bar where I would actually spend time. Here are some reasons why:
neither a sports bar nor a dive bar
has a tasteful (read: low) number of tvs
it's not too loud but the space is pretty large
prompt service
decent food and a nice selection of craft brews (I enjoyed a couple stouts)
really good happy hour prices
Check it out. But don't get too rowdy.
I agree with many other yelpers, service is spotty. It often seems to take 15 minutes to cash out. That being said last night the service was spot on. I usually go for a special, shepherds pie, gyro tempted to try the beefarino :) . Went on a limb last night and tried the patty melt. Outside of a couple of newspaper sized chunks of onion it was pretty good, done just as I ordered. Its convenient, and reasonably cheap. I will return.
Review Source:I'd really like to give Fort St five stars. I really would. The drinks are fairly priced, the beers (of which I've only had a few) are good, the atmosphere is relaxed but fun. The consistency in two areas, though, warrants only four stars... On most nights, service is great. Sitting at the bar is the best. But every so often there's a night where the service is pretty lacking. It's the exception rather than the rule, though.
The food, though, is sort of hit or miss. The burgers - if cooked correctly (medium) are great... juicy and flavorful, topped with fresh tomato, lettuce and onion. But they don't always come out medium, unfortunately. I highly suggest the cuban and the monte christo, though. I've had much better luck with these two. Always satisfying. Oh and the fries are always great. They're always hot and cripsy.
Overall, great place to hang all night, if you're into the casual eat and brew atmosphere and can weather the 2.5-star experience every seventh or eighth time you visit.
Fort Street Brewery is, in concept, what I like to think of when I think of a local brewery. New and different beers seem to pop up like crazy and I have tried some incredibly good ones here. Unfortunately they are fleeting and mixed with many not so good ones. Their normal line up is incredibly disappointing, with nothing I would ever crave to come back for.
The food sounds pretty good on paper, especially the random specials, but has typically turned out below average. I can't say if it's preparation or just poor judgment.
A lot of the times I've came it was for various "events", like a special beer release or whatever. I get the impression there is a distinct regulars clique and feel a little out of place, like I'm at a strangers birthday party with no invitation. I don't care much for the owner/brewer addressing the crowd randomly on the loudspeaker either. In the end I'll still pop in occasionally to see whats new and support a local brewery.
I've been going to Fort Street Brewery since the day it opened almost six or seven years ago and it's still one of my favorites in Michigan!
Doug, the Brew master makes some of the best IPA's I've had, actually his was the 1st IPA I ever tried.
It's been great to see this place evolve over the years and how Pete and Doug have grown the business, bettered their beers, and even made the food better. Â I have to admit the food at first was so-so, but Doug and Pete have worked hard to make things better and it definitely shows in their ever growing menu.
The Thursday night cask tapping is a thing of beauty. Â Where else are you going to go where every Thursday you have an opportunity to try a new beer that you 99% more than likely not have any where else, or ever again for that matter? Â Yea sure, some of the beers are kinda gross due to the nature of experimentation, but some of 'em turn out awesome...I guess that's part of the charm and fun of it.
Anytime I meet someone from out-of-town or who's new to craft beer, Fort Street is one of the first places I'll always send 'em.
Read some of the reviews on-line here and had high hopes, but...
The service was good, we went Friday about 8:30 and they seated us right away. The beer was good. Had better and worse in my life. But the food was not very good.
Let me stop right there.
My food was not very good. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, my wife even said it was one of the best burgers she's ever had. So either I'm surrounded by a bunch of fools with no taste or I ordered the wrong thing.
I had the club with onion rings and it tasted like a club you would buy pre-made from a Kroger deli. The meat was packaged and the onion rings tasted like they were frozen.
Guess I'll need to give it a second shot since everyone else seemed to like it. I'll just order something different
More than just a bar.
My wife and and I regularly go to Fort Street for dinner and drinks. Â
Not only do they have excellent craft brewed beers, they have a great menu beyond your normal bar food. Â The menu is reasonably priced and they have weekly specials that are always awesome. Â We have a great meal at Fort Street with a couple of beers cheaper than Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday.
There are normally 6 of Brew Master Doug's beers on tap with a new cask conditioned ale is tapped every Thursday night with great ceremony. Â
The place is open, bright and clean. Â Definitely one of the best places to go downriver.
Terrible service for a large party of 11.
A group of my friends decided to try out FSB for some beers and food last night. When we walked in there were a good number of open tables and no one waiting to be seated. We were prepared to wait if we needed to being we had 11 total. The hostess looked at us like we were crazy when we said we had 11. Then the manager came up to us asking if we had a reservation and that there was a final four basketball game going on. Who makes a reservation for a bar? That is ludicrous. He said the tables up front were for a party of 11 that reserved them. Then he got snippy and started to move them together for us. He then said to us that "We got lucky" by him letting us have the table and him giving us the privilege to dine there. Talk about rude. Â Then a few moments later we witnessed the manager talking to a few waitresses and pointing to our table while flailing his arms in the air. I can only imagine what he was saying.
Then we waited for our menus and to be served for another 10-15 minutes. When we asked if our bills could be separated (as soon as we ordered drinks, not at the end of the meal) the waitress gave a sigh and said that she guessed that they could be separated. The food was decent and the beer was average. So why were we getting the "members only" attitude from this place? I have traveled around the state trying out breweries and places of establishment who serve microbrew beers and have never encountered such poor customer service. So when we finally got to leave 3 hours later the manager came over to our table clearing it off and moving them before we walked away. There never was a standing room crowd there, even when we arrived. So his big hurry to push us out was confusing to everyone. We weren't rowdy or loud. We didn't demand attention either. So when the manager told us that "we got lucky" really in turn meant that everyone else who takes the time to read this review will "get lucky" Â by saving their money and time and going elsewhere. Avoid FSB at all costs.
I've been here 3 times and each time I left saying to myself  "wow, I'll never go there again."  The main problem, as I see it, is that they try to do too much and would be better off if they focused on trying to do a few things well rather than a lot of things poorly.  The brewery comes out with new beers almost weekly.  But the beers have a very thin quality to them and are either tasteless or disgusting (I guess I'd prefer tasteless). Â
The service was consistently poor and the food almost inedible. Â
The owner/ brewer also loves to get on a megaphone and go on prolonged rants about his awful beers.
I was introduced to Fort Street by a friend that lives in the area. An amazing selection of beer, and there is always something new on tap. A fun casual atmosphere with a fun and friendly staff and an interactive base of regular clientele. It is the kind of place that you want to go back to, even if you have to travel a bit.
Their menu is as inventive as their beers and the food is good. I had a ham and apple Stromboli on my first visit, and have ventured the specials menu again and again. Their take on chicken and waffles is amazing...
Good prices for quality food and drinks make me want to put Fort Street on my frequently visited list.
Hands down my favorite brewpub in Metro Detroit.
Great food, cheap prices, liquor promos, and rotating food specials every week.
Pint prices are generally $3.00-4.50 which is cheaper than pretty much any other brewpub and the beer is as good or better. They have pitcher specials too, but sadly I live too far to take advantage.
They tap a new cask or release a new beer(sometimes both) every Thursday. Usually the cask is a regular beer with something extra added to the cask(orange peel, chocolate syrup, etc.)
Edit: Doug brews some of my favorite IPAs. I'd say Piston Pale is on par with Bell's Two Hearted which is saying a lot.
Good beer, good grilled chicken sandwich, and overall a very nice place.
Every Thursday they've got a new beer or two out , so there's always something new to try.
Sheri mentioned lack of service for Brew ha-ha, but I'd encourage her to try it again. I was there shortly after it ended, and heard they just had much higher attendance than they anticipated. I wasn't there, I don't know, I just know I go there fairly regularly, and have never once had a problem with service. Give them another try sometime.
This Brewery is celebrating their 4th year in business. The Fort Street brewhouse is run by Brewmaster Doug Beedy. Doug is a native of Sault Ste. Marie, MI and a graduate of Michigan State University. He received his brewers training at the prestigious Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and has worked at more than a dozen breweries in Michigan and Ohio. They  tap a different cask of cask conditioned ale every other Thursday at Fort Street Brewery. The food is not to die for but when you are drinking good micro brew it doesn't matter if you have bad food. Their Summer Sensation beer is to die for. If you like what you drink there you can buy a Growler full  to enjoy at home. Oh yeah they have Scotch Eggs......not too many other places have them other than the Renaissance Festival.
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