Tap Handle #545: Fortnight

December 02, 2015

Tap Handle #545: Fortnight - Porter

Tap size: 11.5"
Rarity: Rare
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

The Fortnight lion tap is much better in person - photos don't really do it justice. Resembling marble-sculpted lion statues that you would see at the entrance to an estate, this tap actually looks like real marble, thanks to the beautiful paint job and the cracks and chips sculpted into it. The lion sits on a pedestal and holds a shield under one paw. The shield is where the beer label is attached. At the top of the pedestal, both front and back, the brewery's name is carved and painted black. Overall its a really beautiful tap. They have become easy to find, and as a result are very inexpensive on the secondary market.

Click through to read more about Fortnight Brewing, their Porter Ale, and to see more photos of this stately tap...

Fortnight Brewing was founded in Cary, North Carolina in 2014 by Stuart Arnold, Mo Mercado, David Wilkinson, Dave Gardner, Dave Urban, and father and son Bob and Will Grezcyn. Arnold was a native of Maltby, South Yorkshire, England, and used to watch his father make wine from blackberries he foraged. Like his dad, Arnold began making beer from kits, eventually becoming a home brewer. He joined the Air Force and traveled to Belgium and Germany, where he experienced beers such as Chimay. After leaving the Air Force, Arnold had an IT job, but he still craved English beers, so he looked into starting a brewery. He started with one set of partners, and in the process he met Mercado, an account manager for All About Beer Magazine, who was also trying to launch a brewery called Billy Goat. Arnold and Mercado joined forces, and then they hooked up with Wilkinson, an Englishman and engineer. When looking for a site, they met Gardner, an entrepreneur who in turn introduced them to commercial realtor Urban, who helped them land the brewery site. They were eventually joined by the Grezcyns.

They found an empty warehouse and bought the 20,000+ sq ft space, with an option on the adjoining property. They also sub-leased out 5,000 sq ft of the space to a home brew supplier. The site contains a tasting room, tours, and a canning line that can fill 35 cans per minute. Ingredients such as coffee and chocolate that flavor the beers are sourced locally. Fortnight also brings in food and food trucks that support local producers. The brewery's name comes from an old English word that means "two weeks", which is the amount of time it takes to brew their beers. Their goal is to base their core beers firmly on traditional UK styles, although they do offer other beers that are American and English blends, as well as cask-conditioned beers. They currently has over 100 accounts with local restaurants and bars, with new accounts added each week; the brewery self-distributes its beers, and recently entered the Greensboro and Charlotte markets. Fortnight has 6 year round offerings, as well as special releases, seasonals, and their cask-conditioned brews. In 2015 the brewery partnered with Big Daddy's Burger Bar for an evening of burgers and beer that benefited the Make-A-Wish foundation.

A Porter is a beer made famous by the working class in the UK, and in following that UK tradition, Fortnight Porter is smooth and lush. Layers of roastiness, chocolate and coffee await with each pour. Medium bodied with a tan head that follows down to the bottom of the glass, this 5.5% beer is drinkable year round.