Holy Grail Pub in Plano taps rare keg of ale that lasts exactly 31 minutes

Dogfish Head Fort is a Belgian strong ale with raspberry puree made only once a year.

Tray of Dogfish Head Fort at Holy Grail Pub

PLANO — If you're a serious beer aficionado, you likely know about Holy Grail Pub, which opened last year in Plano on the border of Frisco. Holy Grail has not only a lot of beer, but lots of creative choices by the bottle and on tap, ranging from Belgian ales to brews made in Fort Worth, including seasonal beers that come and go.

Holy Grail was also one of the only places to receive a dispensation of the rare, unusual Dogfish Head Fort, an ale made with raspberry puree that's produced only once a year in December. Holy Grail received one keg which owner Brian Rudolph opened with a touch of ceremony on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.

In addition to the Fort, the pub also debuted a 30th-anniversary imperial stout by Sierra Nevada in collaboration with Anchor Brewing called "Fritz and Ken's Ale."

Fritz & Ken's Imperial Stout and Dogfish Fort at Holy Grail Pub

Shortly after 6 p.m., the staff began distributing small snifter-like glasses of each.

The brews proved a pleasant surprise for regulars Ryan Farrington, Doug Pogue, and Harvey Clark, dubbed "beer nerds" by Grail owner Rudolph.

"Sure, we're beer nerds," said Pogue agreeably.

"This is the kind of beer you usually read about but don't get to taste," said Clark.

"The fact that the Grail is offering it is enough to get me to try it," said Farrington. "This is like my Cheers -- it sounds cheesy but it's true."

Fish & chips at Holy Grail Pub

Both offerings had higher-than-usual alcohol content: Compared to regular old beer which might have 6 to 8% alcohol, the stout contained 9.2% alcohol while the Fort had 18% alcohol, making it feel more like serious booze. Tried together, the two were delicious, with dessert-y flavors that complimented each other. They were also good with the pub's fish & chips, with battered chunks of Atlantic cod; and red pepper sandwich, with eggplant and spinach, a better-than-average selection of vegetables on a decent toasted baguette.

Vegetarian sandwich at Holy Grail Pub

On the advice of a beer connoisseur at my table, we tried the Fort first, because it was lighter and fruitier than the heavier stout. Some have likened the Fort to champagne, and as a "this is something special" deal, I get the comparison. The high alcohol content was obvious right up front -- it almost felt like you were drinking Scotch, except that it tasted so fruity. The beer is made with 20 pounds of raspberries per barrel during primary fermentation, and you do get the raspberry flavor. But cherries, too -- which sounds like it would be awful for beer, but it had a puckery element that made the fruit not sweet, like sour cherries, but not sour-sour.

The stout was gorgeously dark, nearly black, with a good creamy tan head. The first mouthful was almost like carbonated coffee soda, except it had toasty flavors that warmed it up a little. Beer Advocate also noted chocolate, but even better was the strong presence of malt. Lots of malt. Love malt.

The stout was gone in an hour, according to Randolph, while the keg of Fort took a mere 31 minutes.