The Fort – An anonymous local's pub with treats inside
Don't let the nameless exterior put you off. Don't let the grey interior put you off. This neighbourhood bar can rock when it wants to.
Does The Fort bar in Leith want to go under the radar? Not judging by its Instagram page, which advertises live music, quizzes, game nights and tasting sessions. So it’s a surprise that there’s still no sign outside letting you know that there is once again a pub on South Fort Street, just off Ferry Road.
I came here on its opening night in December, and the place was rocking. There was a buzzy Friday after-work cacophony which bristled with promise for the night and the weekend ahead. The staff were excited and willing to talk through the extensive drinks menu, which includes an extensive spirit and cocktail list. Representatives of three local breweries which jointly supply much of the beer – Moonwake, Barney’s and Pilot – were milling around, seemingly pleased with their collaboration. It, as you’d expect, was top-notch.
I return on a more sedate Sunday, when the pub is populated by a few couples and small groups of friends. This time round, perhaps influenced by the incense burning above the gantry, I go for a smoked lager from Otherworld. It’s splendidly light, with a clarity and a welcome absence of that roughness which makes some other smoked beers taste too much like a German ham. The barman tells me this lager was aged in whisky barrels, which sadly reminds me of the demise of Innis & Gunn.1
The quiet afternoon gives me more opportunity to survey my surroundings. The large, L-shaped bar dominates, reflecting the shape of the room and providing plenty of space for the eight taps of keg beer on (there is a cask tap installed but it isn’t dispensing anything when I visit). There is a smattering of tasteful mirrors and other decoration on the walls. The afternoon sunlight emphasises some of the stained-glass windows, which includes Leith’s Persevere heraldry. A large tapestry displays the emblem of the Duke of Norfolk.2
But the rest of the pub is an aggressively bland grey. All the walls, doors, ceiling, bar and gantry suffer under this monochrome tyranny. Even the bar stools are subjected to this shade. It’s an odd, cold choice given the rest of the place is decked out well. It gives a sense that despite the pub being open for a few months now, it’s still unfinished. That would at least explain the lack of a sign above the door.
What The Fort needs more than a paint job is people in it. It has all the ingredients needed for a fantastic neighbourhood pub, and I’m lifted as it fills up this afternoon. I’m pleased I experienced it when it was invitingly crammed that Friday night in December. If that magic can be repeated on a regular basis, this place should be a hit. If you live around here, do give it a go.
Where is it?
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 3pm-midnight
Where next?
Cross Ferry Road on to North Forth Street, and you’re just minutes from Dreadnought.
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The Chaser – A ‘compelling and highly synergistic opportunity’
That’s how the chief executive of C&C Group, which has just taken over the Innis & Gunn brewery, described its purchase.
My own thoughts on the demise of Innis & Gunn and Brewdog contain fewer instances of corporate jargon.
These two ex-craft breweries were once important to me, and I think to the wider flourishing of British craft beer. But they both lost their ways, badly – resulting in both going into administration within days of each other.
I wrote about this over the weekend, in a piece which you can read below.
It was only when I moved to Edinburgh in 2022 that I was reminded of Innis & Gunn – when I saw six-packs of its lager on the shelves of Lidl. The green cans reminded me more of the Carlsberg I drank in the park than the curious little bottles that were my gateway into craft beer.
Ungraceful plug: I wrote about this at the weekend.
Perhaps this is a reference to the 4th Duke of Norfolk, who was executed by Elizabeth I for his involvement in a plot to install Mary, Queen of Scots to the throne.