Fort Knight APA is one of the harder beers in our backlog to pin down. It comes from Geary Brewing Company of Portland, Maine, the brewery David Geary founded in 1986 as Maine’s first microbrewery, and it reached our list as a Beer of the Month Club Brewmaster’s Pick. No public source we could find lists its ABV or IBU, so the 5.5% and 40 IBU in our notes are unverified estimates, and published tasting notes for this release are scarce. What we do know is the brewery behind it. Geary built its name on English-inspired, malt-balanced ales, and its flagship Pale Ale leans on Cascade, Mt. Hood, and UK Golding hops over imported malts. Fort Knight is an American pale ale in that same tradition, and we reviewed it on that basis.

The basics

• Brewery: Geary Brewing Company (Portland, ME)
• Style: American Pale Ale
• ABV: 5.5% (unverified estimate, no public source found)
• IBU: 40 (unverified estimate, no public source found)

What to expect

Expect a clear golden to light copper pour with a white head and the balanced character Geary is known for. In Geary’s house style, the malt comes first: a pleasant, lightly sweet base with a touch of caramel, the kind of foundation that made its flagship Pale Ale a New England staple. The hops sit on top rather than taking over, with citrus and pine notes from the Cascade, Mt. Hood, and Golding family the brewery uses across its pale ales. Bitterness should be firm but restrained, in line with an APA rather than an IPA, with a clean, dry finish that keeps the beer easy to drink. This is a traditional take on the style, not a modern hop showcase, and it drinks like a beer built for a second pint.

Our rating

7.2/10

Rated by Nick (7.2). Nick gave this one a 7.2, and we think that is a fair mark for a well-made, old-school APA. Fort Knight does not chase trends, and it does not need to. It is balanced, drinkable, and honest, with enough hop character to keep it interesting and enough malt to keep it grounded. It will not convert anyone who wants a juice bomb, but for a classic American pale ale from one of the country’s pioneering craft breweries, it earns its place.