Try?
There's
something about blueberries in beer that just turns me on. I love blueberry
ales, and I think that blueberries may just be the best fruit you can brew
with. That's my personal opinion, of course, and trust me, there are plenty
of beer enthusiasts, purists perhaps, who shudder at the thought of fruit
beers.
But I'm not one of them. I love Blueberry ales, and I think the granddaddy
of them all is Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale. Made with real Maine
blueberries, this beer is absolutely bursting with fresh fruit flavor. Even
if you're not a beer drinker, this is a brew that may surprise you, and one
you'll likely enjoy if you're a blueberry freak.
When I lived in Rhode Island, trips to Portland, Maine always meant that I
would be bringing some of this beer back with me. The too, I enjoyed more
than a few pints of Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale sitting at the Great Lost Bear,
a beer bar extraordinaire in Portland. Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale is a product
of the Atlantic Brewing Company, located in Bar Harbor.
And of all the beers I least expected to see when walking into a liquor
store here in Atlanta, this one was probably at the top of the list. It was
a rare find (unless you lived in Maine) when I lived in New England, though
it seems they are expanding distribution there. A recent ad in the Ale
Street News is aggressively targeting new distributors, so it appears
that the company is looking to expand.
Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale pours to an orange amber color with a thick
foamy head formation and a distinctly fruity fresh blueberry nose. The
palate is crisp and biscuity but there's a bit of chewy caramel malt flavor
here too.
As you would expect, there's plenty of blueberry flavor here, too. It's a
lot like chewing a handful of fresh blueberries, complete with juice
dribbling down your chin. I like the way the fruit is balanced against the
malt here, of course, and the fact that in the finish, there's just enough
hop bitterness to balance.
Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale doesn't finish sweet, nor is it bitter. It's hopped
to perfection for a finish that is not at all cloying. Rather, the beer is
very drinkable. If you haven't tried it, you really should.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
