Bar Harbor Ginger Mild Brew

Brewed by Bar Harbor Brewing Company (Atlantic Brewing Company)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Date: 09/25/1995

good ginger aroma & taste on top of a basic good ale The squirrel likes it!

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Score: **4
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(22oz bottle) Crystal clear copper body topped by small beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, caramel, some ginger that becomes more pronounced after a few minutes, light peach. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, some ginger. Undercarbonated, watery light-medium body that detracts from an otherwise decent beer.

Any first impressions?
-A sheet of foam covers the shiny auburn.
-A fragile blend of ginger, caramel, and light roasting forms a decent aroma.
-Mighty ginger sweetness is spread upon toasted bread crumbs and that mineral house yeast of theirs.
-Prickly bubbles evoke the lack of malt substance.

What if you dig deeper?
-It finishes sweet and spicy, with a bothersome yeasty dryness.
-The overall flavor profile is a one trick pony.
-Some people may find this a fun novelty item, but apart from being a conversation piece or accompanying spicy foods, I don’t see its purpose.

Bottle; no date.

Pours brown with a hin white head. Smells and tastes strongly of ginger with some hoppy undertones. Excellent for cooking.

Bomber-sized bottle. This is a derivation of the Lighthouse Ale, so I was surprised that it had quite a large creamy head unlike its base brew. Same dark brown color; for a second I didn’t get any ginger in the nose, just rich caramel malt, but the spice hits quickly and sharply. I found it quite well balanced and distinctive in the nose, and for me the flavor beats the original Mild version as well (but I’m not a big fan of milds). Seems a bit low on the malt and hops, but the ginger fills in nicely, with a kick but not harsh enough to get you thinking ’this ain’t beer’ like you do with Cave Creek Chili Beer. Finish pretty much disappears. Worth trying as more than just a novelty, I’d say.

2005 bottle consumed 9/18/2005. Chestnut-auburn, thick off-white head, tiny bottle conditioned bubbles. Well retained head, with lacing, which is surprising for a ginger beer. Man, Bar Harbor beers sure do look fantastic, without exception. Smells of ginger, dry grains, hint of biscuits, brown bread. Spicy, but not over-spiced. Flavor is well-attenuated, like the peach (but not quite as much). Cola, ginger, some light honey on the end. Dry, only a bit of maltiness. Quite refreshing with a nice, low carbonated mouthfeel. A bit of sawdust and black pepper. No yeastiness.

Bomber I bought in Freeport, pours dark dark orange with an off white head. Nose is very gingery, taste has some ginger but is pretty thin in the mouth.

Red-bronze, good dense white head. Aroma like either fresh meat or a pepperoni from Italy taken out of the refridgerator. Nother ginger about it--did it fade from the bottle shared by Jazz88 and me? Malty plain-ness. Tingling carbonation but no sting from the ginger. (2004 Christmas Party, my #15, group’s #15)