Bar Harbor Special Amber Ale

Brewed by Bar Harbor Brewing Company (Atlantic Brewing Company)
Style: Amber Ale
Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Date: October 23, 2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2006
Appearance: opaque dark amber, fine beige head, speckles of lace
Aroma: nice fresh hop aroma with rich carmel malt
Body: creamy body
Flavor: nice carmel malt flavor with plenty of hop flavor to balance, light citrus character in the aroma and flavor

Date: November 01, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting
Vintage: 2008
picking up more caramel sweetness in the flavor with less of the earthyness,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4

(22oz bottle, 2007 Vintage, #897, thanks wickedpete) Medium beige head atop lightly hazed dark amber body. Aroma is medium sweet, grapefruit, floral/orange, caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, grapefruit/orange/floral, light chocolate. Medium body.

Bottle #120 sampled on 11/1/06: Pours a clear copper orange with a large, frothy off-white head. Sweet toasty caramel malty aroma has some bready notes and mild piny hops. Body starts lightly sweeter and fairly full with good malt/hop balance toward a bittersweet crisp finish. An enjoyable amber.

Any first impressions?
-A sumptuous head lingers atop the glowing amber gem, lacing generously.
-Sweet apples, juicy oranges, and cake icing subtly interconnect in an interesting, but too timid aroma.
-Fruity caramel and orange zest topping emerge serenely from the comfortable maltiness.
-Engaging, lively small bubbles don’t exaggerate, and complement the lush maltiness very well.

What if you dig deeper?
-Sadly, it finishes somewhat watery, with a hint of grassy, earthy bitterness, and peeking minerals (in the first sips).
-The spicy, candied fruitiness is fun and conveniently halfway between dessert and snack.
-Hops have a minimal effect in this beer, but are present throughout (shyly).
-Some trails of earth appear towards the back when the yeast is added to the pint glass.
-This is a very impressive creation from Bar Harbor Brewing which won’t wow most, but surely hints at this craftsman’s talent which, I think, hasn’t been exposed other than in his excellent Cadillac Mountain Stout.
-I would love to see him stray away from his Lighthouse Ale recipe, which is used for the Peach, Ginger, Blueberry, and Thunder Hole ales. This amber ale is living proof of his potential.

Bottle from the one batch.

Pours amber with a nice off white head. Smells of caramel, spicy, earthy. Tastes full bodied and sweet with a nice spicy finish.

22oz bottle shared by wickedpete. Wet crackers and maple scented wheat in the nose, along with some strange fruity hops. Has the distinct flavor of sweet-n-low or aspartame, and the texture turns from oily to pasty. Sorry, but this is a pretty bad beer.

Bottle # 120. Poured a clear orange-amber color with a medium sized creamy beige head. The aroma was of dry malt and some caramel. Hints of chocolate, fruits and citrus. Fruity and light citrus flavor. Malty middle with a bitter finish and semi-dry.

Bottle #1061 from the 2007 bottling. Purchased at the Brewery. Pours amber with a 3 finger thick creamy tan head. The nose is sweet and malty and pretty decent. Taste is sweet, robust, and malty. Better than expected but could really use some more alcohol to kick it up a notch.