Bar Harbor Thunder Hole Ale

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

Date: 09/25/1995

rich full-bodied ale

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Score: *4
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One of the most unfortunate names I’ve ever come across in the world of beer. Cloudy red-tinged brown; light toast & Mexican drinking chocolate; sweetish chocolatey finish. Not bad, but too simple.

(22oz bottle) Hazy copper/brown body with large fluffy beige head. Aroma is medium sweet, nut, some metallic. Taste is medium sweet, caramel, some chocolate, nut/salt, light roast, sourness, faint earthy. Light-medium body, light acidity.

Any first impressions?
-A gangly head slowly collapses onto the maroon dress.
-A pleasantly roasty and nutty nose dims out, once settled into the glass, into a frail herbal cola.
-A filet of caramel sweetness surrounds the roasted maltiness.
-It’s pretty carbonated and lean-bodied, which makes it an easy-to-drink pint.

What if you dig deeper?
-Some mineral character undermines the aroma, but evaporates with time.
-Leafy hoppiness hangs on to the flaky roastiness.
-Finishes modestly, with light roasty dryness, and sweet hazelnut suggestions.
-A decent brown ale, flavorful yet somehow understated.
-By the way, this is a bolder version of their Lighthouse Ale; same recipe with a little more of everything.

Bottle; no date.

If I were to say this was a typical brown ale, I’d only be a half truth. Aromas of nuts and yogurt dominate this one, but some hoppy undertones are definitely present. Taste is the same, but with a nice bitter finish.

A nice clear brown ale with a thick light moka head. A sweet caramel and cinnamon aroma. In mouth, a sweet malt, light nutty notes, a bit of caramel. Medium bodied. Bottle from Inertiaboy. shared Aug. 2008, while harvesting his hops.

Bottled (bomber). Dark, dark brown, very nearly opaque; brownish large quick-dying head. My sample has a very stale, old-chewing-gum / wet cardboard smell; uggh. Flavor isn’t much better; there’s malt, and a bit of caramel, but also staleness and something of spoiled hazelnuts. This could be a bad bottle I suppose; it DOES have a good body and finishes a bit better than it starts, so I’m hoping the other 4 Bar Harbor brews I brought back are ok. I’ll have to try this one again if I get the chance.

Bottled thanks to Ambergirl! Poured a clear medium caramel with an explosive cap of off-white head. Nose was soft, yet grainy... with coffee and caramel. Flavor was really about the same... coffee and caramel provide a nice sweet malty base... mild woodsy hops round out the edges. Smooth, creamy, and lighter-bodied on the palate... very little bitterness. This really was never exciting.. but it worked. Tasty.