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By Brad Prescott
Opinion Editor
Bar Harbor Brewing Company’s Blueberry Ale is a unique offering in the realm of fruit-flavored beers. While the majority of fruity beverages are distinctly sweet, often overpowering the bitter qualities of an ale, Bar Harbor’s attempt at mixing fruit with alcohol results in a more sophisticated flavor.
Dubbed “America’s Original Blueberry Ale,” the brew tastes well-crafted upon first pour, when its deep reddish hue is revealed. A pleasant blueberry aroma tickles the olfaction and, in bringing glass to mouth, taste buds are treated to a full-bodied ale coupled with blueberry overtones.
Uncharacteristically bitter among its sweet fruit-beer competitors, the Bar Harbor Blueberry is an ale first and does not compromise the key components of a finely-wrought beer in the name of fruit appeal.
The result of the synthesis is a good beer, though too heavily bodied to supplement with fruit. Given this heaviness and the complexity of flavor in the Blueberry Ale, it was displeasing with food, rather acting as a snack in itself.
Despite the unbalanced weight of the ale, its flavor was still superior in the fruit-beer genre. But like all fruit beers, the craving for such a treat is rare and consumption tiring in large quantities. The 22-ounce serving pushed the boundaries of my tolerance and I soon found myself craving a more traditional brew.
The Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale is unique and well-made. If you get the 22, however, share it with a friend.
