Thunder Hole Ale
Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ

Thunder Hole AleThunder Hole Ale
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From:
Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ
 
Maine, United States
Style:
English Brown Ale
Ranked #60
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
84
Ranked #22,590
Avg:
3.72 | pDev: 11.56%
Reviews:
135
Ratings:
267
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 11, 2024
Added:
Apr 10, 2002
Wants:
  10
Gots:
  22
Delicious. Full-bodied. Complex. Sure, you can say all those things. Wouldn't it be a lot more fun to take a sip of this handcrafted brown ale and come up with your own superlatives? This is the brown ale that beat Newcastle, Sam Adams and more, at the World Beer Championships in Chicago.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of LagerMan_US
Reviewed by LagerMan_US from Maine

4.38/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Excellent, as per other reviewers; malty, mahogany, caramel, chestnut, rich, Etc., Etc. . Yup, super solid well constructed delicious Brown Ale. Alas, the downside . . wicked expensive !
Feb 11, 2024
Photo of FreePal88
Reviewed by FreePal88

4/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A moderately (but not extremely) hoppy brown ale. Not goopy or syrupy, no artificial tasting flavors. A little nutty but not particularly rich. Still, tastes very good. Dry and refreshing.
Jan 25, 2024
Photo of Phyl21ca
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.77/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can: Poured a brown ale with a medium -off-white foamy head with OK retention and light lacing. Aroma of caramelized malt notes with light nutty notes. Taste is also dominated by caramel notes with some light nutty flavors and a dry finish. Body is about average with medium carbonation. Good brown ale that paired well with their BBQ plate.
Jul 23, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by Taenim from Maine

Jul 06, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by newcastlemike from Connecticut

Oct 15, 2022
Photo of JayQue
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia

3.93/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A good brown ale!!! Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, this beer is a slightly translucent light brown color with lots of golden highlights coming through. The antique white/cream colored head starts out medium size but then fades to small with good retention at that size. There is a lot of filmy lacing on the glass. The aroma is mild, a little nutty and malty. The taste is more robust: toasted malt and a little sweet caramel malt, a distinct nutty flavor and some mild bitterness in the finish. A tasty brew worthy of being called a good session beer. Mouthfeel is rich and malty with a touch of bitterness very welcome at the end. This is a well crafted beer!!!
Jun 18, 2022
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

3.83/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle purchased at Lunt’s Gateway Lobster Pound in Trenton, ME.

This one pours a golden amber brown color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like sweet nuttiness, some caramel malt, and a touch of hop bitterness.

This is honestly a really good representation of a classic English nut brown. It’s not quite as intense or thunderous as the eponymous ocean-side rock formation, but it’s still a nice drinkable and sessionable beer. There’s a little bit of hop bitterness, and a nice toasty and pleasantly sweet bready and nutty malt backbone.

This is creamy, and very drinkable, with a nice smooth finish.

This went well with a lobster roll, but this place makes a killer roll that would probably go well with any beer really.
Jun 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by McSeal from Connecticut

May 21, 2021
 
Rated: 3 by Chilmer from Iowa

Feb 29, 2020
 
Rated: 3.91 by jcoleMA66 from Massachusetts

Dec 25, 2019
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3.97/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I tried this both at the lobster place just outside Bar Harbor and also brought a bottle home from the pub. It poured a clear dark mahogany with very thin white head that is not leaving any lace. The scent and taste had roast, dark fruit and dark chocolate. The beer was nicely balanced and easy to drink. The mouthfeel was medium in body with good carbonation. Overall its a solid beer.
Aug 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by Cpmitchno1 from Virginia

Jul 11, 2019
Photo of SierraNevallagash
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine

4.14/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12oz bottle - poured into an English flared pint at 44F.

Pours a deep chestnut brown with mahogany highlights, and a finger of creamy khaki head. Mostly clear, but nearly too dark to see through. The head slowly deflates, leaving small islands of foam, and some cling to the glass. Visible streams of effervescence.

Nose: Sweet, nutty, toasted malts. Caramel. Toffee. A hint of bakers cocoa, a whiff of pumpernickel bread, and a whole lot of gently roasted barley. There are some pleasant dark fruit undertones going on. The yeast is tame and clean, but quite expressive, with some secondary fruity components. It's not terribly complex or mindblowing on the nose, but it's inviting and satisfying.

Palate: Caramel and toffee greet the palate initially, but without a substantial sweetness that one may expect. The combination of very light floral hops, and the fruity yeast really gives this an unexpected brightness. Clean, mild flavours of lightly roasted barley, wheat, dark bread crust, vanilla, brown butter, walnuts, fig, and a hint of chocolate flow over the palate gracefully, with a slight increase of roasty notes, and a shift from pumpernickel bread to banana nut muffin. Neither hops nor roast contribute to any bitterness, but the beer starts to become surprisingly dry towards the finish. The finish itself it nutty, bready, with some roast character, and dry, with some floral notes coming in and out of focus. The finish soon comes to a clean, abrupt stop, and there are no lingering metallic, bitter, yeasty, or otherwise clingy flavours. Very clean and crisp for a brown ale. There is a fruity, almost lemon-citrusy zing throughout the whole tasting experience, which really offsets the richness of the beer, but adds a nice additional layer.

Mouthfeel/Body: The beer clearly isn't heavy, drinking easy and crisp, but there is a very pleasant nutty roundness giving the illusion of some heft to this beer. It drinks as easy as a pilsner, but has some rich roasty flavours, soft nuttiness, and an unrivaled smoothness that seems to linger well after the finish, as if you had a coating of butter on your tongue. Light, crisp, yet soft and smooth. There is a medium-plus level of effervescence, which furthers the light, crisp delivery of this beer.

Overall: I can't quite understand the subpar rating for this beer. Sure, it's a little on the lighter side, and almost drinks more like a dunkelweizen, but what it has it has in spades, and it's just a great beer for when you want some deeper flavours and body, but still a crisp, easy drinking beer. Solid brown.
May 30, 2019
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.81/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 11/12/2018. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red, light copper/brown color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, peach, plum, pear, apricot, and red apple; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malts, fruity yeast, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, and nuttiness; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, coffee, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread dough/crust, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, fruit, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy/sticky, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol for 5.8%. Overall this is a very good English brown ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malts and light-moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish; and despite the over-carbonation. Well rounded malt complexity, balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example. Just a bit too yeasty overall.
May 26, 2019
Photo of Amendm
Reviewed by Amendm from Rhode Island

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
From a 12-oz. bottle pours a clear deep dark brown with dark amber highlights.
A strong pour yields a thin short lived dark beige head with almost no lacing.
Roasted malt smell with some coffee and piney hops in the background.
Taste begins bitter and semi-dry, roasted malt leads with caramel malt and dried figs.
The middle is not as bitter with an apple cider twinge. The finish has coffee ahead of the malts as it drys and bitters. A spicy, bitter and astringent aftertaste lingers a while.
Medium-light body with below average carbonation, smooth in spite of the bitterness.
On the dry/bitter side of the style yet still enjoyable.
Jan 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.87 by JeffSK from Wisconsin

Aug 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.92 by mike22ne from Massachusetts

Jul 31, 2018
Photo of twosheds
Reviewed by twosheds from Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Brown with tan head

Smells sweet and nutty.

Starts off similar to smell wity nuts and brown sugar. Then has a slight bitterness to balance it.

A pretty straightforward, but delicious nut brown. I would definitely get again.
Jul 15, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by kdivers from New Hampshire

Jun 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.14 by 322wingedfoot from Pennsylvania

Nov 29, 2017
Thunder Hole Ale from Atlantic Brewing Company - Town Hill / Mainely Meat BBQ
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 267 ratings