Bar Harbor Real Ale - Atlantic Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.13/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Dark coppery bronze; a pretty typical brown ale hue. Atop the beer sits a toasted tan head that is so fine-bubbled that it's bound to last for a good, long while. It's also a nice lace maker and is beginning to lay down minutely pocked sheets on the upper portion of the glass. A pretty good start.

The nose isn't bad exactly, it's just weak. I get a gentle whiff of caramel malt along with the suggestion of English hops (Target with a little Whitbread Goldings if you're interested). I'd probably feel better about the aroma if it was at least twice as aromatic.

Too low on flavor. Like the nose, what's there is mildly pleasant, it's just too mild for its own good. Real Ale strikes me as a beer that was brewed with sessioning in mind. If so, it would be better served with an ABV of about 4%. I'm hoping that it will open up with warming, but I'm not holding my breath.

As I get deeper into the glass, it occurs to me that there isn't enough malty sweetness and there's too much hop bitterness (without much hop flavor). Target was a good choice for an American brewery seeking to create an English brown ale, but perhaps a variety that isn't so high in alpha acid would have been a better choice. I'm afraid that the considerable bitterness will keep most people from drinking more than a few, even if they can tolerate an ABV that's on the generous side for a session ale.

Warming uncovers flavors of cocoa, black tea and toasted nuts without bringing about much more total flavor. A little more malty sweetness would go a long way to making this a better beer. The finish is so dry that I find myself reaching for a glass of water that isn't there.

Given the subtlety of the rest of the beer's attributes, the light mouthfeel really isn't out of line. It earns points by not descending into wateriness at any point in the proceedings. There's nothing wrong with the amount of carbonation either.

Real Ale has too many minor flaws to be considered better than average when compared to other English brown ales. Given how good some of Atlantic Brewing's other offerings are (Coal Porter, Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale), it's hard for me to believe that this is their best seller.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2006 14:14:31 | More by BuckeyeNation

brentk56

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours an ice tea color with a rocky off-white head that sticks well and leaves some dots on the way down

Smell: Caramel, hazelnuts, and a hint of cocoa

Taste: Starts with a toasty, nutty flavor that becomes slightly watery by mid-palate; after the swallow, the flavor profile continues to fade, but just as I had given up all hope, a hint of cocoa and hazelnut skins emerge at the finish; slightly metallic at the very end

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Just a few too many quibbles for this to be anything other than average

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2007 00:38:37 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.49 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Best Enjoyed Before section listing boxes of the various months was neither notched or adequately marked. Real helpful, Bar Harbor.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, very dark mahogany-brown body with a tallish, ivory-hued head.

Smell: An aroma that's roasty and toasty with lesser, lighter notes of caramel and chocolate and that has a slight earthy undercurrent to it. Also, a teency weency touch of dark fruit (raisins) can be sniffed out.

Taste: Deeply toasted breadiness and touches of roasted malts with sweet tastes of dark caramel and bittersweet chocolate. Very small hint of dark fruitiness lurking there underneath the various malt flavors. Earthy, albeit mild hop presence juxtaposed against the slight bitterness for the roasted malts. A few drops of basic treacle of the latter half. Finishes lightly earthy, lightly roasty, and with some chalky hints to it.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Fairly soft mouthfeel all around.

Drinkability: Bar Harbor's Real Ale (hand crafted in small batches, mind you [and, apparently, too good for a proper means of bottle dating]) goes down fairly easy, which, in these oh-so troubled times, is about all we can really ask from a beer, you know.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 21:44:09 | More by ChainGangGuy

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.23/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a deep mohogany clear color with moderate carbonation. Has great head retention of loosely knit dull creamy white head that rose greatly and slowly disipated, leaving mild lacing behind. Aromas of light barley malt and light dark malts. Mild sour aroma from fermentation. Flavors are dominantly of barley malt, light chocolate, and roasted grain. Mild fermentation sour notes hide behind. Feels medium to the mouth. Light creamyness. Finishes quite crisp for dark grain profile. Light bitter finish partly due to hops and partly from dark grain husks.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2005 00:03:32 | More by BEERchitect

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: clear, brown color, witha short, quickly dead head.
Aroma: sweet and caramelly at first, notes of maple, brown sugar, cola, molasses.
Taste: rich and tasty, with a fully-charged entrance on the palate, but mellow thereafter. Smoothly textured, light to medium-bodied. A tasty, and overall adequate session ale. Doesn't rock any boats, doesn't need to, it's all smooth sailing.
Thanks to UncleJimbo for the sample.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2003 10:30:13 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark amber/brown color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a nice toasted, nutty scent that explodes with dryness and sweet malts. The taste is good. It has a light, yet malty flavor with a dry toasted finish. It is slightly bitter and watered down. The mouthfeel is good. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a grown brown ale. It has a good malt makeup with an excellent aroma and mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2004 21:27:15 | More by WesWes

Mora2000

Texas

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a medium to dark brown color with a cream-colored head. The aroma is caramel and toffee with some nuttyness. The flavor is toffee, chocolate and caramel with some grassy hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not bad, but nothing too special.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 23:35:58 | More by Mora2000

Gavage

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear deep burgandy in color with a nice 2" head.

Smell: the aroma was a pleasant combination of caramels and floral hops.

Taste: the flavor is of lightly roasted malt, caramel, nuts, and a nice bitterness. The malt level is beefy here.

Mouthfeel: crisp at the start and finish, and the caramel nuttiness lasts shortly on the tongue after swallowing.

Drinkability: great flavor makes great drinkability here. Definitely a brew to find and enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2005 19:55:31 | More by Gavage

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a single at the Party Source in Syracuse

This beer seems pretty on the mark for style, and to be specific I'd call this a Northern English brown ale for the toasty character. It's a dark brown body with ruby accent, but little head retention. The aroma is deepy bready, like a dark loaf with crust and toasted elements. The flavor carries those same tastes into the flavor, but adds subtle cocoa, toffee, and caramel notes. The yeast actually seems to be pretty clean in character as there aren't any creamy or fruity flavors. The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium with slightly assertive carbonation. All in all, a complex, tasty and drinkable ale. I'd like to try this on cask.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2008 23:39:52 | More by tempest

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a pretty dark but clear ruby. Nose is nutty and slightly caramel sweet. Flavor is sweet with artificial sweetener there as well as a slight touch of nut. But the sugary sweet dominates and keeps it to a limited type of experience. Liquid feel is good. A touch thick. And the bubble is standard. Overall a mediocre brew in the grand scheme of things. Not really worth the effort to try.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 05:42:25 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Foamed over when the bottle was opened, modest head considering that. Some light, spotty lace on the glass. Dark brown, but light shines through. Appears clear.

Traditional brown ale aromas, but they are very mild.

Slightly sweet with a strong biscuity flavor. Good hop in the swallow. Overall, the flavor is quite good, but the body is far too thin for the style. It's still nicely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2009 20:20:00 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks goes out to mikereaser for this one.

Pours a nice clean/clear dark golden brown color, some carbonation, little fizzy off-white head, with some sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, with some roastyness. The taste is malty, roasty, slightly nutty. Medium body, the finish is dry and slightly bitter. Drinkable, not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2008 23:48:43 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a huuuge head that takes up the whole Allagash tulip glass but quickly beds back down in time for me to pour some more. The giant bubbles precariously pop themselves down to a tetris looking holy mess. It attempts to be clear at the bottom of the glass, but has a huge haze through out. The marron colored dark brown-sugar brown color has a nice surprising brightness to it.

N: A pretty clear amber style ale to start. Light toasted malts, crisp aromas, slight red like fruit, and slight sweet brown sugar. Seems to have some aromatic malt aromas as well, and touch of nuttiness and spice.

T: If I can cut my way through the head I'll attempt to taste it... Wow, surprising, lots of roasted malts and dark crystal malts to start, lots of coffee and caramelized brown sugar. Other toasted flavors and some nuttiness. A slight chocolate malt as well. A very slight bitter. Pretty rich and creamy as well.

M: Semi thick and very very slightly syrupy, lots of carbonation.

F: Finishes very clean too. A little sweet and creamy still, but the high carbonation really helps clean the tongue off. A slight sweet caramel like taste sits at the way back of the tongue and never really goes away, but you can't taste it much and the rest of it is very clean. A slight bitterness pops up to tell you "Bob's your uncle" and heads back under for a pint of it's own I suspect. This would be a really good session beer.

Final thoughts: Very nice beer surprisingly. I was almost expecting an amber type ale from the nose and not knowing anything about it. Low and behold a nice rich roasted dark malt slightly sweet and semi bitter English brown. Hence the "Real Ale" which I guess I overlooked. Not only does it have all the nice dark rich flavors, but its still fairly light in body, presence, and alcohol so you can drink a bunch of em if you wanted no problem.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 23:18:43 | More by jlindros

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.4/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a two-finger cream head that fades quickly to a ring leaving a trace of lace. Clear deep amber color, medium bodied and low carbonation. Roasted malt nose and flavor is slightly sweet anise and malts. $2.00 for a 12 oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 22:21:41 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz brown long neck twist off, hmmm … the same bottle that Shipyard uses. “Real Ale”? No sediment in the bottle and very clear. Even the freshness date is the same format of Shipyard … the assumption is that it really is contract brewed.

Appearance: The head retention is pretty sad, a soda like crackle of the bubbles is a bit disturbing leave almost nothing to show. The clarity on the other had is bright with a deep garnet brown colour.

Smell: Sweet aroma with hints of cocoa, caramel and toasted grain. Faint fruitiness is there as well.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Moderate body, slick mouth feel and a lost crispness. Quick chocolaty tones, watered down roasted grain and a good amount of malt sweetness. Hops draw no attention and barley balance. Slight metallic twang from the toasted malts. Finishes sweet.

Notes: I’ve had this brew op tap and it was excellent, the bottled product is average and seen to me as a travesty to what the brewery really is.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2003 02:12:15 | More by Jason

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle obtained via trade with bennybrew. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a small but nicely constructed 1/4"of light tan head, which gradually shrunk down to a layer of light foam. Some lacing over this almost root beer brown shaded brew. Aroma is of dark grains predominantly. Taste is a nice amount of malt, and well-balanced with some bitterness before it leaves the mouth. Mouthfeel and drinkability are excellent.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2004 01:12:01 | More by ppoitras

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear brown/orange, huge off white head forms, very sticky, great lacing. Smell is roasty, lots of coffee, grass, some bitter chocolate. Taste is super roast, fresh coffee and chocolate, hay, little bit of alcohol in the finish. Light bodied, medium-high carbonation. Nice and coating, tasty but average beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2005 22:15:18 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep burgandy tone. Thin creamy beige head. Reduces to a pillowy coating that laces adequately. Aroma speaks in a soft voice and it speaks of English brown malts, toffee and earthy hops. The taste speaks of subtlety. Some soft bitter roasted tones. Some mild brown maltiness. A little toffee. A dry finish with some dried fruit flavors making small appearances a little dry cocoa. Body is about medium. This could serve nicely as a session ale in a pinch.

Thanks JohnnyP.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2003 04:51:02 | More by Bighuge

Gusler

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Well I’m on a bit of a way over due resample today, been 780 days since my last Bar Harbor Real Ale. Thanks once again to the “Great Pumpkin”, for this chance to sample.

As it sets in the glass an incarnadine color, the head is prodigious in size, the structure made from a googol of tiny bubbles, makes me want to put on a “Don Ho” 8 track tape. The color a winsome tan and as it erodes a fine coating of lace is left behind to conceal the glass. Sweetly malt is the nose, crisp and fresh, the start malt and somewhat sweet, the top skinny in feel to the palate. Finish has a mild acidity, the hops perky in the spicy bite, dry and long lasting aftertaste, a nice “session beer” me thinks!

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2003 13:01:19 | More by Gusler

Brad007

Vermont

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown with a thin head into my glass. Very dark with a hint of ruby.

Sweet malt with a hint of molasses in the nose. Very much like the style.

Much the same except that there's a decent amount of hazelnut and molasses upfront.

Mouthfeel is quite mellow with some lingering nuttiness. Very easy going.

Not bad. A decent ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2012 03:03:47 | More by Brad007

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice dark brown with a rather loose head that fades to a ring. Smells quite roasty with a nice dry malt backbone and some dusty cocoa notes. Similar on the taste front. Dry and quite earthy with dry malt, some nice spicy and earthy hops and more cocoa notes. Not sweet at all, and there is a mineral note that is pleasant and reminds me of an English ale. Smooth and very slightly chalky- in a good way- it has some grip. Quite delicious for what it is. I brought some to a party and both craft and non craft drinkers commented on how much they enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2008 02:02:53 | More by Georgiabeer

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This brew is a cherry cola color with a medium light tan head. Thin lacing that sticks to the glass pretty well. The aroma is very nutty, along with some malt and caramel. Thin at times and fairly smooth with a bit of a smoked character. Nutty and sweet malt flavor is decent but short-lived. Mildly hoppy finish. A decent session beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2005 14:52:54 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep reddish copper color and clear in body with a finger high head of off-white foam that sits briefly to sift down to a light skim and a bubbly collar. A few strings of lace are placed across the glass.

Aroma is soft but round of brown sugar and whole grain bread pinched with a toasty edge and a bit of herbal teaness.

Taste is light but substantially good enough for an easy enjoyment. Simple, plain, semi sweet, dulled whole grain taste with a bite of burnt toastyness, some black tea notes along with some cooked vanilla and brown sugar is lighter still. The burntness sits on the palate for a bit into the finish.

Body is lightish medium with a decent carbonation of crispness to it. Kind of wholesome in mild way of smoothness. It gets a bit better as it warms.

An OK Brown that the English could maybe crown as one of their own, while if in Maine anyways.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 20:51:51 | More by tavernjef

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Aroma is spicy and malty, about average strength, inviting at least. It pours a nice dark hazy burnt umber with a fairly thick beige head. The bottle I got fizzed quite a bit! Flavor is malty and a little spicy, mainly cloves with a hint of cinnamon and just a whisper of apple. Texture is smooth and a little tingly. Worth a try, or two.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2010 01:22:17 | More by Cyberkedi

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A. 12 oz bottle poured into pint glass. Clear caramel brown with a nice head that retains well.

S. Bready with slight banana fruityness and malts.

T. Smooth malt crispness with some balancing bitter earthy hops. Sweet caramel malt.

M. Medium bodied and crisp.

D. A good session beer. Nothing mind blowing but enough subtleties to keep me drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2008 17:49:47 | More by Stinkypuss