Thunder Hole Ale – Bar Harbor Brewing Co
July 23, 2010
I was reading someplace that Bar Harbor Brewing Company had sent President Obama some of their beers to try, but they never made it past the gates of the White House!
Turns out that food-like gifts are just verboten, but I wonder if they had someone tasting the beers first. Why? Because if I were the White House beer tester, I don’t think I’d let the Thunder Hole Ale past the gates either!
Let me explain.
Thunder Hole Ale is a 4.8% ABV brown ale. According to the Bar Harbor Brewing website, this beer is “Delicious. Full-bodied. Complex…This is the brown ale that beat Newcastle, Sam Adams and more, at the World Beer Championships in Chicago. “
Furthermore, we learn that Charlie Papazian himself said that the Thunder Hole Ale is “An American classic brewed perfectly.” Perhaps this is my hint to get out of beer reviews, because I didn’t get ANY of that with this beer!
It looks nice enough in the glass – a nice deep amber color, almost red really, and the aroma is OK I guess. Malty for sure, but to me not much really going on here otherwise. The head is rather lively and is a nice beige color and there is some good lacing going on. Strangely, this beer’s head reminds me of the head that my Pepsi Max creates! Fizzy indeed.
This beer really loses me on the taste. Again, I’ll make a soda analogy. Ever get a self-serve cola that didn’t have enough soda stuff mixed with the carbonated water? Well, that’s what I got here.
The flavors were not pronounced at all. There was an essence of malt, but I really got bitter and metallic flavors. The mouthfeel was also soda-like. Very much on the thin side. The only redeeming quality in my mind was the aftertaste where, after some time, I could pick up some roasted malt and perhaps some coffee flavors but I’m not much into delayed gratification when it comes to my beers!
This beer really has me scratching my head. I mean, how does a guy like 
Charlie Papazian say this is ‘an American classic brewed perfectly’ and I get beer-flavored seltzer water? Still, being better than Newcastle Brown Ale isn’t much of a feat I think, and I’m not exactly sure what Sam Adams beer this brew from Bar Harbor Brewing topped in Chicago. Maybe brown ales are generally sucky?
Well, there’s a couple of explanations I can think of. The first is that this beer was treated horribly by my friend Melissa who always brings back beer samples for me from her vacation destination. Perhaps Melissa was on a sunny beach and left this bottle to become putrid in the Maine sun? Well Melissa? I’m kidding here, (not) but maybe I just have a bad bottle. The other explanation is that my beer tasting abilities are so far off that perhaps I should put my keyboard away and go back to knitting little hats for newborns.
I just don’t know. Its been a long time since I was so disappointed in a craft beer, but I guess its to be expected now and then. President Obama it seems, didn’t miss much, but I’m hoping that their bottle of Cadillac Mountain Stout I have makes up for it!
Rating: 
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Posted in 1 Star Reviews, Ales, American Beers
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July 23rd, 2010 at 9:33 am
Ewww… no wonder it didn’t get past the Secret Service. I wonder if the Hobgoblin that David Cameron gave Barack Obama made it through?
I’ll review Hobgoblin soon, in the meantime Scott, should you be admitting to drinking Pepsi Max? All those artificial sweeteners?
.-= Bob the Brit´s last blog ..Malt and Barley Blues =-.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:15 am
Sounds wonderful Scott, nice review!
Just kidding…don’t you hate it when people gloss over your article and miss the point. Anyway, I’ve never had it…but the name Thunder Hole sounds like a creepy porno. Had you not said anything about the many soda qualities, I’d have noticed it from that picture. It really does look like fountain poured pepsi.
I am surprised that Papazian would praise a horrid beer…but everyone’s tastes are different, and who knows…maybe you got a tainted or old bottle?
.-= nate´s last blog ..Great… 55 Beer =-.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:48 am
@Bob – I doubt it. I think Obama gave the Queen a DVD set as a gift (lame) and so I think any gifts coming back from the UK would be ‘re-purposed’.
Bob, I’ve been a Pepsi drinker for years. I’m convinced that the chemicals in it keep my body from actively decaying as I age!
@nate – it happens, I know a lot of people skim my banter and that’s cool, but I think you missed your calling as the person who names porno flicks! (there’s still time) I was surprised too how much praise the beer got. To me, it was like the coffee you get when you brew a second pot through the same coffee, you know? It had the essence of nice flavors, but it was just weak to me. Unless, of course, brown ales are generally like this?
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Sierra Nevada Kellerweis =-.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:50 am
Hey Scott, I’m fairly certain that Bar Harbor hasn’t brewed their own 12 oz bottled beer in a while. I think this is being made out of Shipyard now, which would explain the difference from Charlie Papazian’s review and the current product.
Bar Harbor was bought by Atlantic Brewing Co. a little while ago and now, like I said, the bottle production is contracted out. The bombers are supposedly more like the original as their brewed either at Bar Harbor or Atlantic Brewing (saw some evidence both ways and didn’t have time to dig in).
If you look at the label, there should be language somewhere in the line of “Brew for XYZ company by XYZ Brewing Company.” That usually helps answer who is doing the contract brewing.
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:53 am
@Jeff – THANKS! I’ll check my bottle of Cadillac Mountain Stout when I get home to see if this is the deal, and it makes a lot of sense actually. I had a bottle of Blueberry Ale made by Atlantic last year that was rather weak too.
Here it is…
http://thebrewclub.com/2009/05/31/blueberry-beer-review-bar-harbor-blueberry-ale/
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Thunder Hole Ale – Bar Harbor Brewing Co =-.
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:00 pm
You’re just talking out yer thunder hole, Scott!
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Agree with nate that the name Thunder Hole is amazing / terrifying.
Also thanks to Jeff for pointing out the contract brewing ways of this brewery and beer. Needless to say I will not be sampling Thunder Hole anytime soon (hey-oh).
.-= Royce´s last blog ..Tech Thursday- Windows Phone 7 Review by Wired =-.
July 23rd, 2010 at 2:09 pm
@Jim – you got me! I’m just not sure which one is my thunderhole?
@Royce – I didn’t think much of the name as I know its named after a place in Maine on the coastline. It wasn’t until nate came along that the name changed in my mind altogether! Actually, I’d love to try a 22oz or have it on tap if I get up to Maine again to taste the difference.
@Melissa – I know you read all this, so its not a dig against you! Keep the beer coming!!!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..What’s Your Favorite Summer Beer =-.
July 24th, 2010 at 11:28 am
Well, I cant check the bottle of Thunder Hole, but my unopened bottle of Bar Harbor ‘Cadillac Mountain Stout’ (12 oz) says “Brewed and Bottled by Bar Harbor Brewing Company Bar Harbor, Me.” So, it seems this stuff is not contracted out. Hmmm.
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Legbiter Ale – Strangford Lough Brewing Company =-.
December 16th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
i haven’t had the thunder hole but the bomber of cadillac mtn stout i have is good. it’s a nice middle ground stout, heavier than an irish but lighter than an imperial. good balance between the maltiness and the hops.
December 17th, 2010 at 9:10 am
@k3vo – nice assessment, and thanks for commenting! Unlike the Thunder Hole here, I truly enjoyed the Cadillac Mtn Stout. Great beer that I wish I could get more of!
July 1st, 2011 at 6:48 am
First off, I don’t touch, beer, ale or a few other things so I can’t give a taste evaluation. But maybe I can give you some history/explanation. Bar Harbor Brewing was a husband and wife microbrewery located down the road a few miles in Otter Creek. It was actually in the basement of their home and was about as hand-crafted as you can get. They brewed, bottled, labeled and distributed it themselves. I’m not sure when they started but I first knew them in the early to mid 90s. These are the ales that won all the awards (I believe there were several). A few years back, they sold the business to a competing larger brewer in Bar Harbor, not sure of the name. I think it was similar, Bar Harbor something, but it may have been Atlantic. From what I hear, it’s just not the same stuff.
July 1st, 2011 at 9:09 am
@twr – thanks for the background. Many small brewers start in much the same way as you describe – in the basement, or perhaps the garage, and then grow as the product takes off. While I thought this particular beer was pretty bad, their Cadillac Mountain Stout was wonderful!
As far as the beers being different when new people take over, that too seems quite common, sometimes better and sometimes for the worse.