Mould's Beer Blog

Thanks to Vin from Bier Battered  for the idea of a "Throwback Thursday" post where we write on our introduction to craft beer and the first microbrews we remember drinking.  Enjoy, and feel free to share your story! If there is one thing beer nerds like to do, its to recount their craft beer origins.  Swapping stories about their first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or their first Anchor Steam, or perhaps their first Pete's Wicked Ale.  For me, it wasn't any of these.  Rather, I found my way into craft beers in Maine, and the first craft beers I discovered were from Atlantic Brewing , Bar Harbor Brewing , Shipyard and Maine Coast Brewing . It was on vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine where I happened upon these beers, probably around 2004. In this bustling tourist town, with lobsters and clam chowder aplenty, Maine beer was sold everywhere.  And more important, it was good!  Much better than the standard light lager I was used to drinking. Atlantic Brewi...

The Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, is an opportunity once a month for beer bloggers from around the world to get together and write from their own unique perspective on a single topic. Each month, a different beer blogger hosts the Session, chooses a topic and creates a round-up listing all of the participants, along with a short pithy critique of each entry.  The topic of Session #84 is "Alternative" Reviews.  Oliver Gray, writer of Literature and Libation , has challenged beer bloggers to review a beer by not reviewing the beer.  He wants to get a feel for how you feel about a particular beer, without using the typical reviewing platform of appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, etc.  Let the fun begin! There are some beers that stick with me no matter how old I get or how refined I "think" my palate is getting.  It doesn't really matter how popular these beers are or what kind of ratings they receive.  They stick with me because of history...

Winter is coming, and not just in Westeros.  When it gets to the point where it's dark out when I leave work and I have to wear my coat everyday, it's time to break out the bigger beers.  Barleywines, imperial stouts, tripels and quads, Belgian strong ales.  These are collectively my, and I'm sure a lot of yours, favorite styles of beer.  Tonight I'm drinking another beer by Atlantic Brewing Company .  Their Brother Adam's Bragget sounded like just the right thing for tonight.  From the bottle, it's a barleywine style honey ale, brewed with Maine honey.  Brother Adam sounded like a pretty awesome beer wrangler, just check out his wiki page !  I bought this beer from the brewery itself while I was in Maine, and it was a bottle from 2010.   Brewery :  Atlantic Brewing Company Beer :  Brother Adam's Bragget (2010) ABV :  11.8% (from Untappd/BeerAdvocate) Brother Adam's Bragget poured a reddish-brown color, with a tiny he...

I've been reviewing quite a bit of beers recently from Atlantic Brewing Company.  A very solid brewery, you can find links to my reviews of their blueberry ale, S.O.B., and Coal Porter at the end of this write up.  Tonight I'm sipping on their MacFoochie's Scottish Ale and watching Urban Legend  on TV.  Gotta love cheesy '90s thrillers! MacFoochie's Scottish Ale poured black into my wine glass.  Very little head to speak of, and as I drink, there is no lacing left on the glass.  It has a very smooth, silky appearance.  In the aroma, I smell roasted malt, caramel and smoke.  The smoke might be a figment of my imagination though.  I know it's supposed to be in there, because it's a scottish ale, but I'm definitely not getting a lot of the smoke in this one.  The mouthfeel on the MacFoochie's is very smooth and a bit thin.  Lots of roasted malts and more smoke comes through in the flavor.     Overall :  A good b...

Happy Wednesday everyone!  I don't know about you, but I cannot wait for the weekend to get here.  Due to the weather, and honestly, just being kind of lazy, I haven't gotten out to do many runs recently, but I do have a beer review here!  That counts for something, right?  Atlantic Brewing Company's S.O.B, Special Old Bitter Ale, is another beer I picked up during my recent trip to Maine.  The label claims the beer is a bitter and an IPA, so if I can expect one thing from this beer, it's hops! The S.O.B. poured a dark copper color into my Hofbrauhaus mug (thanks Ben and Nancy!) with a large and foamy head.  The beer has an aroma of caramel and citrus, and the taste follows closely.  It's a bit more bitter than most English bitters I've had.  Definitely more like an IPA.  The malt backbone tries to stand up to the bitterness, but can't quite do it.  As the name suggests, the bitterness is front and central.  This is a mighty...

BBQ Sampler @ Mainely Meat BBQ.  Ridiculously good! After touring Atlantic Brewing Company, tasting their beers and ravaging their bottle/gift shop, Kerry and I had developed quite the appetite!  Directly next to the brewery resides Mainely Meat BBQ at the Knox Road Grille.  The smell of their delicious meats just brings you right in!  They serve BBQ ribs, chicken, pulled pork, sausage and lots of great sides.  We decided to get their sampler plate, which gives you a little bit of everything.  Taking advantage of being right next to the brewery, they serve up practically all of Atlantic Brewing Company's lineup of beers on draft.  I opted for their Big Wicked Double IPA, while Kerry got the Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale.  Real great stuff!  Take a look at the pictures below!  I just got word that Mainely Meat BBQ is closed for the season, but you should definitely make a trip there for some BBQ and beer after Memorial Day '13 wh...

Visiting Atlantic Brewing Company during our visit to Bar Harbor, Maine was a must-do.  We chose a day that was supposed to have a higher chance of rain, just because there is so many outdoor things to do in the Bar Harbor area.  A few miles driving down Rte 3 from our hotel and we were there... We parked in the gravel lot behind the small building that holds the brewery.  The grounds of Atlantic Brewing Company are pretty awesome.  In the picture to the left, you can see the gift shop, which is actually where they hold the beer tastings after the brewery tour.  They also sell all of their bottled beers there, and other swag like pint glasses, shirts, stickers, and mustard made with their beer. We met our tour guide in the gift shop, and walked outside to the second building, which housed the brewery.  Check out the pictures we took below! Atlantic Brewing Company makes several year-round brews, as well as seasonal a...

Tonight I decided to review Atlantic Brewing Company's Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale. According to Atlantic Brewing Company's website , their addition of blueberries to this ale only adds a "subtle blueberry aroma without the sweet aftertaste."  I am hoping this rings true, because if there's one thing that turns me off of a beer, is if that beer is a fruit-bomb.  Going into this beer with an open mind.... Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale poured into my Ithaca Beer Co. pub glass a light amber, copper color with a finger width head.  Smells primarily of blueberry, with a little bit of caramel and bread, but not much.  Tastes a mix of blueberry and light malts.  Very little sweetness!  Quite a bit of carbonation on the tongue, but a very light mouthfeel.  Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale is an easy drinking, refreshing beer.  I am pleasantly surprised with this beer.  Going into it, I tried to keep an open mind, but I really didn't think I would like it. ...