"Blueberry Ale" news and stories

Ok, so I haven't tried every blueberry-flavored beer in the world (though trust me, that is my goal). That said, I can tell you what my favorite of the ones I have tried is: Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale.

Last week you may remember I gave a few deductions (too much Olympics!) to Blue Point Brewing Company's Blueberry Ale for balance -- pointing out that many times it can be hard to organically match malt and hops to fresh fruit flavoring, especially with extremely light ales. In my opinion, the best fruit beers tend to be unfiltered wheat beers.

Enter Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale. Right out the bottle, the nose is of fresh (wild Maine, they say) blueberries, but the brewers at Atlantic Brewing Company (makers of Bar Harbor) aren't afraid to let the beer itself do some of the talking. The nose is full of malts with a touch of hoppy spice. Hold your glass up to the light though for this ale to reveal its true secret: It's got the color of a darker beer but as the official press states it's "combined with wheat to give this ale its lighter body." Basically, you can tell you're in for a mouthful.

"Our distributor asked us to do something like that," says Alan Brady, Head Brewer for Long Island, New York's Blue Point Brewing Company. "Now it's one of our top sellers."

Ah, what inspiration: I've heard more passion in bank transactions. But who can blame him: Blue Point's flagship beer Toasted Lager is a World Beer Cup winner. Now he has silly bloggers wasting his time asking questions about this fruity brew. Even the official description is somewhat backhanded: "Blue Point fresh Blueberry Ale offers an unusual twist on brewing that turns out to be just perfect" -- as if to say: "Don't worry, guys! It came out okay!"

There's a discrepancy as to how many blueberries actually go into a Blueberry Ale. The box boasts an impressive 735 pounds, whereas the website speaks to a more conservative 132. Maybe they halved the recipe? Either way, these numbers are meaningless to the average drinker -- It's all about what ends up in your nose and mouth -- and Blueberry Ale is appealing in both regards. The scent is a bounty of fresh, authentic blueberries, but surprisingly, the flavor itself is not overpowering., which is perfect. Beginner's mistake numero uno in fruit flavoring is putting too much on the palette.

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My favorite summer indulgence, by far, is the Sea Dog BluePaw wheat ale. Of the several blueberry/wheat beer concoctions I've tried, Sea Dog is the smoothest, with the most natural, satisfying blueberry taste. It's a strong, solid ale with just a hint of real Maine blueberries, and no fake aftertaste.

But the best part isn't just the beer: it's what comes in it when you order. In Boston, at least, it comes to you with a smattering of fresh blueberries floating on top. Each surrounded by teeny bubbles, as you sip, they slowly sink down to the bottom, resulting in quite a pleasing display of physics (trust me, the process becomes more entertaining with each glass).

My friend and I started calling it the "poor man's sangria." But you can also call it delicious.

So I'm back in my hometown for the Fourth of July, and my old roommate picks me up at the train station, and on the way back home he stops at the package store (liquor store to those who don't know what the hell I'm talking about), and he picks up a six pack of Wachusett Blueberry Beer.

He tells me to try it, but I'm hesitant. I mean, I'm somewhat adventurous when it comes to food and drink. I'm not going to try that turkey and gravy soda that Jones makes, but I'm willing to try something new and different. But blueberry beer? Was this made by the people who put coffee in my Coke and nougut in my Reese's Peanut Butter cups?

But I try it and...it's not bad at all. In fact, after a quick burst of blueberriness (I'm not sure if that's a word, but it fits), it actually settles into your mouth without any blueberry shock or aftertaste. And I guess that's the test of a good beer: you don't really notice the flavor of it as you're sucking down bottle after bottle. But this might also be a turnoff to some. Maybe some beer fans will actually want to taste the blueberry, after all, what's the point if you can't?

Right now I'm on my third. Though I don't know if I will make this a regular purchase. Too many other good beers out there to bother.