Our next stop takes us to the very touristy town of Bar Harbor.  Bar Harbor is as far north as most tourist go in Maine, a bit tacky, and known primarily as home to Acadia National Park.  However, this little tourist town is also home to some very good beers.  

We were told the story of Bar Harbor Brewing Company when we arrived at the tasting room. The brewery was started many years ago by  husband and wife homebrewers.  After the beers became quite popular locally,  a local restaurateur bought the small company and its recipes.  However, the new owner knew little about beer and the quality declined.  The owners of the nearby Atlantic Brewing Company went back to the original owners, got the original recipes, and started brewing the beers as they were originally intended. 

The small tasting room is located in downtown Bar Harbor a few blocks from the water. It is a hidden gem with some of the best beers in Maine. It greatest jewel is the blueberry wheat.  Unlike most fruit beers, the taste of blueberry here is subtle and adds to the flavor of the beer. The blueberry is strong on the nose but not on the tongue.  The rare thing here is the fruit complements the beer. This not a fruit beer in which you can have just one, but you could easily enjoy a few on a hot summer day. 

The tasting room also features beers by Atlantic Brewing Company which is located just a few miles down the road. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit Atlantic as they were not yet open for season. We did purchase a 6 pack of several of their brews while visiting the tasting room at Bar Harbor Brewing Company.  All were quite good, as was the one sampled in the tasting room, and I would recommend the Atlantic brews if you should see them on the menu.