I try to visit brewpubs every time I travel to a new destination, both for the opportunity to enjoy some new beer and for the chance to experience a new place/atmosphere that I can file away for future visits. One tourist town close to my home is San Antonio and one enjoyable brewpub in this historic city is Blue Star Brewing Company, a brewpub with some interesting accompaniments.
Blue Star Brewing Company has a limited menu that includes some basic selections such as appetizers, soups/salads, entrees, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, and desserts. There are a handful of choices in each category along with homemade sodas in flavors such as grape, orange, strawberry, and root beer. The food is decent and the homemade sodas are very tasty. But the main reason people visit Blue Star Brewing Company is for the beer. Let’s see what this brewing company has to offer and how the beer stacks up:
Blue Star Golden– This medium to light, continental lager offers a smooth flavor profile that is easy- drinking yet still fairly satisfying due to the addition of German hops. It makes a good choice when you want a more traditional beer but want something better tasting than the standard American lager. Rating: 7 Cheers out of 10.
Blue Star Pale Ale- This well- balanced American style ale offers pale ale character, but without reaching the point of over- hopped bitterness. There is a solid malt backbone in this beer and it offers the fruity nuances of Cascade hops in the finish. Rating: 7 Cheers out of 10.
Blue Star Stout-This stout is brewed in the tradition of an Irish dry stout. It offers a roasted malt taste with flavors of coffee, chocolate, and cappuccino. The creamy texture is nice, but the beer is a little too light bodied to rate as highly as it could. Rating: 6 Cheers out of 10
Blue Star IPA– This ale offers more body and taste than the pale ale described above. The beer is still fairly well balanced between the caramel malt and the citrus- like hops, but the fruity contributions from the hops are unmistakable and they add a good deal of character to this ale. Rating: 8 Cheers out of 10.
Blue Star King William Barleywine-Easily the best beer in the bunch, this complex brew offers flavors like passionfruit, prunes, raisins, and citrus. The malt base is there, and it imparts a toasted caramel taste, but the focus here is on the hops. Rating: 9 Cheers out of 10
Blue Star Raspberry Lambic– This light, fruity brew barely qualifies as beer. The taste is chemical- like and very berry- like, to the point of undrinkability. Rating: 2 Cheers out of 10.
The atmosphere at Blue Star Brewing Company is something that will stand out in your memory. The brewpub is medium in size with seating for about 100 in the main area; an outside deck with seating for an additional hundred guests; and two private rooms on the second level for special occasions. These facts are nothing unusual, but what is unusual is the existence of a bike shop on the second level. Bicycles are in full view from the main bar area and besides bicycles and bicycle accessories for sale, this bike shop even has a professional bicycle mechanic on duty to help fix small problems and send you on your way.
So the atmosphere here is unique, but what about the food and drink? Even the most unusual atmosphere won’t compensate for bad food and drink but, fortunately, the brew and grub are all pretty good at Blue Star Brewing Company. As you can see, Blue Star Brewing Company does offer some tasty brews. The overall average rating is 6.5 Cheers out of 10 and only one of the six beers rates lower than average. So, most people will be generally satisfied with the beer. With the food, the options are limited but the quality is good. I enjoyed my large, tasty philly cheese steak with homefries and the chicken quesadilla was very nice. The food wasn’t anything incredible, but it was good and nicely compatible with the beer. The choices are limited, but the food is good overall.
Blue Star Brewing Company is a nice little brewery that is worthy of another visit on my future excursions to the San Antonio area. The beer and food are both good, the atmosphere is interesting, and the personnel are warm and friendly. It isn’t as inspirational as some of the better brewpubs I have visited over the years, but Blue Star Brewing Company makes for an enjoyable, stimulating experience nonetheless. How many brewpubs can you name that will serve you a fresh pint and then grease your chain? It’s a place all its own, and certainly worthy of a visit if you find yourself in San Antonio, Texas.
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I came here from bing. After reading about San Antonio