Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery

sholland119

Pennsylvania

3.36/5  rDev -14.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.25 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

We had picked up a six pack of Adam Bomb at Craft Brewed early in the week and really enjoyed it. Thought we'd stop in and see what else the place had to offer. Uh, sadly the answer was not much.

The place has the feel of a clubby old steakhouse or Italian joint, rather dark and poorly lit. A u-shaped bar on the left of the entry holds about 15 patrons with a dining room on the right. The place has some potential with a makeover with the open space and high ceilings but for now, kind of meh.

Beer selection was rather disappointing too. Four house beers, two specials, a decent rich brown ale and a hoppy pale. Nothing really stood out.

Service was the highlight. The bartender was very nice, gave us the benefit of the American Craft Beer Week special pricing without us knowing about it.

Could be a worthwhile stop but, sadly, isn't.

HV

05-24-2013 00:58:10 | More by sholland119

Andrewcifer

Maine

4.55/5  rDev +16.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

I travel a lot for my job and use Beer Advocate more than any other site in planning my stops for the night. I even check there before finding a hotel for the evening to ensure a tasty beverage or two. I value user input and the site is an incredible resource and a tremendous time saver.

My travels recently took me to Nashville. The several miles leading up to my arrival was spent on BA comparing two breweries that seemed to be within about a mile of each other (Blackstone's and Bosco's). User reviews were about neck and neck but there seemed to be a bit more negatives said about the latter. I opted for Blackstone's and am very happy with my choice (though to be fair I will be willing to try Bosco's if I ever make it through again). I started with the sampler, consisting of an APA, a black IPA, a red, a brown, a pale ale, and their award winning porter. All were quite tasty to delicious. Though the Chaser pale ale wasn't a favorite out of personal taste, it was not an inferior product. Mark the bartender was very knowledgeable and quite helpful. And his recommemdation without hesitation for the chipotle pork tenderloin with blue cheese grits (no cream of wheat consistency here) and al dente asparagus was inspired and enjoyed from beginning to end. I finished off with a full size porter and a T-shirt to remember them by. Say no to the naysayers and check this place out.

10-02-2012 16:54:06 | More by Andrewcifer

Brent

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

We visited the restaurant after a "beer school" brewery tour and enjoyed a sample flight and some appetizers. Nice interior, spacious and comfortable, but more restaurant-like than brewpub, notwithstanding the brewing equipment in sight. A nice selection of reasonably priced pub grub and more substantial fare. Service was fast and attentive. Best moment was when our server arrived with a tray of beer samples and began sorting them on the flight placemat. I commented that it must be hard to keep them organized. His response: "I am an amazing person, sir."

03-01-2012 14:30:22 | More by Brent

texashammer

Texas

4.35/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

We enjoyed Blackstone very much. Husband and I were in Nashville for some live music but needed some quality beer too so we spent a lazy afternoon here in between shows.

Our bartender Chris was very friendly and chatty, which is how I like my bartenders. He was happy to talk sports (professional as well as recreational, as in our own), Nashville and cities in general, and beer. We sat at the bar but I also admired the little library nook, with books on shelves, a fire, and lower ceiling. Very cozy.

We got some Tuscan artichoke soup, shepherd's pie, and a yellowfin tuna sandwich, and found them all well above average for pub fare (aside from the fries which are obviously frozen, but whatever).

More importantly, the beer - again I didn't take enough notes to feel ready to review each beer but I'll share my beer notes here.

We didn't try the Chaser Pale (kolsh) or the Nut Brown.
The APA (American pale ale) was good: dry mouthfeel, light citrus/pine hops, drinkable.
St. Charles porter: highly decorated at GABF, they tell us, but I found it the least memorable of the 4 we drank. neutral, but plenty drinkable. I like the notes on the beer menu about the history of the style.
Tripel: using Westmalle yeast. quite good! 9.5% abv we're told (not on menu) and quite drinkable for that abv. nice hops.
Irish stout: nice roasty flavor, fairly light body but again very drinkable.
ranked: Tripel, APA, stout, then porter, but even the porter was good.

The theme here was drinkable, pleasant beer that I wouldn't drive across the state for, but when combined with good food and great service, it made for a lovely afternoon.

02-13-2012 22:42:32 | More by texashammer

dcloeren

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -29.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2 | food: 3 | $$

This place was suggested to me by several people while I was in Nashville and on Beer Advocate as well and I can't seem to figure out why. There was nothing about this place but average food and a below average selection.

The restaurant was dimly lit with hundreds of beer bottles on double decker shelves all the way around the restaurant. They also have an all glass wall where you can look into their brewery, which was pretty cool. Outside of that, there were a few tv's and a bar in the middle. Very casual.

The quality was alright. Nothing that would make me want to suggest this place to anyone with all of the other restaurants Nashville has to offer.

Service was good but not great. If you aren't a craft beer enthusiast the waitstaff will be helpful as they like to compare their beers to BMC and the like. "Our Kolsch is like Budweiser" for example...

The beer selection was the most disappointing part of the entire experience. Six beers to choose from and out of the 4 that I sampled I can honestly say that they were all average at best.

The food was good, but like I had mentioned before there was nothing about it that would make me want to suggest this place to anyone.

If you are visiting Nashville and you like average food and beer then this is your place. I would highly suggest that you look into all of the other excellent restaurants the city has to offer before wasting one of your nights here.

08-20-2011 15:02:15 | More by dcloeren

JayS2629

Alabama

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Very upscale but comfortable place. Dimly lit, spacious and clean. The quality of the food and beer was excellent. The service was quick, friendly, and informative. The beer was limited to what they brew. A total of six beers in the sampler flight. They brewed them very close to the style guidelines. Many of the beers were bland. I would have liked to see at least one experimental beer, but I know the place caters to an upscale clientel. The food was ok. The wife got the nachos for an appetizer and they were soggy, but the salsa had a nice kick. The salad I got was bland, but the wife got a salad we ended up trading that had an awesome bacon maple dressing. My friend had a file mignon that I wished I would have gotten. That looked delicious. The prices were a little up there. I don't mind paying a little extra for quality, which was there, but the food lacked in flavor in my opinion. Overall, a very nice atmosphere, service, but the food and beer was lacking a bit.

06-13-2011 04:27:28 | More by JayS2629

ndolover

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -9.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

Blacstone is like a worn dress shoe. You can tell that they do well with the business crowd, but they are nothing too fancy. Located near downtown, and near Vanderbuilt gives the clientle a professor and banker feel.

The beer selection if limited to what they brew. They have about 5 beers with 1 or 2 seasonals. All the beers are well executed and within style. The medals on the wall show that they are good at what they do! They always have one of their beers on a beer engine. So you can compare and contrast it vs the full draft version. I would have liked to see at least one "daring" beer.

The service and food were average for a brewpub.

Overall, this is one of 3 places to hit in Nashville...with Bosco's and the Flying Saucer being the others. If you like brewpubs and good beer do not fear Blackstone! =)

05-12-2011 17:51:14 | More by ndolover

mynie

Indiana

3.38/5  rDev -13.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4 | $$

The bar bears an uncanny resemblance to Fratello's in Oshgosh, Wisconsin. I realize that maybe that's a stupid observation to begin a review with, but, man, it was freaky. Is there, like, a catalogue from which you can buy prefab brewpubs, like a commercial version of tract housing?

So, anyhow, the insides were upscale looking. Gold track lighting, black and chrome interiors, and comfy bar stools because fancy people got fancy asses and they deserve better than plain old wood. The bar was faux marble, and the waitstaff wore black shirts. It was pretty in a very material and superficial way. Which isn't to say the people there weren't friendly--they were--it's just the atmosphere projected a little bit of stuffiness that's really not my thing. This is a great, welcoming bar for business people.

The beer selection was boilerplate: APA, IPA, porter, and a session for the ladies. The beers were a notch above average for a regularly esteemed brewpub: there was no nodes of offness, no homebrew tang, no mindless or excessive hopping.

Food was tasty pub fare. Staff knew a little bit about every beer on tap. Really, everything was pretty good but nothing was exceptional.

05-10-2011 15:30:44 | More by mynie

FrankWBurnsIII

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

It has been years since I have been around Nashville, but when I was around I went to this place several times, generally in large groups and it was always a good time.

I can't recall any specific beers or food anymore, but they brewed really good stuff. I was never disappointed with any of the beer that I had. The food was good and the service was too.

It's possible that the parking situation was a little tight, but don't quote me on that because I was never the one driving. I just feel like I have memories of sitting in the parking lot waiting for something to open up.

04-16-2011 18:52:58 | More by FrankWBurnsIII

DCon

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Blackstone's was right across the street from the Hampton Inn the family stayed at on our way back from Siesta Key, FL (What are the chances a brewpub is across the street from our hotel?).

First couple minutes taking mental pictures of the place, it is very homely. There were people playing chess in one corner, a fireplace with art decorated randomly, and classic beer bottles circling the place. The normal beer exhibit was in the front as well.

Quality was fantastic! Enjoyed three of their ales and made sure to take note of every one of them. The lighting, tastes, and aroma of everything was everything it should have been.

Service was quick but like many times, the server wasn't all too sure of their beers and the attributes that surround them. This was okay because we were able to talk to the Manager about their Stouts and what makes them stand out from others.

Selection wasn't too high. They only had 6 beers to offer, although their food menu was vast with selection. They offered a Kolsch, Nut Brown Ale, APA, Porter, and two Stouts. I wouldn't have minded starting with a lighter beer but no worries! Should this be normal for a brew-pub to only have 5 on tap, 1 cask? Sure, but have to give it a 3.5 still.

The food made the place happen! We started off with their Hot Soft Pretzels for an appetizer and then moved quickly onto the Chicken Pizza. Both complemented the beers and vise versa. Couldn't have been a better night at a brewpub.

Prices for all ales were $4.50 for a pint, not bad. Altogether, food & beer, we left with a bill under $50 for 4 people. This is Very Reasonable!

Hope to go back and try new ales they have brewing sometime while passing through Tennessee!

03-29-2011 19:03:33 | More by DCon