Brewer: Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Type: American Porter and English Brown Ale
ABV: 5.8% and 5.6%
Well, that’s a sad photo to the right, isn’t it? Empty pint glass for a beer review? What gives, Loba?
Here’s the thing: First, yes, I am reviewing two beers in one review, but, no, I don’t actually have the beers in my possession at the moment. Keeping with this week’s theme of reviewing beers that I have discovered during various work-related trips, these two beers were my most recent happy discoveries from my latest travels.
A whirlwind assignment found me on my very first journey to Nashville, Tennessee. I know very little about Nashville. It’s the home of country music. It’s not where Elvis lived. It’s not where Elvis died. There is, however, a cupcake place that makes Elvis-inspired cupcakes. Bet you can guess the flavor.
I was only there for a day, and most of the time was reserved for work, so I knew that I wasn’t really going to see anything of Nashville beyond the hotel and where I needed to report. But I knew…I knew I had to have some barbecue. One does not go to Tennessee without at least trying to find some tasty charred meat.
Thanks to the hotel’s free wi-fi and some snooping around on Yelp, I found a place in walking distance that not only fulfilled this requirement but also presented me with the unexpected joy of being a craft brewery as well!
Blackstone’s is a lovely little place, not quite small enough to be considered a “neighborhood dive” but not close enough to the downtown hustle to be considered a big contender. It’s kind of tucked away in a part of town that looks like it might have seen better times. Then again, Blackstone’s looks like it might have seen better times as well. Not to say that it looked run down or lacking in curbside appeal. It’s a tidy, decent-sized place, equal parts sports bar, restaurant, and brewery, but both times we went there (yes, I said both times) there weren’t a whole lot of people there. Maybe it was just off times. Is Sunday evening an off time for restaurants? Monday afternoon? I don’t know.
It’s a shame, though, because I had two exquisite experiences here. Both days, we had the same waitress (I think her name was Anna, but I could be incorrect on that one). She remembered us the second day, was incredibly congenial, chatty but by no means annoyingly so, very attentive, and just really excellent at taking care of us. This included making sure we got ample opportunities to try several of the beers on tap.
Obviously, I treated myself to Blackstone’s two darkest offerings. However, I did give their Chaser Pale Ale a chaser of a chance and was incredibly surprised by how delicious it was. Brewed in the German Kolsch style, it was a bright perfect balance between honey smooth and citrusy sweet, with just the slightest hint of a hoppy tingle.
On to the main attractions. My first choice from Blackstone’s tap lineup was their St. Charles Porter. It had to be done, since I was also ordering a half slab of their baby back ribs, cooked in said dark brew. What a delicious pairing! This porter sidesteps saccharine pitfalls while delivering clean dry porter flavors of dark chocolate, chicory, espresso, and subtle smokiness, making it a perfect accompaniment for Blackstone’s sweet and savory ribs and their fall-off-the-bone barbecue goodness.
P.S.: Blackstone’s ribs are nothing short of miraculous.
For dessert, I opted for their Nut Brown Ale (it says right here it’s a dessert wine beer!). A gorgeous golden cherry in contrast to the somber mahogany of St. Charles Porter, it still holds its own in flavor, with notes of caramel and a savory sweetness like molasses on toast. Both beers are incredibly easy on the palate, making it quite easy to wile away several pre-flight hours chatting and enjoying such other wonderful (and immensely beer-friendly) brewpub offerings as wood-fired oven-baked pretzels and succulent steak and biscuits au jus.
(Remember, I did state that I went here twice, denizens.)
I loved these beers and the overall Blackstone experience so much that I decided to commemorate the occasion with my very first beer-centric pint glass ever purchased. How’s that for praise?
Draft suits both these brews quite well, but I do wonder what they taste like from the bottle. For scientific reasons only, of course. Hopefully, Blackstone will reach this far north and I will get my chance to continue my very relevant research. And hopefully, one day I’ll get a chance to return to Blackstone’s brewpub. If I could have packed this place up in my carry-on and toted it home with me, I would have. Lovely digs, awesome waitress, delicious food, and wonderful brews always flowing from their taps.
