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I went in the afternoon and have plenty of good conversation with the staff. There was a nice selection of beer styles. The IPA had a little to much alcohol, it over powered the great flavor. Good time. It is located on a future extension of the river walk.
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Ryan,
West Des Moines, IA
(08/04/2010) |
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So So
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I visited Blue Star on Jan 5, 2010 at about 5:15 pm. They were not busy, and I sat at the bar. I tried all of their beers. The only beer to which I gave a good rating was their Texan Lager (a rating of ****- (four minus stars) out of a possible ***** (five stars)) All of their other beers (Pomegranate, Pale Bock, Stout, IPA, Cask Conditioned Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Sour Tap Oak Aged Sour (with no extracts added)) were rated three stars or lower. I had a Chicken Fried Chicken with sweet potato fries and a house salad. The food was good, and the bar tender was friendly and helpful. I met a brewer there from one of Blue Star's competetors (Freetail Brewery) and I enjoyed talking to him about beers and brewing. Overall Bluestar was good, but not great. Would I go back there? Probably not, especially if I had a way to get up to Freetail to try their brews.
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S Smith,
Trophy Club, TX
(01/10/2010) |
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Good
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N/A
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While visiting in SA, had to visit the microbreweries. Blue Star had a decent selection of their brews on tap. Their pale ale had the most flavor and hop aroma. The barley wine didn't hide the alcohol background very well. The other beers were decent but not memorable. The off flavors mentioned in the last posting have been resolved at least during our visit. The staff were pleasant and attentive. Would visit again.
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Mark Richardson,
Edmond, OK
(07/05/2009) |
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Lousy
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So So
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So So
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Good
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Lousy
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I've visited three times on business travel since February 2008. It is a very cool, eclectic place.
That said, this brewery has a HUGE issue with diacetyl off-flavors in ALL of their beers. I thought perhaps this was just an incidental problem, but after three visits in three months it has become worse, if anything.
Its a shame, too. If they get their brewing process cleaned up and restore the quality to what it apparently once was, then it would get high marks. As it is, its not fit to serve.
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Iowa City, IA
(04/15/2008) |
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Neat place. I can't imagine that San Antonio only has one brewpub within the city limits.
People from San Antonio: GO THERE! SUPPORT THIS PLACE!
They didn't have the King William on tap, but I had a good Amber ale, and a Stout which I really enjoyed. The food was good, too. I really liked the Pork Green Chili. The service was a little slow, but we were there in the middle of the afternoon, and they were busy setting up one of the rooms for a dinner that evening. No big deal. We were there to relax, anyway. Got to spend some time with the brewer, and he seemed happy to talk with us, and gave us some of the history/local stuff, which we always enjoy. The other patrons were friendly, too. I'll go back next time I'm in the area.
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Bruce,
Palatine, IL
(12/01/2007) |
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Lousy
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So So
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Lousy
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Lousy
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Lousy
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During a recent dinner at the Blue Star I, along with at least four others ,was burned by steam released from the pipes. I was burned from my head down my back. We were treated with indifference by the staff when we informed them what had happened. Followup phone calls also generated rudeness, and a "don't bother us" attitude. They refuse to disclose their insurance agent/company. We were lucky that a three year old sitting at the table was out of the line of fire.
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Syracuse, NY
(11/08/2007) |
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Good
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Good
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Good
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Great
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nice place. cool bar tender. good beer. easy going place worth going to.
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Travis,
san antonio, TX
(04/30/2007) |
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Great
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So So
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I had the Cask conditioed Pale Ale. Very good and true to form!! The food was what I expected...bar food but tasted good. The server,(Claire I belive) was very attentive and pleasant. Overall I would come back just for the beer even if the sevice wasn't good. Next time I'm in San Antonio I will definatly visit again.
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Chuck Fatula,
Ellwood City, PA
(12/24/2006) |
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Great
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Great
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I visited Blue Star in June, 2005 while attending the GFOA conference. I enjoyed it so much on Saturday, I went back on the following Tuesday! Much to our delight, they have live music on Tuesdays! Overall, the food was very good. We enjoyed the appetizer sampler platter, Pork medalions, Quesadillas, Filet Mignon, Shrimp PoBoy, and the very decadent Double Layer Double Chocolate Cake. The only item I didn't like was the Ettoufe. The sauce was overpowered the dish, both in flavor and volume. The beer was great, period. I had no reservations bringing another true beer lover to Blue Star on the return trip. Finally, my coworker went to Blue Star this year with several colleagues. They all gave Blue Star two thumbs up!
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John,
Clinton Twp., MI
(07/24/2006) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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So So
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So So
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Good
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Had the beer sampler and was not disappointed in any of them. The best was the pale ale (oddly more hoppy and flavorful than the IPA - which was still good). The cask ale was a close second but all were great. The beers alone are worth the trip. Excellent!
We only had appetizers but the portions were skimpy. The service was inattentive and the table next to us got up and left after being ignored for 10-15 minutes.
The beers are first-rate and that's the most important thing but the poor service and surrounding area keep me from rating Blue Star higher.
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Jeff Miller,
Prairie Grove, AR
(03/31/2006) |
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I wasn't crazy about the location, but it wasn't that bad. The beer was pretty good, but wasn't very fond of the food. Turns out they were out of the steak I ordered, so I had to settle for chicken.
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Ray Lombard,
Magnolia, NJ
(01/13/2006) |
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Good
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The Pale Bock was excellent and this place makes a great Pilsner. The Cask Conditioned Ale, on the other hand, was weak and very disappointing. The other beers were all good. The Chicken Fried Steak was served with mashed potatos and gravy. The portion was large and it was very good. I was surprised that there were not more Tex-Mex items on the menu. The atmosphere was very laid back.
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Mark,
Carlisle, PA
(09/29/2005) |
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Great
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Great
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The Stout was very smooth, no bitter aftertaste. And the food was awesome--especially the pork green chili. Can't wait to visit again.
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Bedford, TX
(06/23/2005) |
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N/A
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This is a rebuttal to what apparently was general manager Michael King's Feb. 20, 2005, "clarification" of my review of Dec. 15, 2004 (I haven't had time to browse Pubcrawler lately). I didn't invent those conversations with the bartenders, who said that happy hour prices didn't apply to seasonal specials or black and tans. If he is saying that isn't true, then he has either come to his senses and changed the rule or his bartenders were trying to pad customers' bills to boost their own tips without his knowledge. If so, it was counterproductive, because it only pissed me off. I'm less concerned about the bicycle rental thing; it does look peculiar, but if it works for them and helps keep them brewing, I can handle it.
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Robert Buckman,
Lafayette, LA
(05/09/2005) |
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Great
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We went there a couple of weeks ago. There are now about 6-8 beers on tap, but the King William was not on tap. The cask IPA and regular IPA were very good. We all had good dishes and the service was good outside. Glad to see the beers are back on....
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R. Davis,
Spring, TX
(05/04/2005) |
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Great
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Great
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This is San Antonio's only brewpub now. The beer is good. I had my favorite last night, IPA. I love Guiness but their stout doesn't quite match up. The food is good but not as good as I have had in other brewpubs, so I agree with others that they need to work on the food. I have found the service to be good, but can be slow. They get the award for putting the largest number of tables in the smallest amount of space! The table area is extremely crowded. The decor is industrial, which matches my idea of how a brewpub should look. The prices are reasonable for good quality beer. If you want cheap beer, buy miller/bud at the grocery store! It is too bad that SA cannot support more than one brewpub.
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terry,
san antonio, TX
(02/26/2005) |
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N/A
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Being the General Manager of the Blue Star Brewing Company, I feel some clarification is in order. The Blue Star Brewing Company tries very hard to be a family friendly, excellent establishment for all it's guests. We currently have on tap eight varieties of beer. With the exception of our Barley Wine (King William Ale) all varieties are offered in 10, 12, 16 and 20 oz sizes and all have happy hour pricing. We rent bicycles to take care of the needs of the over 8 million visitor's to the Alamo City every year. The Blue Star is conveniently located along the banks of the world famous San Antonio River thus it was logical to offer bicycle sales and rentals to locals and tourists wishing to see our beautiful city and Mission Trail Hike/Bike system, which is close by. Personally I would stack our restaurant up against any dining establishment in our city and our beer against any brew-pub in the world!
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Michael King,
San Antonio, TX
(02/20/2005) |
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So So
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Good
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Lousy
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So So
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Bikes??!!! Are you kidding me??? How about working on the food??!!!
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Osh Kosh, WI
(02/16/2005) |
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Good
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So So
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Good
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Good
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Only one I could find in the San Antonio area in an old hard to find place if not familar with area. Nothing to brag about
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Henry W. Milewski,
Panama City, FL
(12/17/2004) |
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So So
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Lousy
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So So
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So So
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I made my second trip to Blue Star on Monday (12-13-04) while in San Antonio. It's the only brewpub in S.A. and should be doing better than it is, and perhaps it would if it increased its selection and became more patron-friendly. The bar staff is amiable enough, but they're saddled with some stupid rules. They have a happy hour from 11-7, when a pint costs $2.75 instead of $3.75, which is great, but they don't tell you until your check comes that it doesn't apply to the seasonal specials. This time I asked if happy hour applied to the cask pale ale, and she said no. She didn't volunteer the information. I had a hard time deciding between the only two others brews available, the stout and the American IPA (the raspberry amber was not an option for me) so she suggested I do a black & tan with both. When I said that was a possibility, she said she couldn't do it for the happy hour price. I asked why not, if they were both regulars. She shrugged and said, "Labor? I don't make the rules." Her replacement came in soon and admitted that that was a pointless rule. My stout was more like a porter, which was fine because I prefer porters, but it wasn't "stouty." Don't expect it to be. Then I tried the regular pale, and it was quite good. I left 1/3 of a glass of my stout and made my own B&T for free. It's not that I'm cheap, mind you; I don't mind paying extra for an outstanding seasonal. But she gave me a sample of the cask ale and it wasn't worth the extra cost, and charging $1 extra for a B&T is a rule I have never encountered anywhere! Desist! I had a buddy join me, and we got the black bean nachos and a chicken and artichoke pizza. Both were pretty good by brewpub standards. Another patron had an order of battered mushrooms that looked enticing, but I had to stop sometime. I agree with the earlier reviewer that it looks tacky to graft a bike rental business with a brewpub. If you want to make more money, improve your selection (add a red ale, for example)and service, do some promoting, and they will come. Austin is much smaller than S.A. and it now has five brewpubs! The Internet connection at the bar is a nice touch, I must admit. Other brewpubs, take note.
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Robert Buckman,
Lafayette, LA
(12/15/2004) |
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Great
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Awesome!
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THIS PLACE IS A WORKING BREWERY, THEY DO THEIR BEST TO HAVE A GOOD SELECTION OF BEER ON TAP FOR PATRONS.(THE STOUT BY THE WAY IS MY FAVORITE!) THE PLACE, I FEEL HAS AN INCREDIBLE ATMOSPHERE! AND WHILE YOU ARE THERE,TALK TO THE PEOPLE THAT WORK THERE. THERE IS A REAL HUMAN SIDE TO THIS PLACE!! THERE IS DEFINITLY MORE THAN BEER HERE!
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GEORGE,
LEE, NH
(10/01/2004) |
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So So
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I returned to SA this past week on business and as usual stopped in at Blue Star. Not much has changed since my last visit-unfortunately. The place was dead with only 5-6 people in the restaurant/bar area. Only 4 beers were offered, with no cask or King William.
I had: Wheathead: American style unfiltered wheat. Passable.
Pale Ale: decent hops with a lighter body. Good beer
Stout: Good mouth and body but the flavor was lacking and the taste didn't last. Drinkable but not memorable.
Food: I had the lamb, usually a great meal. This time the lamb chops were extremely fatty and I left several bites on the plate. Disappointing.
Blue Star is no longer a "must stop" when in San Antonio. It's going in the wrong direction and the owner is now in the bike rental business too. Bad sign.
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R. Davis,
Spring, TX
(09/17/2004) |
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So So
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Unfortunately there were only 3 beers on tap when I was there a couple of weeks ago-and none of them were the cask. I had: Lager-solid drink for this style-but the cask lager I had in the past puts this to shame. Stout-well done-this was the my favorite for the night and was able to try a couple Pale Ale-a little on the light side for me. I've had more flavorful beers of this style here.
The food was good-my guest and I both finished our plates.
Here's hoping for a better selection next time I visit.
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R. Davis,
Spring, TX
(07/14/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Great
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Very nice establishment just south of downtown. Warehouse feel in an industrial part of town. Beers far above par for Texas -- pale ale has nice hop aroma; stout has good mouth feel. Tex-Mex on the menu is first rate.
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Ken Kane,
Portland, OR
(05/11/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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The owner put in a wireless internet connection....you can bring your laptop in and surf for free!!!!! Great Idea!! Not to mention drink great beer and have good food!!!!!!
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san antonio, TX
(05/10/2004) |
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