Blackstone's Brewing, 4/28/08

Blackstone's Brewing
Nashville, TN
Mon. 4/28/08, 1:30pm
[open]

House Brews:
Chaser Pale
Nut Brown Ale
Red Springs Ale
St. Charles Porter (J)
Maibock (B)
IPA (J)
Cask-conditioned Porter (B)

Cask-conditioned Porter: Deep dark garnet red. Head on the smallish side. Aroma is a woodsy and honey smell. Served warmer than customary. Pleasant carbonation. Body just a hair on the thin side - a minor flaw. The woodsy-sweet aroma translates into the flavor. Hops are muted. Malts are well represented but the most noticeable flavor is the wood from the cask. It's very drinkable, but I'm not sure you want your serving vessel to be the sole star. John & I agree to a taste of the original award-winning porter is in order. 8.2

IPA: A very minor head. Color is a little lighter than the average IPA. Although the beer is hoppy, the initial impression is malty. One thing that's odd is that the hops don't always show up at the same time in different swallows. It's a very drinkable beer - not the most complicated or interesting beer, but enjoyable. Body is very slightly on the light side - it's a minor complaint. Not a classic, but not bad at all. 8.4

Porter (uncasked): Looks the same as the casked version. Slightly less of a head. This is a better beer without the cask The malt and hops got to show up and are not buried in the wood. The beer's personality gets to shine through. Now I see why this is a medal winner. 8.6

Maibock: Smells more Belgian than Bavarian. Very citrusy and fruity. Color, carbonation and head consistent with typical American skunk-piss beers. The flavor - thank God - is very tasty. The body is spot on. I think this beer has made acquaintance with a monkey from PA. Yummy. A tad more hops in the finish than a true Belgian. This beer was tapped within the past 2 days so it's nice and fresh. I can't really find too many flaws, other than it's probably mis-labelled as a Maibock. 20 minutes later and the carbonation is still strong. 8.8