Wednesday 30th of October 2019 04:54:54 AM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

Just had our wedding here and we must say the attention to detail that Chris and his staff put forth was nothing less than spectacular

Sunday 5th of August 2012 05:40:52 PM

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So I'm not really sure how to rate this place. We showed up on the first Friday of the month and weren't expecting what we saw going on. Turns out every first Friday of the month they throw a huge shindig and there were tons of people and live music. But being at night it wasn't like say Rahr and Sons or Jester King. There were police everywhere watching people and stuff. As if it were party town. We still decided to go in and eat despite everything going on. So first off food. They had a limited menu for this night as there are so many people. The limited menu consisted of easy to cook things and fast prep stuff. Salads and the sort. My wife had a watermelon salad, which literally was just watermelon, that had blue cheese crumbles, mint, honey and some sort of bacon like stuff. She said it was alright but not what she was expecting. I just had fish and chips. So as for the menu on first Fridays, don't expect much.

The beer here was not very impressive. Not bad I guess but not what I thought to expect. I'm guessing it is brewed to what the locals like. The pilsner was very much like a Budweiser or Coors. Very corny and actually not very light. Seemed a little thick and heavy for a pilsner. The IPA was very basic, pretty hoppy and citrusy. And the stout when brought out, I couldn't believe my eyes. There was not a trace of head. Looked like a flat Dr. Pepper. It wasn't all that great either. There were 3 other beers, a dopplebock, an amber and a cask version of their IPA. Didn't get to try them because since it was first Friday they don't do sample trays. Only full size glasses. Which if you're drinking outside are served in plastic cups.

Our server I can't say I was very impressed with either. I know it was busy and all, but I've had better service from places way busier than that. She couldn't seem to hear me when I could hear her just fine. Didn't seem like she wanted to be working that night. And to top it off she forgot our waters which was one of the first things we asked for.

Someday if I'm ever back in the area I will stop back by. Not on the first Friday though. I would like to try the other beers and some of the other full menu items. Seems like they had a lot of things to pick from. One other thing about first Fridays that you may want to know is they do not sell growlers. Due to the craziness that happens outside, they've experienced people in the past buying a growler and trying to drink it outside and getting drunk and dropping them causing a big problem with the broken glass.

Monday 5th of January 2009 12:32:41 PM

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What's nice about this place is its location. Set against a creek off of the road in a beautiful neighborhood, we came for San Antonio's First Fridays art crawl and were delighted to find this place right in the midst of things. On this night, parking was a bit of an issue, as they had the main lot, normally open and free, pegged at $5. But we parked a couple of blocks away, took the nice walk, and ended up with a table on the patio watching as huge, white cranes swooped into a nearby tree to roost for the evening.
The patio was very comfortable and inviting while the interior was more of what you'd expect from a brewpub, except that the building sides as a bike shop, so there are bikes everywhere above you. People were bringing kids of all ages and the crowd was very mixed at the tables.
For the food, I had the buffalo wrap with a side of fries, and my girlfriend the reuben with a side of fries. The food would end up being the low point. I enjoyed the buffalo wrap, but the reuben was a bit weak and the fries were either overspiced or very much underspiced.
For the beer, they don't do tasting trays, which kind of sucks because their alternative is 5oz samplers which run $1.50 a piece. I tried some of their standards: the pale, the King William (a barleywine) and the stout, as well as the IPA on cask and the wheat. The server also brought out the regular IPA by mistake. My girlfriend had a pint of the golden and, after trying it, the wheat.
My favorite was the cask IPA. I'm so glad that they had this on cask because IPAs just do so well served in that manner. The regular IPA was a bit weak and uninspired, but the cask really brought out the flavor and nuances that I wanted to taste. My next favorite was the stout, which tasted more like a milk stout. It was basically like a Guinness, but stronger and with a milkier consistency. The others were also very good, with the King William being the typical knock-you-on-the-floor potential barleywine.
The First Friday event ending up being really great. We walked away with a couple of bargains from an Austin-based artist and had a really good time just walking around the area, as did quite a few other people.

Thursday 8th of May 2008 02:07:27 PM

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I really had high hopes for this place. It is a leisurely 20 minute stroll from the River Walk and you get a good feeling for the cool King William district. The Blue Star is located in an old industrial building right next to the river. When you arrive, head to the back of the building for the entrance to the brewery.

They have a nice terrace that overlooks the parking lot and the river. When I entered, I was very impressed with the soaring ceiling and how they had incorporated the original elements of the factory design into the space. Check out the neat Blue Star stained glass high above the entrance. You will also notice the bike shop that occupies the exposed loft in ½ of the space. It adds a very funky touch.

The tanks are proudly on display behind the center bar. Lost of seating at tables, try to grab one near a window.

They had a nice sized crowd on a Tuesday afternoon. Seems to be lots of regulars which I think tends to be a good sign

They had 6 beers on tap. I did not see any guest taps and did not ask about their bottle selection. Unfortunately none of them rose above average. They offer a wheat, an amber, a barley wine, a bier de guarde (the special), Pale Ale, a golden and a smoke. I was bummed that the smoke & pale were both out. No hop fixes for me today!. My favorite was the stout followed by the barley wine.

We did not try the food, but the menu seemed to offer some good choices.

Our waitress was friendly but a little slow. Unfortunately she was absolutely clueless about beers. One of our party asked what the hoppiest beer was and she looked like a deer in headlights. She could not answer even the most basic questions (was the wheat a hefe, an American or a wit). And no, we were not beer geeking. They should give their staff minimum training. She did offer samples, so extra points there. I guess if we really wanted to know more about the beers, we could have went to the bartender.


Note that they offer party pigs and growlers. While I was a bit under whelmed, I would have no problem going back. I really liked the atmosphere and will hope next time they have the pale ale and the smoke!!

Friday 7th of March 2008 09:32:57 AM

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My cousin came down for a visit, and we decided to visit Blue Star. It's on the edge of the King William district in San Antonio across the street from Pioneer Mills, and is surrounded by art galleries. As a result, there's an eclectic artsy feel to the place. Only five beers were on tap, Golden, Pale Ale, King William Barleywine, cask conditioned ale, and stout. We ordered a sampler and were impressed and decided on a pale ale. The food was great and reasonably priced. Service was fast, and friendly. What I liked the most was the family friendly atmosphere. Area families were there, and kids ranged from infants to six or 7 years of age. Definitely worth a stop, if you're tired of the Riverwalk.