Bastone Brewery 2009 Review

Last night was way over due for the Brewskies, as it's been months since our last brew tasting. We decided to make Bastone Brewery in downtown Royal Oak our last stop of 2009, and although we've been to Bastone before, they had a couple new seasonals along with a brand new menu that we had to try out. The 3 Brewskie critics consisted of Jim Miller, Patrick Kelly and myself. For moral support, we were also joined by Stephanie Casola and Kirk (MotorCityBlog). There were a few Brewskie Brothers missing from the evening, but with the holiday hoopla this week it was difficult to find a way that catered to everyone. But as they say, "drink one for me", is a request we never turn down!

I'm not really sure what it was, but the cool weather, the snow falling, the beer flowing, and everyone in good spirits, this holiday night at Bastone Brewery was everything we needed to get away from the constant Christmas commotion. What was supposed to be an 8 to 10 event turned out to be more of an 8 to close evening as we worked down the line of our beer samplers and menu items.

Although we've reviewed some of these beers before, any micro brew fan will understand that the Brewmaster at every brewery will once in a while change up the flavor giving us always another reason to come back and taste again. When ever we taste test we always bring a few people with different likings so that you can hear it from more than just one person. We believe there's a beer for everyone, and we're here to help you find it!

The first 6 beers listed here are always on their menu and the last 2 are the current seasonals Bastone has on the Menu.



Monumental Blonde
Jim - it doesn't spark the tastebuds, but it's very smooth and is perfect for someone who likes light beers.
Dave - as someone who likes a lot of flavor in his beer, this one just doesn't do it for me. However, I know quite a few people that would love it. It's very light tasting and smooth.
Patrick - from a brewery standpoint it's a weak beer, but I think it's extremely flavorful with a nice aftertaste

Main Street Pilsner
Jim - It's better than your labatt or bud. It has a good after taste and stronger than the blonde.
Dave - very similar to the the Monumental Blonde but with a very different afterrtaste. Kind of gives off an IPA flavor but not quite as strong.
Patrick - exactly what I expect out of a light brewery beer. smooth and more flavorful than a standard light beer.


Witface
Jim - very fruity, it's a good wheat beer
Dave - You can definitely taste the citrus in this one. It's smooth to taste.
Patrick - Combination was a bit much. The orange and lemon seemed to be fighting each other.


Royal IPA
Jim - not a big fan of IPA's but if you're a fan you'll like it. It's not overly hoppy or bitter/
Dave - not as strong as I remember their IPA being. I like it!
Patrick - Impressed, hoppy, yet smooth for an IPA


Dubbel Vision
Jim - I'm honored to live in a country where I can drink a Dubbel. Beer drinkers unite.
Dave - Amazing. That's all I really need to say, but here's some more words.
Patrick - Words cannot explain how good the Dubbel is.


Nectar des Dieux Triple
Jim - The Triple is better than it used to be. It's smoother than it used to be.
Dave - There's full flavor in the Triple, but it's really just a novelty drink to me because of it's reputation of having 9% of Alcohol.
Patrick - A desert beer. It's flavorfull and smooth along with a good kick.


Belgium Blonde
Jim - I can't nail down the flavors in it, but it's a distinct Belgium beer. It's not my favorite seasonal, but the next however........
Dave - unlike the Monumental Blonde, this Blonde is full of flavor and perfect beer to go with pretty much anything
Patrick - More flavorfull than the monumental but almost too bitter of an after taste to be considered a Blonde


Dopplebock
Jim - It's yummy. Can you say Growler to go??? YES PLEASE!
Dave - Full of flavor, lots of goodness, I like this beer
Patrick - extremely flavorfull and full bodied. By far their best.


During our meal we ordered the famous Pretzels and cheese sauce as well as a plate of Lobster Mac n Cheese. Bastone Brewery over the past few years has prided itself on delivering a great menu of food and beer and they really do a great job at pleasing our group. The food was a perfect fit for the drinks, but of course since this is a beer taste testing by the Brewskies, the 3 of us have to give our thoughts on the best drink of our choice. At the end of our taste test, by unanimous decision we all decided to order a pint of the Dopplebock. The full flavor and great after taste truly separated this brew from the rest. As it is a seasonal, there is a limited time to how long you'll be able to try this for yourself, so head down to Bastone Brewery in Royal Oak at 419 South Main Street.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Atwater Brewery in Detroit

So a little change up in the Brewskies tonight, our honorary Brewskie is Andrew Robinson (yes theee Andrew Robinson) instead of Jim Miller who had a last minute adventure come up as him and his wife are in the hospital getting ready to welcome a new girl into the world :)

We will miss you Jim, but the beer must go on! Ian, the manager, has put together the drinks and is on his way to the table. We're about to get started here, so without further ado, let the taste testing begin!


D-Light 4.2%
Brother Nick - Good Body, light beer, refreshing, very easily to be confused with Bud Light. Definitely keg worthy for Frat Parties :)
Brother Andrew - A very easy beer to slam.
Brother Dave - Like Bud Light with less carbonation (which is a good thing in my book) Before I knew it...this beer was gone. I agree with Brother Andrew on this one.

Michigan Lager 4.2%
Brother Nick - Not a lot of flavor, little musky taste, would say its comparable to Budweiser American Ale.
Brother Andrew - I didn't really taste a difference between the two, but I did notice that the smell was different and I didn't like this one.
Brother Dave - I'm not a fan of this one. Kind of like the D-Light but with zero carbonation..maybe I let this one sit too long, but I probably won't take my chances on this one again.

Dirty Blonde Ale 4.2%
Brother Nick - Light bodied, good flavor with a hint of grapefruit
Brother Andrew - I prefer a little more body. Reminds me a lot of a wheat.
Brother Dave - No body, but a decent taste. Easy to drink.

Salvation IPA 5.5%
Brother Nick - I think it's a big jump from the 3 lighter beers that we tried. Typical IPA, medium body, and I like the aftertaste then the actual beer.
Brother Andrew - Throws me off at first because it doesn't smell like an IPA, but after tasting it I can recognize it. It's like a mystery flavored dum-dums, lol.
Brother Dave - Usually when I pick up an IPA the smell discourages me from wanting to drink it. This one didn't. After tasting it, it's probably the best IPA I've had on the last few places, but yet, not really my style of beer. Are the darker ones here yet?

Cherry Stout
Brother Nick - I didn't think the cherry was going to have a tart taste to it, but the tart is not a bad thing, and it allows the beer to stand out on it's own individual beer. Couldn't drink a keg, but a bottle would be nice.
Brother Andrew - I think the cherry tart IS a bad thing, but i don't like fruity flavors in any of my stouts or porters.
Brother Dave -It's not bad, not a lot cherry to it, a definite stout in it's nature. I could have a couple of these.

Dunkel Dark lager 5.2%
Brother Nick - It's a light Dunkel.
Brother Andrew - I really don't have any words for this, I feel like its missing that individual characteristic to it.
Brother Dave - One of my favorite beers is the Warsteiner Dunkel so naturally I couldn't wait to get to this beer. The Warsteiner Dunkel is really dark, and this one was more red then anything so my curiosity was way up there. This drink is smooth, and I could drink this all night long. If you're just trying out this style of beer, it's a great step to enjoying it.

Teufel Bock 10.9%
Brother Nick - I like the Bock, it was a great taste, a hybrid between a heavy and medium body. Think of a heavier Killians
Brother Andrew - Very very smooth to drink, with a harded body. (yes he said harded)
Brother Dave - This is a smooth great red beer with a great body. Seeing that it's 10.9%, I could get my self in trouble with this one ;)

Shammons Porter Bourbon Barrel Aged 5.5%
Brother Nick - AAAAAMAAAZING. Smokey taste, good aftertaste, good body, definitely growler worthy.
Brother Andrew - It was Good. I uhhhh, I typically don't like bourbon barrel beers, but that one was pretty good. Ummmm, there was nothing that was displeasant about that beer. Is displeasant a word? Wait....I mean unpleasant...I like this brew
Brother Dave - I'm really confused on this one, I like it, but the tart aftertaste is not what I like after a sip. It would take a couple to give a full review...

Voodoo Vator 9.5%
Brother Nick - It has a unique taste to it, and for the high content, you don't taste the high alcohol in it. It almost tastes like a sweeter Bock
Brother Andrew - I wouldn't have a problem drinking a lot of that at all. It's really tastey, and uh, uh, uh, who wrote the book on love?
Brother Dave - I love the color of this brew, the taste, all in all, a great beer that I will probably have at the end.

Vanilla Java Porter 10.3%
Brother Nick - I think it's a very unique beer with no similarity to any of the others we had tonight. A nice vanilla cigar would have gone great with this though.
Brother Andrew - this is a waffle a lot like....(as we all laugh)...awful a lot like an imperial porter, as far as the brevity is concerned.
Brother Dave - This is not my style of beer, but I understand why people like these type of beers, and therefore I can say it's a good beer. It definitely carries a strong coffee flavor.

So the end of the night is here. No Brewskie night goes without a food sampling with it, so to enjoy our brews, we at the Brewers Platter (German sausage with saur kraut) a Rueben Sandwich, an Atwater Cajun Chicken, and the Rivertown Burger with Cheese. All of it was amazing and complimented the beers that sat out in front of us.

Tonight we closed out with our pick of the night:
Brother Nick chose the Shammon's Bourbon Barrel
Brother Andrew chose the Teufel Bock
Brother Dave chose the Voodoo Vator

Goodnight everyone! We are done typing and going to relax with our choice brews. A huge thanks to Brother Andrew for joining us and letting us write everything he said including the "uhhhs" and "ummmms" that he spit out. We had a great time!

Sampling the Beers at Bastone Brewery

Nick and I just got to Bastone Brewery and we're setting up. Keith Stonehouse just got here as well. We're waiting on Jim Miller and as soon as he gets here we'll be off to the sampling! :)

Jim finally got here, and so did a few other people and now the samplers are on their way! I have to say, they served us these little pretzel type things, and I can't stop eating them! Here come the samples!

Monumental Blonde 4.5%
Nick - Compliments the delicious pretzels they gave us. It has a mild taste, a bit watered down. Could pass as an early afternoon beer.
Jim - It's lite with a little bitter aftertaste. Would go great after working in your yard all day.
Dave - It's ok..has kind of a "tart" after taste to it. Doesn't taste bad, just isn't the kind of beer I usually order
Keith - A watered down version of a Coors Lite.
Gordy - Lots of flavor, but no body to it.

Main Street Pilsner 5.5%
Nick - Lite body, a little bit of a musk taste to it. Not my preferred beer and actually preferred the first one over this.
Jim - Not a huge fan of lite beers, tastes like a pilsner with a little kick. It's a smooth hardy pilsner, it doesn't bite ya.
Dave - Kind of a mix between Stella Artois and a Heineken. Not bad, and not what I expected. I would order it again.
Keith - A desert beer. I like it.
Gordy - A little on the bitter side for a Pilsner.

Witface 5.25%
Nick - A murky Miller Chill. You could sit back and drink this all night long.
Jim - I wouldn't mind sitting at the beat while the waves are rolling with this in my hand.
Dave - Not for me.
Keith - Nice lemon refreshing beer that makes me want to look at palm trees.
Gordy - This one's pretty good. Not heavy, good summer beer. Lawn chair or pontoon boat.

Royal IPA 6.75%
Nick - The IPA is a true IPA beer. Very bitter, but adding an orange perfected it.
Jim - I like the IPA. It's that middle ground between the lites and the darks.
Dave - IPA's are always interesting to me. At first taste, i'm never a fan. Halfway through, I end up wanting to order another. It's an IPA true to it's form
Keith - A bit bitter. Not a huge fan, but I could drink it.
Gordy - (passed on the IPA in the order and had a double order of the Witface)

Dubbel Vision 7.5%
Nick - It's a fantastic beer. Easily in the top 3 of all the beers I've ever had....(and I've had a lot)
Jim - The first four beers in front of the Dubbel couldn't have gone quicker. I love the Dubbel! It is yummy and classy.
Dave - I love the Dubbel. I had it first at the Ambassador Design Launch party and I will have it every time I come here :) This is my type of brew!!!
Keith - A thick and fierce cider like beer. I like it.
Gordy - Full body, mouth full of fruit, and really malty, which is a great thing in my book!

Nectar des Dieux Triple 9.0%
Nick - I think it's a really good lite beer. Nice body, definitely a beer I will come back seasonly to have.
Jim - Delicious, kind of like the Dubble turned up to an 11 on the volume scale.
Dave - Ok, with a 9.0%, and the color of this beer, I was just assuming that it wouldn't taste to my liking, but after the first sip it shocked me. This is a really good beer. I like it :)
Keith - Amazing!!!!!
Gordy - I loved it! High alcohol content, fully body, full flavor, love it!

Voodoo Brown 6.6%
Nick - This is the beer I'm taking home in a growler. Fantastic body, good flavor, nice undertone of coffee and chocolate.
Jim - Voodoo Brown is Voodoolicious. I'm a java freak and love beer and this combines it. Stellar from the Beer Cellar.
Dave - Smooth and tasty. I loved this beer from start to finish.
Keith - This is a good brew.
Gordy - Nutty, peatty, and.....it's like a wool sweater next to a campfire. Wrap me up in Voodoo Brown.

Strawberry Blonde 6.5%
Nick - One of the best ones out of the 8 tonight, good body, definitely a beer I could drink all night. A nice subtle fruit flavor to it.
Jim - More please ;) The subtle strawberry flavor pleases the pallet. I've fallen in love with the strawberry blonde
Dave - This is one of those beers that I could use an entire glass to give the full critique. but I like it.
Keith - This is a mans desert beer. (no ones know what that means)
Gordy - Sweet but not too sweet, full bodied, great desert beer.