Boscos Famous Flaming Stone Beer (Nashville)
Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co.

Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co.
 
Tennessee, United States
Style:
Altbier
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.48 | pDev: 15.52%
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
24
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 03, 2014
Added:
Nov 07, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
North America's “Original Steinbier.” Brewed using a traditional German technique, stones heated in our wood fired ovens are lowered into the beer during the brewing process, giving the beer its unique caramel character. Awarded “Three Stars” by Michael Jackson, the world’s leading beer writer.

16 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Gavage:
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.37/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Appearance: clear yellow in color sporting a short 1/2" head. No lacing develops.

Smell: caramel sweetness is the lone aroma component here.

Taste: this beer has a unique flavor from the brewing process of using the hot stones. Caramel with lightly grainy and chalk like texture. Mild fruit sweetness and mellow bitterness. Very dry too.

Mouthfeel: crisp and dry throughout. Very brief grainy aftertaste. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: interesting beer that is worth trying. Not a beer to have several pints of.
Jul 03, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by Lovely85 from Florida

Jun 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by nickfl from Florida

Jun 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Gonzoillini from Illinois

Apr 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by swgwilt from Tennessee

Oct 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Jalogan2 from Tennessee

Feb 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by ryrad23 from Tennessee

Jan 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by grumpygerman from Alabama

Nov 05, 2012
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

2.94/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance: Dispensed a clear, bright yellow-hued body with a white head with good staying power and light lacing on the descent.

Smell: Hard to sniff up the meager hints of lightly bready malts with a razor thin caramel edge to it. Lacking, I'll say.

Taste: Ultra light bready maltiness, some thin, sweet caramel and syrup hints. Low esters. Near vacant hop profile, bitterness. Semi-dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Very clean, clear, wanting of just a bit more mmph in flavor and body.
Sep 28, 2012
Photo of sommersb
Reviewed by sommersb from Tennessee

3.85/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Tasted On: 05-23-2012
Freshness: Unknown
Packaging: Draft
Glassware: Shaker pint
Purchased: On tap at Boscos, Nashville

A: Clear, blonde to light copper color. Barely any head, but that's due to the pour, I believe. Lacing is good.

S: Mild aromas of bready malts and caramel, with maybe a light fruit presence.

T: Malt-forward beer, with the caramel sweetness front and center. Just enough hops to balance out a bit, but not create any perceived bitterness.

M: Clean, with moderate levels of carbonation and body. The finish is lightly sweet and malty.

O: A very pleasant blonde ale. I enjoyed the caramel flavors from the malts and the steinbier process. An easy drinker that would not offend any palate.
May 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by akinsja from Tennessee

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of TheGordianKnot
Reviewed by TheGordianKnot from Tennessee

3.22/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
They say this is brewed in traditional steinbeer tradition, so i'm very excited to try this. Served in a 10oz glass...

A- Very very light copper color. Very clear with minimal head and no lacing. Not much to look at, not off putting either though.

S- Very bready and grainy with some perceived sweetness. Almost no hops. Overall light aroma.

T/M- Sweet and crisp. Very clean actually. A light mix of toffee, caramel, bread, and even vanilla- again, very light amount of everything; but the blend of it all is pleasing. Light body with moderate carbonation. Refreshing, definitely easy to drink.

O- This is a fairly decent beer. I wish the aroma and parts of the flavor were more pronounced. One of the more refreshing malty beers I've had, but as far as Boscos other offerings, I'd prefer a few others.
Aug 09, 2011
Photo of wisrarebeer
Reviewed by wisrarebeer from Wisconsin

2.15/5  rDev -38.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Sampled at the Nashville Brewery.

This is an ale? By all accounts it should be a lager.

Like the attempted style and originality.

A: very light
S: not great, malty but not anything special
T: nothing wrong but just bland and lacking character
M: weak, bland
D: weak also
Dec 18, 2010
Photo of Tone
Reviewed by Tone from Missouri

3.68/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear, dark amber color. 1/3 inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of yeast, pale hops, and hint of citrus. Fits the style of an American Pale Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and creamy with a low carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, hint of grain, slight hops, and slight pale malt. Overall, good body, blend, and appearance.
Oct 09, 2009
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.41/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
APA?!? What??? No, I am pretty sure that it is an ale, but not that style.

This is one of those beers that I was really anxious to try. FroggyFrog and I were talking about the style and the process prior to my trip and I became more and more intrigued as I thought about it.

It arrived with zero head, but there was NE-quality clarity in this deep-golden colored beer. The nose was light and sweetish, very lager-like, but since they are not really set up for lagers, it was probably an ale. The mouthfeel was medium with a hoppy bite overlain by sweetness. The finish brought a pleasant sweetish, malty aspect. I was very glad to have had a chance to try this beer.
Oct 21, 2007
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
APA huh? Thought it would have been an English Bitter (ESB). Probably the first beer that I have tried that has been brewed with heated stones. Seems that the advantages are that I get a super light malt flavor that has some nice caramel, toffee, and vanilla flavors. The hopping rates seem to be assertive, but very English in their type and flavor. The beer has a nice copper / orange hue wiht nice head retention. Seemed a bit fragmented for an APA, but I enjoyed it well.
Oct 25, 2006
Photo of veech
Reviewed by veech from Tennessee

3.2/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
This beer, as previously stated is brewed in a very unique fashion and yields a good but not great drinking experience. The beer was served in a standard pint glass. It's very low carbonation, and nearly complete lack of a head would normally be more of a problem, but the pint I had was during a lunch on a day of recovery from the prev. night's sampling, so lighter than my usual style was more appreciated. The carmelization from the heated stones is present but very mild. It was in the 90's in Nashville and again a lighter beer made for a good choice. Nothing but the process was overly noteworthy but a fairly solid, middle of the road beer. The cask conditioned IPA, Isle of Skye Scotch Ale and the London Porter from the prev night were outstanding. esp.the cask IPA and Scotch Ale. An impressive array of beers and very good food make this brewpub an excellent choice for any BAs visiting Nashville.
Jun 26, 2006
Photo of Brent
Reviewed by Brent from Kentucky

3.06/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I'll give Bosco's credit both for trying this quirky style (which I've never been convinced isn't equal parts quirk and gimmick), and for keeping this as a regular tap selection. This is not, however, an APA by any means. Once again, I'll give credit to Bosco's for not having a token fizzy yellow beer for the macro-drinking crowd - when my wife asked what they had that was "lighter" this is what was recommended by the server. She liked it, which is testament to the relatively moderate hops level.

The focus of this style is on carmelization of the wort induced by introduction of hot rocks (this brewer heats the rocks in the open-fire pizza oven) - and the beer does have an appropriate caramel note in the middle. Some hops carry the beer along, but they were too reserved for my taste. I'd peg this as an amber ale. Not a bad effort, but really didn't have enough get-up-and-go for my taste.
Sep 27, 2005
Photo of Dithyramb
Reviewed by Dithyramb from Maryland

2.98/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The heated stones are apparently dropped in during the mash, causing the entire brewing area to be obscured by steam. According to the bartender, only Boscos and one other brewer still perform this in the world. Presented in a pint glass at the Nashville Brewery.

It was a hazy light caramel. Not much head, not much retention, and minimal lacing. Not very much carbonation within the brew to speak of. This is a pale ale? The aroma was faint malts, no hops to speak of.
Very creamy, though chalky and bready, malts. Mouthfeel was watered down a bit and needed more oomph. Finished incredibly dry, perhaps thats where all the hops were.

Drinkability was good, but this one was only average to above average due to the stone deal. Appeared to need a little more of everything.
Jun 29, 2005
Photo of clvand0
Reviewed by clvand0 from Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is an interesting idea that I was unfamiliar with before talking to Fred, the head brewer, about it. They drop really hot stones into the beer as a heating device instead of external heating. Interesting. This beer pours a copper color with a small head that fades fast. The aroma is a sweet caramel mostly. Inticing. The flavor has a lot of caramel goodness (from the caramelization of the sugar on the hot stones) and is balanced with a well placed hop. Finish is clean and enjoyable. This was a good and interesting brew.
Nov 01, 2004
Boscos Famous Flaming Stone Beer (Nashville) from Boscos Restaurant & Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 24 ratings