Starr Hill: The Gift of Great Beer

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

The Love and spicy Thai food

Favorite Song / Band:

Life Is A Carnival by the Band and Grateful Dead

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Two things come to mind. The first memory is selling the very first keg of Starr Hill ten years ago to C&O Restaurant in Charlottesville and being able to go there today and still enjoy Starr Hill on tap. The second is watching co-founder Kristin Dolan sell beer in the early days. She would always say that great beer is such a gift. That saying turned into our mission... The Gift of Great Beer.

Kristin Dolan

Co-founder & Senior Pro

Hometown:

Boulder, CO

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Double Platinum and Nachos

Favorite Song / Band:

Kings of Belmont

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

There are so many... Starting out with an ugly broken down van and one really cool dude--Ross van Brocklin--to deliver beer and believing with all our hearts in the Gift of Great Beer.

Melanie Rhodes

Office & Tasting Room Manager

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Grilled Bratwursts soaked in Festie

Favorite Song / Band:

Two Step by Dave Matthews Band

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I was in the lounge at John Paul Jones Arena for the Dave Matthews concert in November. I remember looking around at all the people in there and realizing that the majority of them were sporting some sort of Starr Hill logo--on hats, beanies, t-shirts and hoodies. It made me appreciate just how interconnected our fans of the brand really are--like one big happy family.

Brian McNelis

VP of Brewery Operations

Hometown:

Williamsburg, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Starr Pils

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Beer & Pizza; Beer & Hot Dog; Beer & Seafood; Beer & Mexican food

Favorite Song / Band:

Too many to list them all but Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, U2, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen are some at the top!

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

In the summer of 2010, I traveled to Crozet for a meeting with Mark Thompson, the founder of Starr Hill and its family of great American craft beers. I walked into the brewery to hear Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blues" playing throughout the facility. I thought it was some kind of sign because I have been a major Dylan fan since 1974. This guy comes riding up to me on a forklift after loading beer in a truck and says, "Can I help you?" I said, "Yes, I'm looking for Mark Thompson." The guy says with a laugh, "Look no further, that's me." Mark and I hit it off from the start, and a year later, he called to ask me to join the Starr Hill team. The right Dylan song, at the right time, is always a good sign.

John Bryce

Manager of Brewery Operations

Hometown:

Richmond, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Starr Pils

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Jomo and Wayside Chicken

Favorite Song / Band:

Andrew Bird

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

A couple highlights... going to shows at the old Starr Hill Music Hall; La Tomatina reenactment (Aug. 2006); Nate tricking Matt Reich into eating onions; driving the world's most precarious reefer truck from Starr Hill to Starr Beverage; delivering beer with Ross (Starr Beverage) in 2006; company field trip to Blue Hole/Peach Orchard; firing up the bottling line for the first time.. It's been great to watch this brewery grow, and I think the Starrs are perfectly aligned for a bright future.

Ross van Brocklin

Team Lead - Packaging Technician

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

The Love and anything

Favorite Song / Band:

Ween

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working with Andy every day.

Allie Hochman

Junior Pro

Hometown:

Merrick, NY

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Double Platinum with Mexican or Thai food

Favorite Song / Band:

Coheed & Cambria

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Watching fireworks on the Fourth of July at Floyd Fandango.

Crystal Wesch

Business Analyst

Hometown:

Eastern Shore, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Burgers and beer

Favorite Song / Band:

Avett Brothers and Grace Potter

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

At FloydFest, seeing one of my friends walk through the crowd with a giant Starr Hill balloon tied to his backpack.

Levi Duncan

Team Lead - Brewer

Hometown:

Las Cruces, NM

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Northern Lights with Enchiladas or Dark Starr and a bowl of ice cream

Favorite Song / Band:

Nutshell by Alice in Chains and Black Label Society

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I love the smell of the brewhouse! I will never forget the first time I worked in the brewhouse and how excited I felt. For me, that feeling is forever connected to the smell of brewing beer... Awesome!

Price Miller

Brewer

Hometown:

Tarboro, NC

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Pale Ale, classic Italian lasagna, and a good salad

Favorite Song / Band:

Tangerine by Led Zeppelin

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Everytime I mash-in Dark Starr Stout--the aroma is amazing.

Levi Erickson

Brewer

Hometown:

Belen, NM

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Green Chile Chicken Cheese Enchiadas and Festie

Favorite Song / Band:

Anywhere from Deftones to Mstislav Rostropovich

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Tasting the first batch of Monticello from the fermenter right before bottling. The culmination of beer research and development.

Timmy Green

Brewer

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Pale Ale

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Chicken wings and any cold beer--like Pale Ale or Northern Lights

Favorite Song / Band:

Lovin' It by Little Brother

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Dumping water on Matt Briggs on his birthday!

Robbie O’Cain

Brewer

Hometown:

Asheville, NC

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Double Platinum and Spinach & Ricotta Pizza

Favorite Song / Band:

Otis Redding

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working with Timmy and Trey everyday.

Trey Cherry

Brewer

Hometown:

Charleston, SC

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Dank fish tacos with fried plantains and Dark Starr Stout

Favorite Song / Band:

Sublime

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working with Timmy and Robbie everyday.

Dio Fazlali

Team Lead - Warehouse Technician

Hometown:

Tehran, Iran

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Lucy

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Jomo and Pizza

Favorite Song / Band:

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Just having the Gift of Great Beer end of your shift is the great memory of yesterday.

Skip Roberts

Warehouse Technician

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

The Gift

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Pale Ale and Pizza

Favorite Song / Band:

Roygbiv by Boards of Canada

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

The end of the summer party--good beer, good food and good people.

Aaron Gatlin

Packaging Technician

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

The Gift

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

The Gift and Torta Brava

Favorite Song / Band:

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

All Good 2011!

Mike Presley

Packaging Technician

Hometown:

Macon, GA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Festie and pizza

Favorite Song / Band:

Allman Brothers Band

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I had a great time at the 11th Anniversary Party.

Bruce Peepers

Packaging Technician

Hometown:

Akron, OH

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Cryptical

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Northern Lights and Steak'n'cheese

Favorite Song / Band:

Disco Biscuits

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I get to work with Rod Stewart every day.

Rodriquez Stewart

Packaging Technician

Hometown:

North Memphis, TN

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Jomo

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Tacos and Jomo

Favorite Song / Band:

Curren$y

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I get to work with Chuck Nasty every day.

Pete Barry

Manager of Operations Maintenance

Hometown:

Arlington, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Oysters on the half shell and Dark Starr Stout

Favorite Song / Band:

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Still makin' 'em.

Mike Andres

Market Manager, VA & SC

Hometown:

Roanoke, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Double Platinum and Steak (medium rare)

Favorite Song / Band:

Dirty Work by Steely Dan

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

When Nate remembered my name at DelFest after meeting him countless times before.

Emma English

Market Manager, MD, DC & NoVA

Hometown:

Chicago, IL

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Dark Starr Stout and Dark Chocolate Desserts!

Favorite Song / Band:

That’s tough... “If you only knew” by Shinedown is definitely a favorite

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working at the NOVA Beer Fest with a volunteer who couldn’t stop shouting, “We have LOVE for you! Come share the LOVE! Come ask me for some LOVE! Free LOVE over here. Who needs some LOVE?!”

Reed Harrison

Market Manager, TN & WV (aka "Beer Fairy")

Hometown:

Nashville, TN

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

The Gift

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Eggs, Bacon, & Amber Ale--good morning!

Favorite Song / Band:

"The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

So many fuzzy memories to choose from! Watching Robert Plant drink from his third Pale Ale on stage and All Good 2010 in its entirety!

Alisha Ames

Market Manager

Hometown:

Sterling, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Boxcar

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Boxcar with Porter Cheesecake (great job Black Bear Bistro)

Favorite Song / Band:

Right now I am really feeling some Zac Brown Band

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

First time I went to the brewery on Main Street back when I was in college living behind the Corner. I never knew seeing that local band live there and drinking my first Starr Hill Jomo was going to change me so much! But that is what Starr Hill is all about. As Mark would say, his hope is that everyone tries a Starr Hill for the first time listening to a local band, and that is exactly how my journey started. I am sure that there will be many more to come, and I look forward to seeing several others try their first Starr Hill beer the same way!

Rachel Early

Sales Representative, Northern VA

Hometown:

Calabash, NC

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

The Love with pretty much any type of seafood

Favorite Song / Band:

Incubus is my all-time favorite, but I love me some country, too!

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

I’d have to say my best experience is the first time I had a Starr Hill beer. It was when I was still living in NC, and it just happened to be The Love that stole my heart. Now here I am, 4 years later, part of the Starr Hill family!

Kara Egber “Kegber”

Sales Representative, DC & MD

Hometown:

Fairfax, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

The Love with nothing. I drink my meals! Just kidding…The Love paired with seafood

Favorite Song / Band:

Anything by Beyonce

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Trying Starr Hill for the first time and learning not only is the beer brewed in Virginia but the company is heavily involved in the music scene. Talk about a perfect marriage of all my worlds.

Brian Morse

Assistant Tasting Room Manager / SH Ambassador

Hometown:

Live in Afton, VA now, but grew up in Lexington, NC

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Rauchbier and barbecue or anything smoked

Favorite Song / Band:

Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder as well as The Pollocks

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Tastings, duh!

David Foky

Tasting Room Guy

Hometown:

Ardmore, PA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Soft pretzels and Starr Light Pilsner

Favorite Song / Band:

Bach to bluegrass and Pink to Pink Floyd.. Everything.

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Walking into the brewery and being greeted by the smell of a new batch being cooked. Amazing still.

Bill Rockwell

Tasting Room Staff

Hometown:

Union, NJ

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Northern Lights and Mexican food

Favorite Song / Band:

Rock bands of the '70s

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Too early to tell

Gabe Strauss

Tasting Room Staff / Brand Ambassador

Hometown:

Charlottesville, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Salty...

Favorite Song / Band:

Wilco or "No Speak No Slave" by Black Crowes

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working FloydFest 2011.

Meghan Flow

Tasting Room Staff

Hometown:

Chicago, IL

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Dark Starr Stout and Chocolate Lava Cake

Favorite Song / Band:

That Summer by Garth Brooks

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival--nearby, great venue, awesome music, gorgeous weather and the best beer!

Alan Hagen

Packaging Technician / SH Ambassador

Hometown:

Redwood City, CA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Jomo and Bratwurst

Favorite Song / Band:

Badfish by Sublime

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working at my first festival and meeting Starr Hill at Bonnaroo 2008. THe hospitality of the van Brocklins and everyone else there made me fall in love with the brand and the people.

Jessie Sauer

SH Intern / Tasting Room Staff / SH Ambassador

Hometown:

Richmond, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Festie and Chinese food

Favorite Song / Band:

Tom Thumb's Blues by Bob Dylan

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

When Levi was helping me switch a keg in the Tasting Room, and a keg blew, and I accidentally blasted beer and foam in his face.

Hillary Parsons

SH Intern / Tasting Room Staff / SH Ambassador

Hometown:

Richmond, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer:

Beer & Food Pairing of Choice:

Festie and Hot Wings

Favorite Song / Band:

Shakedown Street by Grateful Dead

Favorite SH Event / Festival / Memory:

Working at The Festy 2011.

Emily Burfoot

SH Intern / Tasting Room Staff / SH Ambassador

Hometown:

Richmond, VA

Favorite Starr Hill Beer: