Enter the FloydFest Lovers Rock Starr Hill Contest

April 30, 2012

Starr Hill is teaming up with FloydFest to offer you a chance to WIN A VIP WEEKEND FOR 2!

The Grand Prize Winner will receive:

Two (2) FloydFest VIP Weekend Passes, including:
*Premium camping, early arrival, on-site parking
*Full backstage catering, including beer, wine and beverages
*Up-close-and-personal on-stage experience during performances
*Massage, commemorative photobooth, dedicated shuttles

Two (2) Starr Hill Summer Tour T-shirts and other Starr Hill swag

Two (2) FloydFest Klean Kanteens

Two (2) ENO Hammocks

Five (5) second place winners will receive one (1) Weekend General Admission ticket.

Contest ends June 30th, 2012, and winners will be notified July 2nd, 2012.

The World Beer Cup and Going for Two

March 26, 2012

Every two years, the world’s breweries are invited to take part in The World Beer Cup in Chicago.  This is the premier beer competition in our industry today.  According to organizers, there will be 828 breweries from 57 countries submitting over 4,000 entries in 95 categories.  Do the math—it is exceedingly difficult to medal; the best beers will be selected among numerous competitors.  We, as usual, will be competing.  Starr Hill has won twice at the World Beer Cup; Amber Ale won Bronze in 2002, and Dark Starr Stout won Silver in 2008.

This year we have made a few entries, including our GABF Gold Medal winner Jomo Lager and our Silver Medal winner Monticello Reserve Ale.  We would love to see them medal in two competitions in a row! Results will be available on May 5th.

The importance of beer competitions cannot be overlooked.  This is an opportunity for us as a brewery to see how we stack up against our peers from around the world.  It is also important for the industry in general, as it helps build public awareness of the craft beer movement, and it gets people excited to try the medal winners at home.  A fun thing to do is to choose your favorite categories, track down the three medal winners at your LOCAL craft beer outlet, and try them side by side.  We in the industry do a similar tasting in sensory panels with blind tastings of your brewery’s beer and your competitors to constantly monitor the quality and presentation.  Craft beer customers frequently try multiple brands of beer throughout the year, but few seem to take it to this level.  Tasting multiple examples of the same style in one sitting is a great way to train your palate and increase your knowledge of the liquid we love so much.  This can also give you a feel for what the 216 judges experience during a competition.

“Great beer is such a gift.”  That statement launched a mindset that has driven our brewery since the beginning.  Kristin was right: our main focus is quality.  We keep that the focus of everything we do every day.  Competitions make everyone better. If you do poorly, it makes you reevaluate your process or products.  Doing well does not mean you can be complacent either.  As brewers we know we are going to make our best beer tomorrow with what we learned today, competition just defines your learning curve.  Starr Hill has a history of competing well because we take our company’s mission seriously.  The Gift of Great Beer indeed.

Cheers,

Levi

Share The Love Is A Success!

March 13, 2012

Check out this press release from Virginia Eagle Distributing!

Charlottesville, Virginia—March 13, 2012—Starr Hill Brewery recently concluded a very successful program designed to raise funds for the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation (VBCF).  With the help of Virginia Eagle Distributing, a select group of local retailers and devoted Starr Hill consumers, the brewery was able to raise in excess of $5,000 in just over a month.

This program entitled “Share The Love” was developed by Mark Thompson, Founder and Master Brewer at Starr Hill, and Scott Heinz, COO of Virginia Eagle Distributing.  The two believed that the connection between Starr Hill’s wheat beer known as The Love; February’s Valentine’s Day holiday and the fight again breast cancer was something that needed to be explored.  The plan was simply to offer a donation to the VBCF per case sold.

“What a perfect connection.  A local brewery with a great community connection wants to support a group that helps combat a disease that has been devastating to many people in our local area,” said Mark Thompson. “We have all been touched by cancer in some form.  Starr Hill is always looking for ways to give back and support when we can.”

The program was simple, but effective.  Virginia Eagle retailers were happy to join the cause.  The Love was everywhere.  The Winchester and Northern Virginia markets promoted the program with catchy displays and drink specials, while the southern territories conducted more than 20 restaurant/bar promotions throughout Charlottesville and Harrisonburg in February.

The month’s most successful single event was a President’s Day weekend promotion at Massanutten resort, which resulted in more than $1,000 in donations.  Great Eastern Purveyors (GEP), Massanutten Resort and Starleigh Entertainment put together a mountain party that brought together homeowners and guests to support the cause. “Our Massanutten community, GEP and Starleigh really stepped up,” said Sarah Elson-Staniunas, Business Relations Director for Massanutten resort.  “I was not surprised to see this type of response.  Our community of owners and guests are always very supportive.”

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the response we received,” said Scott Heinz.  “From our employees to our retailers, everyone really wanted to help.  These types of programs truly bring everyone together, and Virginia Eagle will continue to look for ways to support projects like this one.”

Starr Hill Brewery Accomplishments:
• The brand has accumulated 17 medals from the Great American Beer Festival.  2011 medalist include Jomo (Gold), Monticello Reserve (Silver) and Smoke Out (Silver).
• The brand has received World Beer Cup recognition twice, including a Silver medal in 2008 for their Dark Starr Stout and a Bronze medal in 2002 for their Amber Ale.
• Dark Starr Stout has been the brand’s most awarded brew (5 GABF medals and a World Beer Cup medal) and is the most awarded Dry Irish Stout in the country.
• Due to extreme consumer demand, Northern Lights went from a seasonal brew to a year-round product and is the best-selling Virginia-made IPA in the country. 

NOTE TO MEDIA:

• A limited number of check presentation invitations will be available for media.  If you would like to cover the event, then please forward your request to rsnook@vaeagle.com .
• For more information from Starr Hill, contact Allie Hochman at 434-823-5671, allie@starhill.com or www.starrhill.com.
• For more information from Virginia Eagle Distributing, contact Scott Heinz 901-210-2143 or visit www.vaeagle.com.

A Busy March Ahead

February 09, 2012

As some folks know, I moonlight periodically as an instructor at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville.  The time has come for my next class to begin!  This semester I will be teaching a course called “The Brewing Process.”  As opposed to the fall class, “Intro to Brewing,” this course is going to be very in depth.  We are going to cover all aspects of the brewing process, from barley cultivation all the way to finished beer.  The course will include scientific discussion about WHY we do things in the brewery, as well as what we do.  If you want to completely geek out on brewing, this is the time.  As always, I am flexible with the subject matter, so if we find an area of interest that the class wants to pursue, so be it, we will.  Anyway, it is fun!  The class will be the first four Monday evenings in March, 6-8 PM.

March also marks a yearly transition from our winter seasonal brew The Gift to our summer seasonal.  This year that will be Starr Pils, and take it from me, it’s really good! You can really taste the malt in it, and it’s got a big aroma from the hops—just good beer for a hot day.

We also are releasing the second of six different real ale firkins for 2012.  This one is going to be Dark Starr Stout with whiskey-soaked oak chips, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day at your local pub.  Keep your eye out for this Brewer’s Choice series!

The last new brew this month is an Imperial Belgian IPA.  This will be available on draft only at this point, so bring your growlers to the Tasting Room and fill up!  It won’t last long.  Belgian IPA is obviously a very American take on blending two kinds of beer together into a style that doesn’t officially exist (yet), I wonder what the next big thing will be?  Cascadian Ales seem to have slowed in popularity while good old American-style IPA continues to rule our industry and apparently the American palate.  The new rages all seem to revolve around hoppiness, but none are sticking …is it time for a reversal?  A real live session ale that is brave enough to leave most of the hops in the hop locker?  We shall see… Opinions?

Cheers,

Levi

Share The Love and Fight Breast Cancer!

February 01, 2012

Cloning, Beer Styles, and Brewing Your Own

January 16, 2012

Since I began writing this blog, tweeting and meeting people in my capacity as Lead Brewer for Starr Hill, I have been asked frequently about clone recipes of our beer by fellow home brewers.  I feel like addressing this issue because it gets to the root of why I and others began making beer at home in the first place.

In short, I cannot give out our recipes on principal.  I, for one thing, don’t own them.  For another thing, I would be doing a disservice to everyone involved, including the homebrewer asking, by providing the information.

I and every other brewer making beer at home are tinkerers by nature; we love exploring things and mastering the process of making things of our own creation.  I know this because, unlike many others in the industry, I keep in touch with the homebrewer part of me by continuing to brew at home, though not as often as I used to.  I never picked up brewing to do something like someone else, I and the others I brewed with were looking to create something we liked or wanted to explore.  This is not to say I never found inspiration from large-scale production beers, I did.  I identified what it was I liked about those beers and used it to improve what I was doing.  Every time I am asked for the recipe for Northern Lights, I could just give it out, but that would be missing the point—find what it is you like about the beer and apply it to your own art.  Brewing is art, it is a medium of self-expression, and its product should belong to the artist who made it, not be an imitation of someone else’s. I am always happy to answer questions from other brewers, and I am as responsive as I can be (I have a life, too) to them.  So fire away on Twitter or in the comments section of our blog, ask me about the process or formulation questions, and let’s just not talk about clones.

What I do think would be helpful is talking about beer styles.  The seminal text in this regard is “Designing Great Beers,” by Ray Daniels.  Having used it for years, I can tell you there is no better guide when you are trying to nail down a style at home.  There are some brewers who don’t care about styles.  That is great; make the beer you like—I am sure it will be good if your process is good.  Some of the best brews I have been involved in at home have been brews that just used up all the oddball leftover malt.  No concern with style there, just brewing and trusting that the process will produce great beer.  Notice how important the process is, don’t overlook that part.

I am in the business of doing my part to deliver The Gift of Great Beer to our customers; at home I just want to make great beer.  Sermon over, Brew On!

Cheers,
Levi

Beer in Cans: Not Just for Bud Anymore

December 28, 2011

Starr Hill got a shout out in The Washington Post yesterday in an article discussing craft beer in cans! We are very excited about Northern Lights and Festie in cans. Have you tried them yet?

Check out the article here: Beer in Cans: Not Just for Bud Anymore.

What do you think of craft beer in cans? Let us know in the comments below!

New Kettle, Tweets, and New Products

December 20, 2011

If you follow Starr Hill on Facebook or Twitter, then you know we have been in different phases of expansion for nearly a year now. The latest and greatest improvement is the addition of a new dedicated boil kettle. JV Northwest custom built a new 25-barrel boil kettle for us to expand our existing brew house. To go along with our last fermentation capacity expansion, this allows us to keep all the fermentation vessels full without working 6-day work weeks…Woohoo!  Unlike others its size, this kettle has a collandria inside to utilize convection during a boil to increase the evaporation of unwanted volatiles and produce even higher quality wort. Simply put, the Gift of Great Beer just got a little better, a little faster!

Allie asked me to start tweeting around the time she asked me to begin writing posts for our blog.  I have been happy to do both, but I do wonder what people want to know about our brewery. I realize that I am too close to the situation to see it clearly, so I will ask you people here and on Twitter to give any suggestions you may have regarding blog or Tweet subjects for the future. I am happy to keep reporting what I am putting in the kettle and who I am listening to on the radio, but I want to address different topics that you folks are interested in. Twitter has been a lot of fun for me, however, neither Twitter nor the blog are all that interactive on my end…so please leave a comment here and tell me what topics you’d like me to discuss—help me out!

On the most interesting front, we are putting together a very aggressive new products schedule for 2012. Starting this month, we released our first All-Access brew, a Belgian Tripel. It will be followed by Wee Heavy, which will be released January 1st and followed bi-monthly by a new, High Gravity selection from the brain trust here at Starr Hill. Around March 1st look for another All Access brew and our new seasonal, Starr Pils!

Most importantly, I would like you all to enjoy as much Starr Hill as you like over the holidays…safely that is. Enjoy your families, and we will fire this blog back up in January!

Love to all and Happy Holidays!

Cheers,

Levi

Great American Bucket List Upgrade

October 26, 2011

I had been looking forward to going to Denver in late September since January. I, like many beer enthusiasts, have a box on my bucket list next to “The Great American Beer Festival.” Here I was, not only an attendee of the event, but a contributor: the beer that I helped to make was entered for the competition! That is bucket list upgrading for sure.

I got up early to catch the 6:55am flight out of our little airport in Charlottesville. I was really excited to get my adventure started. I had a layover in Charlotte, so I decided to get a cup of coffee; it was only 8am after all. While waiting in line to get a regular cup of coffee (rather hoping the fancy coffee place in the airport actually served coffee), I heard a man ask, “Do you think we will get through this line in the next 15 minutes?” I answered, “I think we are safe,” though I was thinking that the more drinks that ended with “latte” or “mocha,” the less likely this was going to be true. As I turned to face the man and begin to commiserate about modern travel delays, I realized I was face to face with Spike Lee. He was nice, heading to New York from Atlanta, and the coffee on the airplane wasn’t to his liking. Really cool to meet him and find out that even Spike Lee has to put up with the frustrations of modern travel. Quite a beginning to my adventure indeed!

I touched down in Denver and headed to my hotel, hoping that a cheese burger and a good craft beer were in my near future. I checked in and headed to the hotel bar—what a joint this was! About 60 craft beers on tap and packed full of fellow brewers. I ate lunch in a room with Don Barkley (who I later got to spend a considerable amount of time talking with) and Sam Calagione—too cool for words! Then I met two Starr Hill fans from Georgia and brewers from all over; the festival didn’t start for over 24 hours and already I could have gone home happy.

The festival’s second session brought a massive line at our booth for Boxcar Pumpkin Porter and an unexpected treat while I was meeting folks and talking Starr Hill: a man in a blue shirt was walking around trying beers and talking to people—a lot of people. I kept looking to see what was going on, and I recognized the man as Jim Koch, the founder of Boston Beer Company. He made his way to our booth, and we talked for 5 to 10 minutes about Boxcar and Monticello Reserve Ale, which he enjoyed very much. We discussed the use of actual pumpkin in both of our pumpkin ales, as well as the story behind Monticello Reserve Ale. How much cooler could this adventure be?!!

This festival and the local breweries provide numerous opportunities for brewers to meet, catch up, and just talk with people who understand what it is like to do this for a living. I honestly could write a mini-novel about just this part of the experience.  I really had a blast meeting the brewers from The Sand Lot, Kona, and Napa Smith.

With Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident

As expected, we brewers from our area spent time together just having a beer and talking about our families, the future, and old times. I really enjoyed watching Mark reconnect with folks he has known for years. In particular, there was an old friend that brought him a bottle of 15-year-old Tripel that Mark brewed in his days working in Denver. It was really good after all that time, and many people enjoyed a sample at the bar right before the awards ceremony.

Needless to say, the awards session is a memory I will hold in high regard for the rest of my life. Mark and I were understandably nervous as it began. We, like everyone else, wanted to have a good showing in front of our peers. As the ceremony unfolded, we had the best year that Starr Hill has ever had at the GABF. Talk about checking off a box on my bucket list! We won three medals: Silver for Monticello Reserve Ale, Silver for Smoke Out, and a Gold Medal for Jomo Lager!!!! Having Charlie Papazian put the medal for Monticello around my neck is something I will never forget. Virginia beers did extremely well overall, and all three of our local breweries that entered brought home hardware; that says something about the quality of beer being made in central Virginia for sure!

I can honestly say that I couldn’t wait to get home and share our success with our team at the brewery. Our hard work paid off and no one individual can deliver the gift of great beer alone!  ONE TEAM!!!  BOOYAH!!!

A bucket list upgrade indeed.

Cheers,

Levi

Starr Hill Takes Home Gold & Two Silver at GABF

October 03, 2011

Charlottesville, Virginia, October 3, 2011—Starr Hill Brewery recently claimed a gold and two silver medals in the Brewer Association (BA) Great American Beer Festival 2011, a national beer competition that evaluates beers from around the country and recognizes the most outstanding beers being produced in America today.

The GABF remains the largest commercial beer competition in the world, with 3,930 beers competing for medals in 2011.  Beers representing 526 breweries were featured in the competition.  Award-winning brewers received highly esteemed gold, silver and bronze medals in 83 beer categories.

Starr Hill was awarded the Gold medal in the Vienna Lager category for its Jomo Lager, a light-bodied amber lager.  Starr Hill also won two Silver medals.  The first was for Monticello Reserve Ale in the Indigenous Beer category, and the second was for Smoke Out in the Smoke Beer category.

“We are honored to receive three prestigious awards from the Great American Beer Festival.  Each of these awards is special in its own way.  Jomo Lager is one of the first beers we ever brewed 11 years ago, and it has won gold, silver and bronze already.  The Monticello Reserve is a brand new beer that brings an old style back to life, and we have only brewed Smoke Out twice, and each time it has won the silver medal,” states Mark Thompson, Founder & Master Brewer of Starr Hill Brewery.

Starr Hill Brewery was founded in September of 1999 at 709 West Main Street in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Since its inception, the brewery has won 16 Great American Beer Festival Medals and two World Beer Cup awards.  Starr Hill’s mission statement is to share the Gift of Great Beer.

Third Time’s the Charm!

August 30, 2011

I really look forward to the Great American Beer Festival.  The last two years I have been lucky enough to have beer that I brewed actually in the competition.  The part I have enjoyed most so far is brewing the Pro-Am entry.  Last year was my first time, and I had a great day with Jamey Barlow and the guys from CAMRA Brew Club here in Charlottesville making our Steam Beer entry “Mc Steamy.”  Having a day with other brewers creating another great beer is just a blast! 

This year I chose a brewer from Northern Virginia named Johnathan Berlin.  I looked forward to having another cool experience with another brewer as we had the year before.  As it turned out I had three cool days with Johnathan, but only made one great beer.  The first brew was derailed by a shipping error—stuff happens.  We just hung out that afternoon and had a few great beers at my house and tweaked the recipe.  The next date was set and it was the weekend of the All Good Festival.  So myself and fellow Starr Hill brewer Levi E. high-tailed it back to Crozet a day early to make the beer.  Derailed again!  This time the delay was an equipment malfunction caused by a power outage.  So Johnathan once again drove 100 miles home only to return again in two weeks.  By now I was feeling like this brew was cursed!  I was also feeling bad for the now 600 miles Johnathan would have to drive for one brew.  This time I took him to lunch at Fardowners.  The third day however was one cool time!  Instead of cursed, I believe it was fate.  It just wasn’t time yet.  The ingredients were of the first order, the weather was beautiful, and the brew went off without a hitch.  I did enjoy all the time we ended up spending on the brew because it was worth it…The Gift of Great Beer for sure.  SONIC BOOM is an American Stout, a little hoppy, roasty, and delicious!  It is now available in the Tasting Room as well as at a few choice tap houses in the area.  We will be hand bottling some as well, so try it while you can because it will be gone before you know it!

Brew on!

Levi

That’s PROFESSOR Duncan to you!

August 09, 2011

I wanted to take the time to let all our fans in the area know that I will be teaching the Introduction to Brewing classes at Piedmont Virginia Community College this fall.  It will be September 12th through October 3rd, on Monday evenings, 6 - 8 PM at the Brewery in Crozet.  I will cover topics accessible to any beer enthusiast, from the current state of the industry to the nuts and bolts of making beer in a production facility.  It will be fun, informative, and include an extended tour of the brewery.  I have also built in plenty of time for open discussion and will be available to students for any questions they may have.  I am really excited to have a chance to teach my passion, so come join me!

You can sign up for the AGNR 1313 - Intro to Brewing class HERE. Space is limited so sign up today!

Cheers!

Levi

Getting Ready for the GABF

July 07, 2011

Now is the time of year where breweries all over the United States are preparing to put our best efforts up against our peers in the biggest friendly competition that I know of—The Great America Beer Festival.  It is our time to showcase our talents and culture to our peers and to thousands of thirsty fans in Denver, Colorado.  This year is my first as Lead Brewer and the first GABF that I will attend.  It seems like such a simple proposition: make great beer and take it to the show…not so much.  The prep is quite daunting.  We first decide what to enter, then which categories to place them in, then finally we make the beer.

This year we will be entering 16 beers along with our yearly Pro-Am entry.  You may say, “Sixteen?  They don’t make that many beers at Starr Hill!”  You would be mistaken!  We have a fairly robust Reserve Line that has limited availability…Time to visit the tasting room again!  Our newest Reserve will be this year’s Pro-Am entry “Sonic Boom Stout.”  We will be teaming up with home brewer Jonathan Berlin to make this American Stout. After sampling one or two, I can tell you it is a force to be reckoned with!  In addition, I will be delving into the archive to bring back an old cult favorite from a few years ago: Starr Hill Saison.  These in addition to a sour ale that E (Brewer Levi Erickson) and I have been aging in a red wine barrel for a year now, and our new seasonal Boxcar Pumpkin Porter round out those not available for sale yet.

As I said in the intro, this will be my first GABF as the Lead Brewer and the first time I will be attending.  This comes with some cool perks but some self-imposed pressure as well.  Needless to say, we are going to represent our brewery and the state of Virginia the best we can rest assured!  Hopefully, we will do so well that Mark will have to pay the overweight charge on his luggage for the return trip!  The coolest part for me on this trip will have to be my job assignment at the festival: meeting the beer enthusiasts in attendance at the tasting sessions.  I really enjoy meeting beer lovers and talking about this brewery.  If you are lucky enough to be in attendance, swing by to see me at our booth and chat a while!  If not, stay tuned for a post-GABF update in early October.

Cheers!
Levi

Pumpkin Porter Comin’ Down the Line

June 20, 2011

So we had to change up our Fall seasonal offering this year as the popularity of Festie demanded that we make it a year-round brew.  I couldn’t be more pleased because I really enjoy Festie, and I’m always sad to see it go away until next Fall.  As usual, Mark was full of ideas back in February, and one kept creeping into our conversations concerning the new seasonal: a pumpkin porter.  I, for one, never really considered doing a pumpkin beer, due to the fact that so many others do one, and I am never a fan of doing things others do.  However, I had not tasted or even seen a pumpkin porter from others (though I know others are out there), and that made it different enough to get me excited to get started on a recipe!

I went through my pilot process beginning with testing spice mixes and trying pumpkin samples.  My personal goal with this beer was to capture the flavor of pumpkin, the actual gourd, and not a heavy dose of spice.  So we needed a smooth brown porter, with distinct pumpkin flavor, and enough spice to make it interesting—in that “Thanksgiving morning in the kitchen” kind of way.  After clearing my vision with Mark, I began the process of writing recipes and brewing pilot batches with some success, but the first few were not quite right.  We had a tasting panel here at the brewery, and I received enough feedback to know I was close.  With the deadline closing in, I got some advice from our Master Brewer that helped me dial it in.  This project was a true team effort and included nearly everyone in the brewery.  I feel very lucky to have a team here that operates so well together!  I decided to put the test batches in the Tasting Room here for folks to try, and the results were great!  It seems everyone is in love with the new product.  Look for Boxcar Pumpkin Porter to hit the shelves starting August 1, 2011!

On Monday, I made the first 25-barrel batch, and in two weeks I will make the first 100-barrel batch—wish me luck!

Cheers!

Levi

Floyd Fandango is just around the corner!

June 20, 2011

Floyd Fandango is coming up and Starr Hill wants to see you there! Come celebrate Independence Day with independent breweries and wineries and enjoy some music and camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We can’t wait to see you there!

WIN TICKETS HERE!