CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA— Starr Hill Brewery, one of the most award-winning craft breweries on the East Coast, won a gold award in the 2014 World Beer Cup┬«, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers.
Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition’s 94 beer style categories were presented April 11, 2014, during the World Beer Cup┬« award ceremony in Denver, Colorado. Starr Hill’s Whiter Shade of Pale Ale beat out 55 other entries from all over the world to claim the gold medal in the American-Belgo Style Ale category. Whiter Shade of Pale marries two bold beer styles: the Belgian Wit and the India Pale Ale. The fruity and spicy esters derive from the Belgian yeast strain, while massive quantities of hops added during the dry hop give the beer significant complexity and an aroma of citrus and pine. A clean base beer of Pilsner and wheat give this beer a refreshing flavor, perfect for enjoying in warm and cold weather alike.
“The passion to create great beers is strong at Starr Hill. This is our third World Beer Cup┬« award, and I’m very proud of our brewing team. We are honored and humbled to have won a gold medal in such a prestigious competition—the World Beer Cup┬« is considered the ‘Olympics of Beer Competition,’” said Mark Thompson, Starr Hill’s Master Brewer and Founder.
World Beer Cup® winners were selected by an international panel of 219 beer judges from 31 countries, with an impressive field of 4,754 entries from 1,403 breweries in 58 countries.
“We have a quality-driven, creative team, and this award recognizes everyone who made this beer possible. I was proud to represent our team at World Beer Cup┬«,” said Robbie O’Cain, Starr Hill’s Manager of Brewery Operations. “This is the second year we’ve made Whiter Shade of Pale Ale, and it was a huge hit, especially among Starr Hill employees. We have some exciting new All Access brands to release this year, and we just released a fantastic Belgian pale ale called Soul Shine. Starr Hill will always be about high-quality beer.”
Whiter Shade of Pale is currently on tap in the newly renovated Starr Hill Tasting Room and will available on draft and in 22 oz. bottles for a limited time beginning May 1 as part of Starr Hill’s All Access series.
Starr Hill Brewery was founded in 1999 by Mark Thompson and Kristin Dolan in Charlottesville, Virginia. Starr Hill is one of the most award-winning craft breweries on the East Coast, having won 21 medals from Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup and Great British Beer Festival since its founding. The beer is distributed in ten states, including Virginia, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington D.C.