Every so often RVA Mag gets some craft brews to try, and its fun to try them out to see what creative recipes Virginia breweries are churning out. Recently, we had the chance to try Starr Hill’s latest releases, the Summer Jam Variety Pack, four cans of light, refreshing goodness and just what we needed on these sweat-your-ass off days we’ve been having.
Now of course, we were in a hot office sampling these, but these four brews would be perfect for a cookout or a lazy day floating on the James. Starr Hill even created a playlist for you to listen to while you drink these.
But let’s get down to what we thought. So, included in the pack is the Grateful Pale Ale, The Hook (Grapefruit Session IPA), The Love Wheat Beer, the Warehouse Pils. Here’s the breakdown:
Warehouse Pils
A 5.5% German style Pils. The brewery made this in celebration of the Dave Matthews Band 25th Anniversary show. It’s a classic pilsner, malty. For the people who like PBR, this is a classier step up from that. Dry hop bitter aftertaste, easy drinking if you have a block of sharp cheddar around which is what Starr Hill recommends for this brew. Can’t go wrong with a beer and cheese pairing.
The Love Wheat Beer
5.1% German Hefeweizien. Light body, fruity aroma and super easy drinking. Great for summer to have several while drinking near the river or a day at the beach. Little spice on the end. Star Hill suggests lemon dessert bars, which sound delicious. It would be great if they would send those! (Hint, Hint)
The Hook, Grapefruit Session IPA
A 4.9% IPA packed with flavor. Super zesty with the grapefruit punching you in the face with the first sip, but in a good way. This one was my favorite, the grapefruit overpowers the hops which I like, President John Reinhold wanted a little more of a hop profile, but still took the grapefruit punch to the face like a champ. Starr Hill suggests Jerk chicken with this citrusy session IPA which I think would make a great pairing with the fruit and spice. We do however appreciate them not mailing us jerk chicken. Seasonal, available May-August.
Grateful Pale Ale
A 4.7% hop forward pale ale, a flagship at the brewery. So this was a favorite of both John and myself. I first tried it on a recent trip up to the brewery to scout out rehearsal dinner locations and I couldn’t get enough of it. Its’s a awesome beer for outside and festival season. Very drinkable, fruity and smooth. The brewery used Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic & Falconer’s Flight hops for the Grateful Pale Ale and they really come through. We savored this one and this won out as the office favorite. Starr Hill recommends Thai Green Curry and Lemon Meringue Pie. Odd, but we trust them. They do have a recipe for Grateful mac and cheese which I would highly recommend. Check it out here.
You can only get these for a limited time so check out more details on Starr Hill’s Summer Jam Variety Pack here. Cheers!
