Starr Hill brews now being sent to New Jersery, Delaware

Starr Hill Brewery, one of Virginia’s largest craft breweries, announced plans to expand into New Jersey and Delaware starting … Now!

Starr Hill beers will be available on draught — 1/2 barrels (bbls) and 1/6 bbls — and in bottles — six-packs and 12-packs — at bars, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores. In New Jersey, Starr Hill will be distributed by Nash Distributors Inc., Richie & Page, Konrad Beverage Co., Harrison Beverage and High Grade Beverage. NKS Distributors will distribute Starr Hill throughout Delaware.

“Starr Hill’s growth in Virginia and surrounding states has just been phenomenal, but entering New Jersey and Delaware is a real milestone for us,” said Mark Thompson, founder and master brewer of Starr Hill. “Both states have vibrant craft beer communities filled with consumers who are always looking for new tastes and new styles of beer, and we believe our beers, brewed to the highest quality standards, are going to be well received.”

That takes the total footprint for Starr Hill to nine states. It is now distributed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, New Jersey and Delaware.

Starr Hill will make many of its core brands available including: Northern Lights IPA, Starr Pils, The Love (wheat beer), Jomo Lager, Dark Starr Stout, and Double Platinum (Imperial IPA), as well as the brewery’s seasonal beers, variety packs and All Access rotating draught and 22-oz bottle series.

In the future, Starr Hill will introduce packages extensions including cans (12 and 16 oz), loose 24 packages, and additional 22-oz bottles.

“Starr Hill brews a wide array of high quality award-winning craft beers, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring Starr Hill to Delaware,” said Tim Donnelly, president and chief executive officer, NKS Distributing Inc. “Delaware has always had particularly sophisticated and well-educated beer consumers, and the demand for high-quality craft beer seems to have no end. Starr Hill is going to be a great addition to our portfolio and retailers are equally excited to have the brands.”

At the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in 2011, Starr Hill was awarded a gold medal in the Vienna lager category for Jomo Lager, a light-bodied amber lager. The company also won silver medals for two of its specialty beers, Monticello Reserve Ale (indigenous beer category) and Smoke Out (smoke beer category). The company has won 17 GABF medals and two World Beer Cup medals since its founding.

“Mark Thompson and his team are well known and well respected throughout the craft beer community for the wide array of high quality and creative beers that they brew,” said Chris Natale, president of Ritchie & Page Distributing. “We are excited to bring Starr Hill’s breadth of styles to the New Jersey beer community and to build the Starr Hill brand in this state.”

Starr Hill Brewery was founded in 1999 in Charlottesville, Va., by Mark Thompson and Kristin Dolan. The company brews more than 20 brands of beer representing a variety of beer styles.