Starr Hill Brewery | Front Row Golden Ale
On deck today we have a new beer from our friends at Starr Hill Brewery. I thought it might be fun with a little charcuterie, so here we are. This beer is a golden ale, low in ABV at 4.9%, brewed with pilsner, caramel, honey malts and oats as well as one of my favorite hops, cascade. Let’s check it out.
This beer pours gold, brilliantly clear with a nice white head that while it dies down it lingers across the surface of the beer. On the nose I immediately find a white-bread like quality and malt sweetness. There is a gentle hop quality, floral in character. Not finding a whole lot of yeast character, which is fine. On the palate the sweet malty character comes through with a honey-like sweetness as well as that bread-like flavor I was expecting. There is a slight hop bitterness and a citrus sweetness in the back of the sip. The mouth feel is low to medium and the beer leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue that gently fades leaving a very clean finish. Pleasant, refreshing.
Final snobs: This beer makes me long for warmer weather! If you’re looking for something with flavor that is light, refreshing and sweet, this is your jam. While some items on my charcuterie board overpower this beer, the cheddar plays well as the intensity of both seem to be a good match and the beer pulls more of the earthy qualities out of the cheese. This would also pair well with grilled fish, spring salads and fruit based desserts such as a tart or peach pie. Another well done beer from our friends in Charlottesville, VA.
Prost!