Starr Hill | Soul Shine

BBQ, sunshine, the lake, lawn mowers – all things I think of when I think of summer. Belgian beers still seem new to me even though I’ve been drinking them quite regularly for several years now. For some reason whenever I see the words “Belgian” and “pale ale” together I take pause as it seems, almost….reverent….yeah, I get it, I’m weird. To me though, it’s something familiar with something new even though this style has been around a very, very long time.

Soul Shine is a Belgian-Style Pale Ale with quite a hop lineup; Falconer’s Flight, Cascade, Simcoe, Columbus & Willamette. The body is an orange hue with shots of yellow in the light. On the nose, while very subtle, this beer brings hints of orange and pineapple. The taste is a little bready – perhaps from the yeast – with hints of fruits and just a slight sweetness. At only 25 IBUs this beer doesn’t linger and at 5.2% ABV it’s very drinkable while smoking some BBQ, sitting out in the sunshine, enjoying the lake or whilst mowing the lawn. I’d pair this with fish in a heartbeat provided the opportunity.

Final snobs: Another great seasonal beer from Starr Hill. It’ll pair great with any summer activity – cookouts, parties, church picnics…. It’s available from May through August 15th….you know, when the pumpkin beers start showing up.

Cheers!