USA, VA: Starr Hill Brewery returning to downtown Charlottesville

A major player in the central Virginia beer game is making its grand return to the city where it all started, NBC 29 News reported on June 26.

Starr Hill Brewery announced it will once again operate a brewpub in downtown Charlottesville for the first time since 2007.

Back in 2007, Starr Hill closed up shop along West Main Street and moved out to Crozet, but now a brand-new taproom is coming to Preston Avenue as early as next year.

“Getting back downtown, we’ll be able to get our brand exposed to where the major population base is, which is Charlottesville,” Duke Fox, Starr Hill’s vice president of sales, said.

The central Virginia brewery left its West Main Street location in 2007 in favor of a larger space in Crozet.

But ownership has announced a move back downtown as one of the anchor stores in the new Dairy Central mixed-use building along Preston Avenue.

“We think there’s a nice synergy with the food vendors that will be offering their offerings there as well, plus you get all the tourism business from the folks that are coming through Charlottesville for UVA, weddings, football games, etcetera,” Fox said.

Starr Hill will continue brewing the majority of its beers in Crozet, but this new 4,200 square-foot spot will serve as a pilot taproom - similar to the brewery's Roanoke location - where people can try small-batch experimental brews.

“Limited stuff that would be sour beers, limited stouts, things like that that don't really work for a large-scale production facility like we have out here in Crozet,” Fox said.

But not to worry, you’ll still be able to get all your favorite Starr Hill staples, too. Plus, the new pilot taproom will feature a 1,000 square-foot patio, and a Charlottesville music scene theme.

“Obviously music's in our DNA and in our blood,” Fox said. “We started with the music hall downtown, so we’re already starting to cultivate together different music items from shows at the music hall or at the pavilion or Jefferson or other places in Charlottesville.”

The new location will also offer over 150 parking spaces for guests.

The brewery hopes to officially gain ownership of this new space this fall, and be open for business as early as next spring.

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