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A downstairs bar at Starr Hill
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General Manager Allie Hochman has been with Starr Hill for a decade. In early 2020 she will get to brew her own 10th-anniversary brew that will be available in the Richmond taproom. She has also been a part of Starr Hill's artist series, where employees create the art for a can label.
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The spacious downstairs level features communal tables, high tops and a few couches.
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Foeder barrels inside the brewery will allow Starr Hill to focus on sours and wild ales.
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The stage area on the main level where Hochman says the brewery plans to host local bands often.
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Many of Starr Hill's employees are avid music fans. Hochman hand-selected the posters for the music wall that leads from downstairs to the rooftop level.
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The stairs leading from ground level to the rooftop
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A rainy view of the rooftop deck. In the spring, Starr Hill hopes to add planters and create a more cozy, green space. The other side of the roof offers a direct view of The Diamond, an ideal vantage point for fireworks during Flying Squirrels season.
The largest independent craft brewer in the state has spilled into Scott’s Addition, and in a big way. After delaying its opening last weekend, Starr Hill Brewery will begin pouring pints at its multilevel beer hall and rooftop space on Saturday, Dec. 14, during a nine-hour grand-opening celebration.
“It’s been a wild ride,” says Allie Hochman, general manager of the Richmond location, leading me on a tour of the new brewery at 3406 W. Leigh St.
Hochman joined Starr Hill as an intern 10 years ago and has worn a variety of hats since, from working music festivals such as Bonnaroo and Floyd Fest to serving as a marketing guru and becoming the familiar face Richmonders can expect to see when they walk inside the brewery.
The expansive 8,500-square-foot space is not your average Richmond taproom. But after 20 years of brewing, participating in the evolution of craft beer and transforming to a multicity operation, Starr Hill is not your average brewery.
First launched in 1999 in Charlottesville, Starr Hill opened well before the nearby stretch of breweries, wineries and distilleries along State Route 151 became an imbibers' paradise dubbed the Nelson 151 trail. In 2005, the brewery relocated from its Main Street location west to Crozet, seeking larger production space to amp up bottling and distribution. A decade later, Starr Hill founder Mark Thompson retired, and Robbie O’Cain stepped in. A packaging and design rebrand followed, with the opening of a second taproom location in Roanoke in 2017.
Hochman says Roanoke served as a test market for Starr Hill, and its success confirmed that the brewery could expand its presence throughout the commonwealth.
“It was like, 'OK, we’re ready for the big city,' ” says the 31-year-old, referring to Richmond. She also shares plans for forthcoming taprooms in downtown Charlottesville and Lynchburg.
Setting the Richmond location apart from its current and future sudsy counterparts: its focus on the funk. With five American Oak foeders and a 10-barrel system, Richmond is the only Starr Hill brewery dedicated to producing wild ales.
“We haven’t done that much wild, funky stuff,” Hochman says. “We know that Richmond is probably the most mature craft beer market in the state, … so this is kind of where we’ll experiment.”
Both the lower level and rooftop bar at the Scott’s Addition Starr Hill feature two dozen taps. Hochman says the system will pour about four or five beer styles: lagers or lighter brews, stouts and porters, sours, and IPAs.
The spacious lower level, with a capacity of 450, is fitted with a lounge area and furniture collected from estate sales, a number of communal tables and high-tops, and a dedicated stage area.
Starr Hill will have a rotating lineup of food trucks on site and has already established partnerships with Boka Tako, Kudzu Ramen and La Bete. They will also offer Birdie’s Pimento Cheese, Capital Chips and Don Sebastian’s Salsa for purchase and have an ordering station through Chop Chop, a Richmond-based delivery service. Guests can bring in outside food, too, and when asked if she has visited Stella's Grocery around the corner yet, Hochman laughs and says, "Oh, yeah, they know our names and our faces."
Despite any misconceptions that since expanding Starr Hill has given up its small-town roots, the brewery remains privately owned, even scaling back distribution from 10 states at one point to just Virginia and Tennessee.
“For us, I think we have really started to focus more on Virginia and on our home state,” Hochman says. “Even though we're expanding our brand with these retail spaces, we're getting even more hyperlocal. We have our own brewery with people that live and work there, and we're able to connect with the community.”
The grand opening will feature live music from The Northerners Duo, Justin Golden and Addison Liming Music, along with food from Pizza Nostra RVA and Taqueria Panchito. Local artist Humble will be on site Saturday painting a live mural.
Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop will be open Monday 5 to 9 p.m, Tuesday and Wednesday 3 to 9 p.m., Thursday 3 to 10 p.m., Friday 3 to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m.
