Starr Hill beers are suddenly everywhere. It seems that every good beer bar around has two or three of them on tap. I have been thinking for months that Starr Hill must have an unbelievable sales rep to get so many bars to pick up their beer in such a short amount of time. The stuff just isn’t that good.

I mean it’s okay. Their Northern Lights IPA is a pretty good beer and their Dark Star Stout is decent, but why would decent beer be suddenly so popular down here. Why is it supplanting much better breweries on our area taps?

It turns out they’ve got deep pockets. While “technically” they are only being distributed by Anheuser Busch, they have mega brewery guilt by association. I have it on good authority that they are undercutting prices of other craft breweries to get their beers on tap throughout the region.

Craft beer is about passion, it’s about quality and innovation. Success or failure in craft brewing should be determined by the product, not slippery distribution games and bully marketing tactics. Those independent craft brewers have earned their place on our taps with years of innovation and attention to detail and we shouldn’t let them be supplanted by big business disguised as a microbrew.

Give Starr Hill the taste test. Compare it critically with other craft brews available in the area.If you choose Northern Lights IPA or any of the others on merit then by all means continue to “enjoy it responsibly”. But, should they fail the comparison, reach into your wallet and offer your favorite watering hole an extra dollar for a real craft beer. It’s a small price to pay for our soul.

Stay Crafty, My Friends…