Starr Hill's Tow The Lime lager wins bronze at Great American Beer Festival
Crozet brewery's pilot brewer Jeff Metz adds a fourth GABF medal in three years.
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Starr Hill Brewery's Tow The Lime Mexican-style lager won a bronze medal in the American Fruit Beer category at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival on Sunday, Oct. 11, the Crozet brewery said in a post on its website. Starr Hill credited pilot brewer Jeff Metz, saying it is his fourth medal from the festival in the past three years.
According to the brewery, this year's competition judged 7,267 entries from about 1,300 breweries and cideries in 49 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, over three days. A panel of 225 professional judges evaluated the beers.
Starr Hill described Tow The Lime as a pale Mexican-style lager with lime, and said the beer was sold in cans for the first time this year. The brewery's earlier festival medals include a 2024 gold for another fruit beer, Hey Girl, Hey, and a 2025 bronze for Second Rodeo, a German-style pilsner.
The award comes days after Richmond's Hardywood Park Craft Brewery announced on Oct. 7 that it was combining with Starr Hill in an all-equity deal.
Source: Starr Hill Brewery news, "Tow The Lime Wins Bronze at The Great American Beer Festival" https://starrhill.com/news/gabf2026