Tag Archives: PITTSFIELD MA

HOT PLATE BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

Open during 2023, downtown Pittsfield’s increasingly popular HOT PLATE BREWING COMPANY is owned and operated by Sarah Real and Mike Dell’Aquila, former New York City Latinos (and Penn State grads) now calling western Massachusetts home. Utilizing several red, yellow and green striped Mexican flag designs, the pristine lounge retains a white-walled art deco vibe. Its perfectly snazzy leisure-clubbed pub features an exquisite epoxy floor, Formica bar top, Industrial metal-wood four-seaters, cozily furnished lounge area and rear 7-barrel brew tanks.

A 7-barrel brewhouse with an interesting spectrum of ales, there’s a central TV for entertainment and beers to-go in the nearby refrigerator. Alongside a fine array of brews (poured from 12-plus steam-piped tap handles) are red and white wines, hard cider and seltzers plus coffee and tea.

My wife and I initially visited Hot Plates mid-March ’25 on a sunny ‘n cold Saturday to down eleven diverse offerings.

Rustic pilsner-malted oated wheat cushioned the mild orange-peeled grains of paradise bittering and mild hop peppering of moderate-bodied wheat ale, Beware My Smile, given an effervescent lemon spritz.

Dewy peat moss encountered mild cocoa and toffee tones over biscuit flouring for dry English pub ale, Easy Listening Favourites.

Spicy rye lager, Reciprocal Arrangement, spread light molasses atop peated rye malts.

Corn-sugared pilsner malts guarded moderated-bodied cream ale, Rockin’ The Gold Tooth, leaving pithy grassy hop astringency on the lemon-pitted back end.

Easygoing lactose-injected, chamomile-herbed blonde ale, Capable Of Anything, picked up toasted cinnamon sweetness and wispy floral spicing – a perky offbeat variant.

Another oddball variant, Effervescent Lemongrass Saison, left ‘woody spicing’ and shaving cream perfuming upon its refreshingly cologne-soaked lemongrass herbage.

Amiable pilsner-malted New England IPA, Hop Riot, let Citra-hopped lemony grapefruit juicing stay the course alongside mild pine resin.

Honeyed orange-bruised banana resilience received dainty white peppering for Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Countess Of Flanders, picking up butterscotch toffee whim.

A nutty black chocolate roast gathered for nitro porter, The Interruption Stays, a creamily smooth dark ale with mild coffee swagger.

Bittersweet cacao nibs secured the mild dried habanero heat of chocolate stout, Kardia, a fine digestif possibly bettered by one java-influenced nightcap.

Pervasive dark-roast coffee nuttiness gained creamy dark chocolate smudge for coffee stout, Agent Cooper, sporting a latent hop-charred espresso bittering.

On second visit during late June ’26 on the way to Newport, Rhode Island, discovered five more Hot Plate specials.

Soft-toned, light-bodied Italian pilsner, Fellini, let lightly creamed oats flank floral lemon briskness and grassy hop astringency.

Then came three Bavarian brews. Dewy peat gathered for German-styled Pittsfield Pilsner, bringing spritzy lemon fizz to herbal hops and heavy oats creaming.

Traditional helles lager, Amelia, stayed soft on the tongue as musky herbal fungi seeped inside corn-chipped crisping to its white cracker base.

Beechwood-seared smoked helles lager, The Past Is A Corridor, dropped rauchbier-like cured meats into fizzy lemon liming.

Lastly, prickly pickle-juiced lime zest anchored lime lager, Yacht Rock Summer, gaining lemon verbena, white grapefruit and yuzu zesting.

WANDERING STAR BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for wandering star brewing

PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

In an unassumingly raw green aluminum warehouse in the Berkshire Mountains industrial corridor, diminutive Pittsfield microbrewery, WANDERING STAR BREWING COMPANY, was established in 2011 – just after railroad-bound Pittsfield Brew Works went out of business.

A rustic cement-floored pub with scattered seating, puny lounge area, wood pews and a billiard table, its small wooden serving station featured eight draught lines serving rangy suds from the rear brew tanks.

An intimate garage hangout, Wandering Star’s gained credibility all over New England/ New York thanks to bustling entrepreneurial brewer, Chris Post, a guiding light concurrently advising nearby North Adams craft brewery, Bright Ideas Brewing.

On a frigidly sunny Saturday afternoon in February ’19, I sampled all eight beers currently on tap.

First up, summery Tangerine Cream Ale loaded pulpy navel orange, blood orange and tangerine tartness atop acidulated wheat-crackered pilsner malting.

Next, bone-dry Brut 66 brought bubbly champagne fizz to mildly vinous white wining, brisk El Dorado-hopped citrus zest and parched Amarillo-hopped wood tones.

Smooth New England-styled IPA, Wobbly Pop, fortified its mildly embittered piney grapefruit tang with oats-flaked wheat malts and dry-hopped Mosaic, Simcoe and Amarillo varieties.

Dewy English-styled Thunderbolt IPA placed orange-dried lemon rot above toasted grains, resinous pine and vegetal musk.

Year-round flagship, Loopy Juice Double IPA, retained a juicy lemony grapefruit zesting underscored by mild wood tones and sugared pale malts.

Better still, dramatic Nelson Sauvin-hopped Loopy Juice spinoff, Horatio, rallied limey gooseberry, guava and green grape tartness against sweet ‘n sour citrus tones.

Crystal rye malting anchored Catcher In The Rye, leaving sweet chestnut, bitter walnut and spiced citrus illusions at the pumpernickel-doused finish.

Fabulous dry Irish Stout, Mild At Heart Porter, brought dark chocolate syruping to peanut-shelled hazelnut, walnut and Brazil nut illusions as well as hop-charred molasses sap.

Candied tangerine-orange tang elevated cocoa-powdered black chocolate and dark-roast coffee for creamily mocha-bound Chocolate Orange Porter.

For dessert, gummy Arrowhead Apple Ale tasted like sweet apple cider with a mild sour citrus kick.  

PITTSFIELD BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

Pittsfield Brew Works | Pittsfield, MA | Beers | BeerAdvocate

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Steep in the northerly Berkshire Mountains along railway in updated industrial town, elegant tan-hued PITTSFIELD BREW WORKS was tracked down December ’07 (then closed 2010). Formerly a train station then warehouse, a round sign with black sheep insignia welcomes patrons. Though its yellow cross-sectioned interior with maroon pews and furnishings seemed exquisitely upscale, reasonable bar prices and reliable appetizers, snacks, and sandwiches attracted families and businessmen alike.

Entering to glass-encased brew tanks and right dining section, its left bar area (with central TV) divided midsection brick wall, providing additional dining space and small hearth. Intriguingly, rear Bier Hall offered large banquet facility, secondary bar, billiard tables, and darts.

Christine Bump, brewer since 2005, crafted woody Saaz-hopped mild-spiced yellow-fruited Czech-styled Prost Pilsner, lemony biscuit-honeyed quince-sidled Kolsch-styled Dohoney’s Gold, dry Simcoe-hopped, black tea-surged, grapefruit rind-embittered W.A.S. Pale Ale and dryer Cascade-Chinook-hopped, tangy apricot-tangerine-splashed, honey-malted Legacy IPA.

Bitter green tea, charred nuts, and dry hops enveloped alcohol-burnt Extra Special Bitter while its cask-conditioned version found fig and date overtaking nearly all bittering.

Burnt beechwood chips benumbed fig-date midst and nutmeat splurge for black-spiced Rauchbier.

www.pittsfieldbrewworks.com