Age-old craft tradition thrives at Berkshire brewpubs
If Cliff Clavin ever walked into one of the many Berkshire brewpubs he would no doubt pontificate on the “little-known fact” that the world’s first fermented beverages originated some 12,000 years ago. Beer, Clavin might’ve surmised, played a role in the rise of civilization itself!
Anthropologists theorize that the food staples of hunters and gatherers — wheat, rice, barley and maize — were the catalysts for their thirst for brewed beverages. Their taste for beer “lured our ancient ancestors out of their caves,” according to the Beer Institute, leading to the agricultural revolution and more sophisticated farming settlements. Cities grew from the innovations and eventually, the brewpub was born.
Barkeep, I’m ready for another!
Craft Brewing
In the United States, modern-day craft brewing began in the 1960s. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, the proliferation of homebrewing led to the 1990s microbrewery explosion. Today, American entrepreneur and billionaire businessman Charles James (Jim) Koch, co-founder and chairman of the Boston Beer Company, is widely recognized as the “founding father of the American craft brewing movement.”
Created from his great-grandfather Louis Koch’s beer recipe, Koch’s Samuel Adams Boston Lager became a staple at craft beer brew pubs in the 1990s for Americans looking for more taste than what was offered in mass-produced beverages. At the time, Koch had no idea that his first batch of Samuel Adams would launch a beer revolution that today boasts nearly 10,000 microbreweries, brewpubs, taproom brewers and regional craft breweries nationwide, according to the nonprofit Brewers Association.
In the Berkshires, craft beer and microbreweries are abundant. With more than 200 breweries dotting the landscape across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Berkshires boast some 40 specialized makers that concoct their own brews.
“We brew a lot of beers that appeal to a wide variety of people,” said Christine Bump, head brewer at Big Elm Brewing in Sheffield. “This includes everything from a nice dark stout to hoppy IPAs, saisons and a couple different styles of lagers. We also have lower-alcohol beers because we don’t want to have anyone end up on the floor before or after a long bike ride or hike. We have one beer that is derived from ingredients all from the 413 area code (western Massachusetts). We try to use as much local materials as possible for our other beers.”
Jeff Egan, head brewer at Antimony Brewing in Lenox, added, “If you’re visiting, we tend to have something for anyone that’s into beer. We have blonde ale, lagers, IPAs, amber ale, sour beer, dark beer, stout, a huge range and there’s something for everybody. We also have a big menu of food, so it’s a no-brainer to go out, grab some food and have a beer. We’re centrally located in the county so it’s an easy destination for anyone.”
Some of the Berkshires microbreweries just east of the New York border include older establishments in business since the beginning of the microbrew craze and others that are newer but no less enthusiastic about providing interesting, quality craft beers.
Antimony Brewing
Craft Brewery & Kitchen | 55 Pittsfield Road, Lenox
Located in the heart of the Berkshires with Tanglewood nearby, Antimony Brewing offers a unique menu of craft beer and food in the newly renovated taproom. With a seven-barrel brew house visible from the taproom, Antimony crafts its beers on site. Live entertainment is offered weekly.
Big Elm Brewing – Sheffield
Brewery & Taproom | 65 Silver St., Sheffield
In the true nature of the Berkshires, Big Elm Brewing not only offers craft beer from the 14-tap taproom, it also hosts events ranging from yoga and trivia to beer releases accompanied by food and music. Big Elm Brewing’s craft beers, including canned microbrews like 413, IPA American Lager and Gerry Dog Stout, are distributed in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Barrington Brewery & Restaurant
420 Stockbridge Road, Unit 4, Great Barrington
For 28 years, locals and visitors to Great Barrington have enjoyed this family-friendly, convenient craft brew restaurant. With solar-brewed beer — in growlers and 16-ounce cans available to go — Barrington Brewery & Restaurant also offers burgers, salads, scratch soups, desserts and more in their dog-friendly outdoor beer garden during the warmer months (only service dogs are allowed inside). Not far from Butternut Ski Resort, the inside of BB&R is a rustic hangout carefully pairing its beers with sourced American comfort food.
Hot Plate Brewing Co.
1 School St., Pittsfield
This Latina-owned brewpub in the heart of downtown Pittsfield is the dream come true of its owner and head brewer Sarah Real and co-founder and general manager Mike Dell’Aquila. Having deferred the dream for more than a decade, Real and Dell’Aquila overcame COVID hurdles and setbacks to open Hot Plate Brewing Co. in 2023. Having already been recognized with numerous awards for their craft beers with names like Handsome Sailor, Earth to Beer and Hop Riot, Hot Plate Brewing Co., with its seven-barrel brewery and attached taproom, also offers nine more varieties, as well as cans, growlers, non-alcoholic brews and beers to go.
Wandering Star Craft Brewery
11 Gifford Place, Pittsfield
The Wandering Star Craft Brewery is a self-distributing, 15-barrel production brewery and taproom that possesses a wide range of artisanal ales in kegs and cans. Distributing throughout Berkshire County, Wandering Star also is open on Saturdays and some holidays to accommodate tours, tastings, off-premise sales, as well as public and private events in a bucolic and homey atmosphere.
Photos courtesy of individual venues
