Editor’s note: Benjamin Lamb is Director of Economic Development for 1Berkshire
In the Berkshires, we are blessed with a long history of agriculture and food production. From kale to cattle, CSAs to farm-to-table, the local food supply chain has not only nourished our communities but set a precedent for what a food economy can look like in Massachusetts. The food and agriculture cluster is one of the six primary economic drivers in the Berkshire Blueprint 2.0, Yet, the media often fails to recognize this critical vein of commerce and vitality that runs throughout each of our 32 cities and towns. Fortunately, thanks to the work of regional partners like Berkshire Agricultural Ventures and Berkshire Grown, the Berkshire bounty is enjoying a renaissance of focus, innovation, and investment. And our regional beverage industry has seen an especially robust bolstering of activity in recent years. Berkshire beverage industry participants are developing, producing, distributing, and advancing a robust revenue pipeline of high-quality products that enhance the quality of life for residents, and draw visitors to our region. Read on to join us for a tour of a few of our wonderful local beverage crafters.
Our tour of this spirited industry cluster starts at Berkshire Mountain Distillers in Sheffield. In operation for over 15 years, Berkshire Mountain Distillers (BMD) produces consistently high-quality distilled beverages tempered with a vein of innovation, inspired ingredients incorporating locavore flavors, and important regional history. Their offerings include the Ethereal Gin series made with seasonal and locally grown botanicals. Many of their whiskeys spend time in vintage beer barrels from across New England, and their most prized libations carry notations of local history and geography, such as the Shay’s Rebellion American Whiskey and Ragged Mountain Rum. They bottle not only spirits, but also regional character.
Since their beginning, they have been an organization distinguished by vision, agility, and a deep concern for the community. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, BMD quickly pivoted their operations to produce hand sanitizer, a vital service at a moment when national supply chains were severely strained. By producing thousands of bottles of their sanitizer, they helped slow the spread of illness. Fast forward to 2022, as the region emerged from the pandemic, BMD supported and celebrated the re-opening of 15 premiere cultural institutions with the launch of their Cultural Cocktails program. By creating a different cocktail recipe for each organization, they promoted our local cultural assets while also raising awareness of their own products. It is this type of adaptable nature, in the challenging times and in the exciting times, that has made BMD a heavy pour of community pride and local flavor.
Moving now from a long-running institution to a freshly brewed business, our next stop drops us into the heart of the Berkshires in downtown Pittsfield. It was in 2020 that Sarah Real and Mike Dell’Aquila began to realize their dream of an urban craft brewery in the form of Hot Plate Brewing Co., The business is named after the literal hot plate on which they did their early home-brewing in their apartment in New York. Then they moved to the Berkshires, a brilliant decision that also required a leap of faith, and focused on creating a space that was approachable and where the community could feel a sense of belonging. This BIPOC-owned brewery, with a female brewer, had its grand opening just last month in February, 2023. With a menu of uniquely tuned beers, a beautifully executed aesthetic, and a well curated list of beer-peripheral drinks available on-site, Hot Plate has quickly become the spot to stop at after the end of the workday, before a downtown event, or for a late-day business meeting.
The real story of this brewery began months before the doors opened. Mike and Sarah have been connected with entrepreneurial programming at 1Berkshire since they considered moving to the Berkshires. We at 1Berkshire have watched them exercise their entrepreneurial expertise and also build a passionate and invested community well before they opened their doors. Their use of social media, engagement in programs like EforAll, beer beta-testing, brand identity building, and peer mentoring has made them integral stakeholders and partners in both the beverage industry and the broader Berkshires community. And, yes, the original hot plate hangs prominently in their taproom.
We come to the final stop on this fruitful journey at Berkshire Cider Project in North Adams. One of the first operating tenants in the mixed-use campus at
GreylockWORKS, Berkshire Cider Project has grown from a small high-quality, bespoke, “champagne-esque” cider maker that launched in the middle of a global pandemic into a blossoming venture with a quickly-growing market and big plans for the future. Founded by Kat Hand and Matt Brogan, Berkshire Cider Project has partnered with several prominent local orchards which supply the apples for the cider.
Berkshire Cider Project produces beautiful high-quality ciders that lean to the dry side. They produce a cider made with apples from Hancock Shaker Village, and another produced in partnership with TOURISTS, and yet another that uses community-collected fruit to produce an annually-evolving cider. Through their partnerships they have also built a community dedicated to saving unique local apple varieties and to restoring the apple stock across the Berkshires. This is yet another example of how the brewing of beverages and bonding with a community can build new and exciting opportunities, inspiration, and investments.
This tour has taken us to only three of an abundance of beverage producers in the region, each bringing a distinctive flavor, authenticity, and identity to our Berkshire landscape. From new distilleries like Silver Bear at the Stationery Factory and the Distillery at GreylockWORKS, to breweries like Barrington Brewery (operating since 1995 and now all solar-powered), Big Elm, Bright Ideas, Shire Beer and Wandering Star, to wineries and cideries like Balderdash, Hilltop Orchards, Les Trois Emme, and Sunset Meadow. Each of these core contributors to our libations landscape is investing in this place, proving that the bounty of the Berkshires is not beholden to a single season of surplus, and bringing a spirit of excitement and experience to be appreciated near and far.
