Hot Plate Brewing Co. hopes to tap into downtown scene and give Pittsfielders a place to hang out

December 19, 2022 : The Berkshire Eagle, by Matt Martinez

PITTSFIELD — When Sarah Real worked overseas, as a researcher for Nickelodeon, she found camaraderie in pubs, even when she couldn’t speak the local language.

Now, she’s trying to bring a similar gathering place to Pittsfield’s downtown. Real and her husband, Mike Dell’Aquila, have dreamed of opening a brewery for 20 years. A vote of approval Monday from the Pittsfield Licensing Board gets them that much closer.

Hot Plate Brewing Co., owned by Real and Dell'Aquila, received approval for a general on-premises downtown wine and malt license from the board.

“Beer was always a part of my life,” Real said in an interview Monday. “It can be lonely when you’re traveling from place to place … I found a home at pubs and breweries.”

The brewery, located at 1 School St., plans a soft opening in January, followed by a full start in time for the 10X10 Upstreet Arts Festival in February. The taps are set up; now they just need to make the beer, Dell’Aquila said. From day one, they’ll have food service with meals provided by other downtown businesses.

“We recognize the challenges that North Street businesses have had to face … but it’s just so beautiful and iconic."

The brewery will serve wraps and other selections from Marketplace Cafe and restaurants owned by Joad Bowman, which include Thistle and Mirth, the Flat Burger Society and Lulu’s Tiny Grocery.

The goal is to get people to come and stay a while downtown, Dell’Aquila said, with the hope to revitalize foot traffic there.

“We fell in love with North Street right away,” Dell’Aquila said. “We recognize the challenges that North Street businesses have had to face … but it’s just so beautiful and iconic. We look at the buildings that are here and we see so much potential and upside.”

Real and Dell’Aquila moved to the area from Brooklyn in July 2021. Since then, they’ve received funding assistance from Allegrone Companies, their landlord, and MassDevelopment.

Brewery's selections

The brewery’s selections will feature cream ales and lagers, IPAs, and experimental flavored beers. To name a few: chamomile blonde ale and jalapeno pale ale.

The brewers plan to make special beers for events, including a “community line” that will see them partner with local nonprofits to come up with a beer flavor or style and share part of the proceeds.

The brewers will partner with local hops growers and farmers to source ingredients sustainably. Crops that would otherwise go unused might end up in a beer mug, they said. That was how their habanero stout came to be last year.

The brewery will focus on expanding diversity in an industry dominated by white males. Dell’Aquila said ownership is also going to emphasize making the space welcoming to members of marginalized communities who have not historically had a seat at the bar.

Real hopes to lead by example simply by opening the brewery.

“As a Latina woman, I never saw myself reflected in the brewing space,” Real said during the board meeting. Just 2 percent of breweries in the U.S. are owned by women, based on a Brewer's Association member survey from 2021. Even fewer are owned by women of color.

The owners say that above all else, their brewery will seek to be a gathering place for all Pittsfield residents. The owners plan on setting up a lounge, making use of a couch from their old Brooklyn apartment. The bar will have outlets and USB cords so people can work there. They will provide non-alcoholic beverages and board games, too.

They want customers to come and pass the time. “We want it to be like hanging out in a close friend’s apartment,” Real said.