Pittsfield Licensing Board OKs Hot Plate Brewery License

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With state and local license approvals, Hot Plate Brewery is nearing the last hurdles before its debut to the public.

On Monday, the Licensing Board granted the taproom a downtown beer and wine liquor license, and last week, it received a pub brewers license from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

Brooklyn, N.Y., transplants Mike Dell'Aquila and Sarah Real are planning a soft opening in early January but right now, they reveling in the relief of getting the official business done.

"It feels like a major relief.  We are still processing it because there is just so much, I think, stress leading up to it," Dell'Aquila said, as the permitting process is not a quick one.

"We understand that once we send it off, you can't control much," Real added.

"It's just sitting around and taking some deep breaths and being like 'We've put our best foot forward, it is what it is, we'll just take it as it comes.'"

The Licensing Board's approval set in motion the last few hurdles to get open, Dell'Aquila said, as it must go back to the state for a final OK before they can open.

Hot Plate is described as a microbrewery, characterized by producing 15,000 barrels or less per year, and will utilize local raw materials for ingredients.

It will have a 12-tap system that includes traditional beers, popular beers such as New England IPAs, and more experimental brews such as a chamomile blonde ale and a jalapeno pale ale.

Real, who is the head brewer, told the board that Hot Plate is a mission-driven community brewery --or brewpub per the ABCC-- with three pillars: craft, conservation, and community.

They plan to highlight artisans and creators of all sorts, partner with local farms and similar crafters throughout the commonwealth, and be a community meeting space where people can also have non-alcoholic beverages.

"Part of what made me want to build this community space is that as a Latina woman, I never saw myself reflected in the gallery space," Real explained.

"In fact, there are 9,200 breweries in the United States and less than 1 percent of those are owned by women of color so this is a huge endeavor, and hopefully a huge sea change.  And so I wanted to bring that part to Pittsfield so it could be a meeting place and a gathering place where you can bring your whole self whether you are any color of the rainbow, LGBTQ plus, any sort of person.  We want it to be a community place for everyone."

There was some discussion about the food aspect of Hot Plate, as the downtown licenses focus on restaurants and this is a brewery.

Attorney Jesse Cook-Dubin explained that they will have a cooler stocked with food that is prepared by other downtown restaurants such as sandwiches, wraps, and salads.  There will also be some commercial kitchen infrastructure with sinks, a dishwasher, food prep spaces, a walk-in cooler, and food heating capabilities though there will not be a full kitchen.

"We look at the ordinance and see a difference between the requirement for an all-alcohol special downtown license, which is a full kitchen, and the requirement for a wine and malt special downtown license which is an on-premises kitchen. And we submit to you that this is an on-premises kitchen," he said.

"But I think more important than the technicality, which we think is met that there's an on-premises kitchen, there is food, you can sit down and have a meal, and this is totally consistent with the purposes behind the ordinance which are to promote downtown development and to make sure that we have an ecosystem of restaurants, cultural venues, and other businesses that support each other and support the downtown."

City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta said the language allows the board to grant Hot Plate a license.

Board members agreed that they want to promote businesses and pointed to similar licenses that they have supported in the past, such as Thistle and Mirth's operation with a half kitchen.

The owners will come back and give the board an update on the food service soon after the brewery gets up and running.

"I think it's a great thing for the city of Pittsfield, by the way," Chairman Thomas Campoli said.

"We're glad that you're here. Obviously a substantial investment. I think on the street people are excited about it."

Real and Dell'Aquila said that the response has been positive.  They have received a great deal of support from Mayor Linda Tyer, who was at Monday's meeting.

The two also received a $140,000 allocation of Pittsfield economic development funds last year to support the acquisition of equipment.

Toys for Tots Bringing Presents to Thousands of Kids This Year

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:21PM / Friday, December 05, 2025

Volunteers organize toys by age and gender in the House of Corrections storage facility. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Plenty of toys are on their way to children this holiday season thanks to Toys for Tots.

Christopher Keegan has coordinated the local toy drive for the Berkshire Chapter of the Marine Corps Reserve since 2015 and said he has seen the need rise every year, last year helping more than 6,000 kids.

"This is 11 years I've been doing it, and the need has gone up every year. It's gone up every year, and I anticipate it going up even more this year," Keegan said.

On Thursday, the Berkshire County House of Corrections storage facility was overflowing with toys making it the county's very own Santa's workshop. 

Keegan said Berkshire County always shows up with toys or donations. 

"This county is outstanding when it comes to charity. They rally around stuff. They're very giving, they're very generous, and they've been tremendous in this effort, the toys for pride effort, since I've been doing it, our goal is to honor every request, and we've always reached that goal," he said.

Keegan's team is about 20 to 25 volunteers who sort out toys based on age and gender. This week, the crew started collecting from the 230 or so boxes set out around the county on Oct. 1.

"The two age groups that are probably more difficult — there's a newborn to 2s, boys and girls, and 11 to 14, boys and girls. Those are the two challenging ages where we need to focus our attention on a little bit more," he said.

Toys For Tots has about 30 participating schools and agencies that sign up families and individuals who need help putting gifts under the tree. Keegan takes requests right up until the last minute on Christmas.

"We can go out shopping for Christmas. I had sent my daughter out Christmas Eve morning. Hey, we need X amount of toys and stuff, but the requests are still rolling in from individuals, and I don't say no, we'll make it work however we can," he said.

Community members help to raise money or bring in unopened and unused toys. Capeless Elementary student Thomas St. John recently raised $1,000 selling hot chocolate and used the money to buy toys for the drive.

"It's amazing how much it's grown and how broad it is, how many people who were involved," Keegan said.

On Saturday, Live 95.9 personalities Bryan Slater and Marjo Catalano of "Slater and Marjo in the Morning" will host a Toys for Tots challenge at The Hot Dog Ranch and Proprietor's Lodge. Keegan said they have been very supportive of the drive and that they were able to collect more than 3,000 toys for the drive last year.

Volunteer Debbie Melle has been volunteering with Toys for Tots in the county for about five years and said people really showed up to give this year.

"I absolutely love it. It's what we always say. It's organized chaos, but it's rewarding. And what I actually this year, I'm so surprised, because the amount that the community has given us, and you can see that when you see these pictures, that you've taken, this is probably the most toys we've ever gotten," she said. "So I don't know if people just feel like this is a time to give and they're just going above and beyond, but I'm blown away. This year we can barely walk down the aisles for how much, how many toys are here. It's wonderful."