Breweries
Berkshire Brewing Company
12 Railroad St
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Before the craft beer boom, Steel Rail was the de facto local draft. Now that craft is huge, brews like InHopNito show BBC is still in the game.
Brewmaster Jack
Brewmaster Jack works out of an old tavern in Williamsburg that’s been in continuous use since 1812. The restaurant closed in January of 2020, but the brewery still runs a bustling “contract-beer” operation for local businesses (and themselves). Their staple Ambrewsia is a delicious, hazy, quintessential IPA.
Brick and Feather
78 11th St
Turners Falls, MA 01376
When Brick and Feather hits a home run the cover comes off the ball and the innards smash a car window in the parking lot of the restaurant across the street from the park. If you see ‘Letters to Zelda’ on the menu anywhere, get it. The rest of their beers and the tasting room are rustically charming and white-linen luxurious at the same time. One of our all-around faves!
Building 8
320 Riverside Dr
Florence, MA 01062
A relatively new player, there’s been some drama in their short history (Google it). For a while their only offering was a single -albeit delicious- IPA. They added a session and DIPA before a rumored internal dustup saw them expand into other styles. Still a brewery worth watching, but you’ll have to get details from their Facebook page. Somehow, they have no website.
Fort Hill
30 Fort Hill Rd
Easthampton, MA 01027
As far as brewery experiences go, Fort Hill is hard to beat. The place is gigantic, dog-friendly, and has the liveliness of a room full of people who just remembered tomorrow is a national holiday and they can stay out all night if they want. My absolute favorite here is a precision-perfect wheat beer they affectionately call the “Vice” beer. They earn points for jumping on the canning wagon early, for keeping cost low, and for fearlessness in trying new beers almost monthly. We love these guys.
Honest Weight
131 West Main St., Unit 104
Orange, MA 01364
This is another brewery that makes us think “boutique” when we’re drinking their beers. There are a lot of interesting experiments and a solid core line-up. My current fave is the Sky Ladder Pale Ale. The owners are also some of the nicest people in the Pioneer Valley.
People’s Pint
24 Federal St
Greenfield, MA 01301
The Pint is practically in our backyard and we couldn’t be happier about that. The restaurant alone is excellent, and their beers are pretty damn good too. Molly’s favorite is the Hope Street Amber, one of the few traditional ESBs brewed in these parts. I love their solid, rotating varieties of IPA/DIPA/NEIPA. They also do cask beer, on occasion, so always keep your eyes peeled for what’s pulling.
Spencer
Their biggest distinction (and best beer) is having the only certified Trappist Ale in the United States. That’s right, this is made by monks. They do IPAs and other styles seasonally too, but the one that started it all for them is still by far the best. One of our favorite restaurants in the area, Blue Heron, has kept it on tap for years now. It’s amazing in a bottle and mind-blowing on draft.