PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Hot Plate Brewing Co., the only Latina-owned brewery in Massachusetts, was recently named a finalist for the USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for Best New Brewery. 

 

Since opening their doors in downtown Pittsfield in February 2023, this mission-driven organization has been garnering attention on a local, regional, and national level, both for their beers and the impact they're making in the community, stated a press release.  

 

Owner and head brewer, Sarah Real, was also recently elected to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild Board of Directors as well as the Pink Boots Society Board of Directors, largely because of the work she has been doing to increase the diversity, equity, and inclusion in an overwhelmingly male industry. 

 

"For years, I didn't see myself reflected in the brewhouse or in most leadership positions at other breweries," said Real, who discovered that fewer than 1 percent of all breweries in the US are owned and operated by women of color. "And while I know how much representation matters, I also wanted to make sure that I'm empowering and supporting other marginalized people in this industry, which is why we have a mostly female and mostly queer staff, and why so many of the vendors I work with are also small, local, and women owned."

 

Hot Plate Brewing has also been awarded for their work by organizations as varied as Mass Econ, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Berkshire County, and Berkshire Pride. In 2024, they raised more than $10,000 for a variety of mission-aligned nonprofit organizations, including the Pittsfield Area Council of Congregations (PACC) who collectively raised more than $27,000 for this year's Fuel Fund, which the brewery supported in several ways.

 

"Even though we're new to the Berkshires, we're incredibly proud of the partnerships we've formed here with mission-aligned organizations and individuals. We've been able to make a measurable difference in this city," says co-founder Mike Dell'Aquila. 

 

Votes can be made online using this link: https://10best.usatoday.com/qr/45046/