Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company
Location: 12 Railroad St., South Deerfield, MA
The Tour: 1:00 on Saturdays — and it’s FREE with two generous samples of whatever is on tap!
Flagship Brew: The Steel Rail Ale. This beer is delicious, and is the closest competitor we’ve found yet to Lake Placid’s Ubu Ale.
What to Bring: Either bring some snacks, or be sure to eat before you come. Like I said, the samples are generous, and the afternoon is young..
For more information: www.bershirebrewingcompany.com
The air was crisp and cool. A small crowd gathered near the train tracks – like a group of travelers waiting to board a train that would never come. But today, it would not be a locomotive that gathered momentum but a crowd – growing slowly but steadily in numbers. The anticipation could be felt in the hushed tones of muted conversation. And as we parked our car and made our way over, we could tell already that this was shaping up to be another excellent Time-Crunched adventure.
Who would have thought that this corner of the pilgrim state could offer so much? A thoroughly American icon, the best hiking in Massachusetts, and a brewer that continues to pick up steam – the Berkshire Brewing Company – our Brewery of the month.
Precisely on the hour, we filed into the building. True to the motto printed on their growlers there was no hype, just good beer. Each visitor, free of charge, was provided the opportunity to try two of Berkshire’s fine ales and stouts. The taste spoke for itself. The guided tour followed.
Things are certainly looking up. This brewery continues to pick up steam as it grows steadily in popularity with its beers like the Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale.
Visitors can expect to see Berkshire’s brewing and bottling processes, but how they make such good beer still remains a mystery
Certainly one of the most random employee posted photos was someone’s beer chilling on the top of a stingray. Nice!
Waiting to be slapped on bottles ...
After the tour it was off to our next stop on the adventure, but this leg of the journey wouldn’t take long at all. Just down the road we arrived at the Yankee Candle Factory excited about buying our own iconic American candles straight from the source.
But if you think that all they sell is candles, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Honestly, I ask: where else can you expect to see…
A fiberglass cow, suspended in mid jump, catching a Frisbee in its teeth…
Or a tug boat in the middle of a candy store….
Or maybe the grumpiest looking teddy bear I’ve ever seen.
So if brewery tours get you excited or if a walk through a Dr Suess-like candle factory is just what you need for inspiration, then I invite you to follow us for another Time-Crunched adventurer and head to western Massachusetts for some great free samples!
If you can’t make it for the tour, you can also purchase Berkshire Beer at locations throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
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6 comments in this article
June 7, 2012 pm30 16:08
Love the cow photo. I’m more champagne and red wine than beer but a cold one on a hot day never goes wrong. I did tour the Tsingtao beer factory in China, though. Hilarious.
Carol Perehudoff recently posted..Would you sleep with these men of Paris?
June 8, 2012 am30 1:19
I don’t like beer and when I visited the Guinness Storehouse I didn’t expect to like it, but I admit it was so interesting. Have you visited? Definitely a must-see in Dublin.
Angela recently posted..Cagliari “wonderful harbour”, a photo journey
June 8, 2012 am30 4:10
I’m not a huge fan of beer, but it’s always interesting to see the process, how things are made.
Sophie recently posted..The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – the real Narnia
June 8, 2012 pm30 16:20
Beer – check. Pale Ale flavoured beer – check. Enormous statue of cow standing on hind legs – check. Looks like the perfect day out
Laurence recently posted..The Queen and I.
June 11, 2012 am30 7:05
Ah. Beer is nice. Breweries are good. I like beer, and breweries.
robin recently posted..El Dolor
June 11, 2012 pm30 13:39
Sounds like a great day! I love beer and brewery tours are usually very interesting. Thanks for sharing this one.
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted..Catalonia – Spain’s Best Kept Secret?