Berkshire County Historical Society Lecture on Pittsfield Brewing History

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PITTSFIELD, Mass.—The Berkshire County Historical Society will present a lecture on the history of beer making in Pittsfield and the surrounding Berkshire region.
 
The free lecture, titled "Thirsty in the Berkshires: Brewing from the 18th Century to Prohibition," will be delivered by historian and educator Cynthia Brown. The event is scheduled for March 20 at 7 p.m. at Hot Plate Brewing in downtown Pittsfield.
 
The lecture will examine the historical context of commercial and private brewing in Pittsfield, dating back to the 18th century. Brown will discuss the evolution of brewing practices and the role of beer in the region's culture, leading up to the Prohibition era. The presentation will also include information regarding Jane Prime (or Pryn), a Black resident of Lenox, listed in the 1860 U.S. Census as a "beer maker."
 
Hot Plate Brewing's "Small Batch Salon" series will host the event. In conjunction with the lecture, Hot Plate Brewing's head brewer, Sarah Real, has created a custom recipe inspired by historical gruits. This beverage is based on fermented cereal grains, and references historical documents that mentioned Dutch "kuyt."
 
A portion of the proceeds from the evening's sales will be donated to the Berkshire County Historical Society.

Tags: brewery,   historical,   

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Gov. Healey Touts Transportation Bill in Lenox

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Gov. Healey speaks to the press on Tuesday at Lenox Town Hall after a closed meeting with town and state officials. 

LENOX, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey believes Berkshire County deserves a "better deal" from the state than it has gotten for decades.

"I accepted on the outset that we need to do a better job as a state of making sure that we take care of Berkshire County and Western Massachusetts," she said, adding that she feels the state has not done this over time.

On Tuesday, she and other state officials touted the state's proposed $8 billion transportation plan that includes support for rural roads, culverts, and small bridges. The visit began at Lenox Town Hall with a roundtable closed to press and concluded at an overhauled culvert in Becket.

"We came here today to listen to our local officials, to listen to local communities," Healey said.

"…We know that roads and bridges are in need of repair and modernization, residents need better transportation, communities need better protection from severe wind and flooding, and ultimately, this region needs and deserves more attention and more investment from the state to these needs than ever before."

She claimed this is what the new transportation funding plan is all about.

The Healey-Driscoll administration has proposed an investment of $8.4 billion over the next years to put the state's transportation system on strong new foundations.

"This includes a 50 percent annual increase in Chapter 90 funding for local roads that would deliver greater equity for Western Mass communities, including the Berkshires, for example, a 62 percent increase for Lenox and I want to thank [Town Manager Jay Green] for serving on our Chapter 90 working group," Healey said.

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