Located in Pittsfield, MA, Hot Plate Brewing Co. is the only Latina-owned brewery in Massachusetts. Since opening their brewery and taproom in February 2023, Hot Plate has been focused on building a safe, inclusive, and resilient community. Understanding the role that breweries can play in supporting the revitalization of under-utilized urban spaces, co-founders Sarah Real and Mike Dell’Aquila have ensured that their taproom is not only a community hub but also a change agent. To that end, they have been recognized and awarded by a number of local, regional, and national organizations. In addition to finishing in the Top 3 for the USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards for Best New Brewery in 2025, they were also named as one of the Top 19 New Breweries in the country by VinePair. For the impact they’ve made in their community, Hot Plate was also named a Silver Awardee in Mass Econ’s 2023 Economic Impact Awards, 2024 Community Partner of the Year by Berkshire Pride, and 2023 Organization of the Year by the National Alliance on Mental Illness – Berkshire County.