Berkshire Brewing Company

In 1992, Chris Lalli and Gary Bogoff of Montgomery, MA, came to the conclusion that they both had a similar interest in life—to make beer. Not just any old beer, but fresh ale. Ale that was produced with the same ethics and craftsmanship of an artisan. Applying that ethic, born from his work as a master tradesman, Gary found an enthusiastic partner in Chris. After three long years of planning and test brewing and months of searching up and down the Pioneer Valley for the right location, BBC found a home in historic South Deerfield, MA. The building, a former cigar manufacturing plant, became the prime choice for the brewery. In December 1993, after the site was chosen, Chairman of the South Deerfield Select Board, Franklin Sherburne, voiced the town's unanimous approval, "You're the type of business we'd want here." In many respects the choice of South Deerfield was a stroke of genius. South Deerfield is an immensely popular tourist attraction due in part to Yankee Candle Company, located less than a mile down the road. The town of South Deerfield saw the brewery as another feather in its collective cap. The transformation from old factory to modern brewery begins. On February 1, 1994, construction began to renovate the cigar factory site. It was no small feat to transform the cigar factory into a cutting-edge micro brewery. Gary and Chris enlisted the aid and expertise of associates in the trades, friends and family. It was a formidable undertaking that would continue through to September, 1994. The end of August of that year was momentous, as Berkshire Brewing Company received ATF approval and was now able to get down to the real business of brewing fresh ale. That fall, BBC began fresh brewing unfiltered, unpasteurized ales and reviving the time honored tradition of local, quality ales—a tradition that had been left in a by-gone era.  By word of mouth, and taste buds, Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, BBC's flagship beer, became an instant success with beer-drinkers in all of western Massachusetts and beyond.  Although Chris and Gary originally intended to be a draft-only brewery, it quickly became apparent that a thirsty public wanted to take some Steel Rail home.   They chose to bottle in 22 ounce “bombers” (the “growlers” came a short time later), and with the help of a small army of volunteers, hand-packaged their product to rave reviews. Within two years of business, BBC went from brewing 24 barrels (the equivalent of 774 gallons at 31 gallons per barrel) per week, to 77 barrels (2,387 gallons) per week. With this success came several new ales, and the introduction of seasonal lagers to the family. Chris loads the first six kegs produced for delivery By 1999, demand for these fresh local brews was exceeding expectation—BBC was in need of more space. Gary and Chris began an expansion by building a 3,000 square foot addition on the north side for the offices, freeing up valuable space for production and getting employees out of the glorified closets that had served as offices for the first five years. As BBC continued to grow, many more changes to the physical building and product distribution followed suit. In January 2003, BBC brought on G. Housen, a distributor who would take Berkshire brews throughout Vermont. In April 2005, BBC opened a warehouse in Worcester to serve the central and eastern Massachusetts markets. Then in August 2005, BBC began self-distributing in Connecticut, opening an office and warehouse in Enfield.  BBC beer leaving the brewery in 2010 Demand for BBC’s family of fine ales and lagers continued to grow and they were again in need of more space. In 2005, Gary and Chris made an expansion on the south side of the building. This expansion allowed for a four truck garage, a cooler, and a packaging room. In 2008, BBC graduated from micro-brewery status and became a regional brewery, producing over 15,000 barrels (465,000 gallons!) for the first time. In addition, BBC's location in Worcester was moved to North Oxford to accommodate demand. In July 2008, Berkshire Brewing started self-distributing in Rhode Island from a new warehouse in Westerly. It has been many years now since BBC began its journey, and the business is bigger and better than anyone could have hoped for. With distribution in five states, BBC is becoming more successful every day with the help of friends and family who keep the business growing. BBC now brews nine year-round flavors of ales as well as seven seasonal ales and lagers…and you never know what special treats the brewers will come up with next. “It’s all about the beer, but beer is nothing without the people.” - Gary & Chris