USA, MA: Wandering Star Craft Brewery�s time in the Berkshires comes to an end

As the world counted down to the end of 2025 on New Year’s Eve, Chris Post was counting down to a more personal finale: the closing of Wandering Star Craft Brewery, the brewery and bar he’s run in Pittsfield since 2011, the Berkshire Eagle reported on January 2.

“My wife and I felt that it was time to close and start a new chapter,” he said.

The mounting challenges of running a business, coupled with the uncertainty facing many non-U.S. citizens amid shifting federal immigration policies, convinced Post, a British citizen, that it was time for him and his family to explore other opportunities.

But before shutting down for good, the brewery opened its doors one last time on Wednesday, December 31 to allow its regular patrons — many of whom have been visiting the bar for over a decade — to say farewell as the year came to an end.

“We had a really good crowd, far bigger crowd than I anticipated,” Post said. “I call them customers, but everyone who came in is now also a personal friend.”

“It was frankly a very happy and very sad occasion at the same time,” he said.

Wandering Star drew a loyal patronage by serving up unique drinks in a barroom designed for socializing, complete with a pool table, board games and a stash of paperback books for browsing. Customers could watch rugby games on the television screens above the bar while sipping their favorite craft beers from either a barstool or one of the bar’s signature pew-style benches.

“It’s just very Berkshires,” said Brittany Stinson, a long-term patron who stopped in on Wednesday to grab a farewell drink with her husband, of the bar’s aesthetic. “We’re very much an artist’s county. This just fits the vibe.”

Glenn Lawson, a regular customer, summed up the Wandering Star social scene this way: “It’s like Cheers,” the long-running sitcom.

“Pittsfield is, I think, losing something unique,” he said. “Where else can you drink beer on a church pew, for God’s sake?”

“It’s our religion,” joked John Panetti, another long-time patron who praised the bar’s social scene.

“I don’t think we’re going to find another place that fills the void,” he added. “You weren’t just having a beer. You were part of a community.”

Wandering Star’s closure also marks a new chapter for Fuggle, the brewery’s friendly tortoiseshell cat. Perched on a barstool, she drew plenty of affectionate pats on Wednesday from the customers who’d watched her grow from kittenhood to a wizened regular.

“Until the place gets sold, she'll continue to live here,” Post said. He’s received several offers from people willing to take her in, but has yet to decide whether she’ll stay with the family as they contemplate their next move. He said he’s still looking for an interested buyer for the Gifford Street property, which would include the building’s brewing equipment.

“I do desperately want to pass this building and equipment on as a brewery,” he said. “There’s just so much value in the infrastructure, in the building and the setup.”

Looking back on the years he put into the business, Post described Wandering Star as a labor of love.

“A lot of the time it's been fun, a lot of time it's been exhausting,” he said. “It’s all been a hell of an experience.”

“When businesses close, especially if they’re family-owned, it is absolutely not a failure,” he added. “Things have time spans, and I feel we [had] the best of our time span.”

As Wandering Star’s time in the Berkshires comes to an end, Post said he hopes that community members will continue to support local establishments. Hot Plate Brewery, which will soon celebrate its second anniversary, is now the only remaining brewery in Pittsfield.

“Support your local brewery. Don’t take it for granted,” Post said. “You’re going to miss it if it's not there.”