Middleboro brewer lives dream of opening taproom — with these 7 beers on tap
MIDDLEBORO — When Mike Pasalacqua started brewing and selling his own beer in 2018 he knew the end goal was to open his own taproom and brewery.
Well, after six years of building up the brand and fanbase through wholesale distribution at bars and liquor stores in Lakeville, Middleboro, and beyond as well as regular appearances at outdoor marketplaces and other public events, Harper Lane Brewery finally has a building.
Located at 16 Wareham St. in downtown Middleboro, Harper Lane Brewery, which opened on Thursday, Jan. 25, is an act of passion for Pasalacqua, though he emphasizes this is a “family-owned business” with his co-owner and wife, Bridget.
Pasalacqua, a Middleboro native, said in the past his motivation is simple and pure: He’s a beer lover who wanted to take his dedication to brewing his own beer and bring it to the masses.
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What's in the taproom
“We have everything, styles for all types of beer drinkers,” said Pasalacqua.
Thirsty beer drinkers will find seven beers currently on tap at Harper Lane:
Hammer & Saw — hazy, New England-style IPA
Milk Stout — dark beer stout with a touch of sweetness
Knuckle Buster — old style bitter IPA
Easy Route — blonde golden ale
Lil Cloud — German-style Hefeweizen wheat beer
Maple Porter — malty, dark, mapley English beer
Willis Hill – smooth American farmhouse ale
This reporter recommends the Willis Hill as a good, balanced introductory beer. The Milk Stout has a nice subtle sweetness that works well with the dark, stout flavor. The Hammer & Saw is quite refreshing and fruity for those who like IPAs.
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Ingredients sourced locally — including his own farm
Ingredients are sourced locally, said Pasalacqua. Small batches of hops are grown on his own farm for select beers. Most of his hops come from Four Star Farms in Northfield.
All of Harper Lane’s malts come from Stone Path Malt in Wareham.
The taproom also features two hard seltzers for those non-beer drinkers visiting with their beer drinking friends:
Cherry Rose
Mango
Pasalacqua said more beers will be added to the taproom menu as things progress for the brewery.
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The long road to fill your pint glass
Pasalacqua started as a tenant brewer, renting out and sharing space with other brewers in order to make and package beer.
About two years in, he and his wife were ready to make the leap into owning their own space.
“We were ready to make that jump and build a taproom,” he said.
But just as they started talking to banks in early 2020, the pandemic hit and slowed everything down. So they decided to postpone this step forward and focus on “keeping the brand alive” during this economically tumultuous period through continued distribution at bars and liquor stores.
In late 2021, the process was started up again. While searching for financing, they looked at different potential business spaces before finding the right one at 16 Wareham St.
Pasalacqua started construction in the fall of 2022. Between delays associated with the renovation of an older building, his commitment to sustained brewing and distribution with current vendors, as well as his full-time job as an autobody technician, the process took over a year to complete.
He said he recently retired from working as an autobody technician after 23 years so he could devote full-time to Harper Lane.
Shared space with Home Rootts Bistro
Harper Lane is currently sharing building space with Home Rootts Bistro. It’s a lucrative business relationship between the two.
With no interior wall separating the businesses, patrons of Harper Lane can order and eat food from Home Rootts inside the brewery. Home Rootts will serve food orders to those sitting at Harper Lane’s tables.
“Come by for a beer, and have something to eat, or vice-versa,” said Pasalacqua.
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On-site pours only taproom — cans and growlers on the way
Presently, Harper Lane isn’t selling cans and growlers at the brewery; they are only offering onsite pour from the taproom.
The reason being is it isn’t yet set up to produce at a volume large enough for both in-house and distributor sales.
“We’re not able to produce enough quickly yet for taproom sales,” he said.
Eventually, cans and growlers will be sold at the brewery, in addition to Harper Lane’s steady list of bars and stores selling the brand.
For now, “we don’t want to leave accounts that have supported me the last six years dry. We supply them first,” Pasalacqua said.
Hours of operation
Presently, Harper Lane Brewery is open to the public Thursday through Sunday:
Thursday and Friday 3-10 p.m.
Saturday 12-10 p.m.
Sunday 12-6 p.m.
At the moment, there are no immediate plans to expand hours to other days due to the committed time needed to brew, package, and deliver to vendors, which happens Monday through Wednesday.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Harper Lane Brewery opens Middlboro taproom. What's on tap?
