The Wine Source readies new taproom

Hampden's choicest liquor store, the Wine Source, is about to get a bit boozier. The retailer's new growler-filling station and taproom should open by the end of July, allowing hipster and high-brow customers alike to sip on beer while they shop.

Though a grand opening date on the new area isn't firm yet, construction is slated to be complete in two weeks, according to beer manager Jed Jenny.

Located adjacent to the beer coolers in the back of the store, the Hillman Tap Room and Filling Station—named in honor of the Wine Source's late beer manager, Tim Hillman—will feature 16 draft lines. For now, suds will dominate those taps, but Jenny said there have been talks of wine and possibly cold-brewed coffee on draft, as well.

The new system replaces a counter-pressure growler filler located near the back of the store. That filling station had some limitations, Jenny said.

"A huge number of our customers don't know that we were filling growlers back here," he said. Plus, the counter-pressure unit couldn't pour proper samples, something the new taproom can handle amply. Jenny said that the store will sell half-pint-size tasters initially for sampling.

"We don't want it to be the destination for drinking, necessarily."

In addition to filling growlers and squealers (32 ounces to a growler's 64), the Wine Source will also sell crowlers, a 32-ounce aluminum container that looks essentially like a super-sized beer can.