Local Massachusetts craft beer in Boston: where to buy

For local Massachusetts craft beer in Boston, start with brewery taprooms and beer-focused shops, then add The Wild Duck, our liquor store at 86 Massachusetts Ave, for cans and bottles you can collect, have delivered or have shipped. This guide covers where to look, how to check a label, and how to order from us.

Where can you buy local Massachusetts craft beer in Boston?

You can buy local Massachusetts craft beer in Boston at brewery taprooms, at independent bottle shops that focus on beer, and at liquor stores such as The Wild Duck at 86 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02117.

The brewery itself is the first place to look. Most Massachusetts breweries run a taproom where you can have a pour on site and take cans or bottles home. Packaged beer bought at the source is as fresh as that beer gets.

Beer-focused shops are the second route. They tend to rotate through cans and bottles from several state breweries at once, so one visit lets you compare. A liquor store is the third route, and it suits you when beer is only part of what you are buying.

We are a liquor store with a beer section next to wine, spirits, mixers and snacks. If you are buying beer along with other things for the same evening, one stop can cover it.

How do you get local Massachusetts craft beer from The Wild Duck?

Come to the store at 86 Massachusetts Ave, or place an order for pickup, delivery or shipping. Whichever you choose, start at our beer page and work down to the style you want.

Our beer pages are sorted by style, so you can go straight to IPA, lager, stout or seasonal beer. Beers we carry include Zero Gravity JAWS and Athletic Dark & Gourdy Pumpkin & Spice. We also carry brands such as Zero Gravity, Jacks Abby and Sam Adams.

The label on each can tells you where it was brewed, and the next section shows you how to read it. If you want a particular Massachusetts brewery and cannot find it on our pages, a taproom is the better stop for that one.

Across the whole store we have more than 4,500 products and more than 700 brands, so beer can be bought with wine, mixers and snacks in one order.

How can you tell local Massachusetts craft beer is really brewed in Massachusetts?

Read the small print on the can or bottle. A federal label has to name the brewer and the place, so look for a line such as "brewed and packaged by" followed by a Massachusetts town and the abbreviation MA.

Be careful with wording that only sounds local. A name that mentions Boston, New England or a famous landmark does not tell you where the beer was made. Some beers are brewed under contract in another state, or by a larger company that owns a brand with a local-sounding name.

The town line on the label settles it. If you are standing in a shop, ask the person at the counter which brewery made the beer and where. A shop that cares about local beer should be able to answer straight away.

The same check works on anything you order from us. Look at the brewer line on the can when it arrives, and compare it with the brewery you had in mind.

Which styles of local Massachusetts craft beer should you look for?

Look for the style that matches what you plan to eat or do, then choose the brewery. Massachusetts breweries make every common style, so the style is a better starting point than the name.

IPA is the hop-forward style, and New England IPA is the hazier, softer version. Pale ale is lighter in hops and a good place to begin if IPAs taste too bitter to you. Lager and pilsner are crisp and clean.

Stout and porter are dark, with roasted flavours that suit cold evenings and rich food. Sour beer is tart, and seasonal beers change with the time of year; at this time of year that includes pumpkin beer.

If you cannot decide, build a mixed order from two or three of these categories and compare them side by side.

What should you ask about freshness when buying local Massachusetts craft beer?

Ask what was packaged most recently. Hop-forward beers such as IPAs taste best fresh, and many cans carry a packaged-on or best-by date. Newer is better for those styles, while stouts and strong ales hold up longer.

Ask how the beer has been stored. Cold storage keeps hoppy beer in good shape, and a can that has sat warm in a window will often taste flat or muddy. Once you have the beer at home, keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to drink it.

Ask which beers have just arrived. Staff at a taproom or shop can steer you toward a pale ale, a lager, a stout or a seasonal beer depending on what you plan to eat or do with it.

Can you take local Massachusetts craft beer to go from a brewery taproom?

Yes, many Massachusetts taprooms sell packaged beer to take away, usually cans and sometimes bottles or filled growlers. Hours, formats and what is available change from brewery to brewery, so check the brewery's own website or social page before you go.

If you are travelling by car or train afterward, keep the beer cold and out of direct sun. A short trip is fine, but a can left in a warm car for hours will taste worse for it.

A taproom is the right choice when you want one specific brewery. If you would rather pick up several styles in one visit, or add other items to the order, our beer section works alongside it.

When is The Wild Duck open, and how can you order beer from us?

The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM and on Sunday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. You can walk in at 86 Massachusetts Ave, or order for pickup, delivery or shipping.

Pickup hours run Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM. Delivery hours run Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM. Pickup opens earlier than the shop floor, which helps if you want to collect on the way to work.

We also serve Cambridge and Brookline. See Liquor Delivery in Cambridge, MA, Liquor Delivery in Brookline, MA and Liquor Delivery in Boston, MA for those areas, and In-store pickup in Boston, MA for collecting from us.

The Wild Duck is rated above 4.5 out of 5 from more than 60 Google reviews. You can read more about the store on the About Us page, and if you are buying for someone else, we have gift cards.