Brew pub near me? Craft beer to go in Boston

If you searched for a brew pub near me in Boston, The Wild Duck is a liquor store at 86 Massachusetts Ave, and we sell craft beer to take home rather than pour it at a bar. We are open every day until 11:00 PM, and you can walk in, collect an order, or have beer delivered or shipped.

Where can I get craft beer near me in Boston tonight?

You can get it at The Wild Duck, 86 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02117. We are open until 11:00 PM seven days a week, so you can come in for beer in the evening as well as during the day.

Beer is one of the categories we carry, and you can see the whole range on our beer page. We also carry wine, liquor, bourbon, mixers, snacks and ready-to-drink options, so you can put a full order together in one stop.

We have more than 4,500 products in stock across more than 700 brands. That is the whole store, not only beer, but it gives you a sense of how much is on the shelves when you walk in. Our Google rating is above 4.5 from more than 60 reviews.

If you would rather not make the trip, we offer pickup, delivery and shipping. Those options are covered further down this page.

Is The Wild Duck a brew pub or a liquor store?

The Wild Duck is a liquor store, not a bar. We sell beer, wine and spirits for you to take home or have sent to you, and we do not do any brewing ourselves.

That matters if you are deciding where to go. If you want a table, a kitchen, a patio, live music or beer poured on site, a brew pub or taproom is the right kind of place. If you want to choose cans and bottles from a wide shelf and drink them at home, at a friend's place or at a gathering, a liquor store suits you better.

What we offer in place of a tap list is range. You can look across many brands and styles in one visit and pick what suits your evening, rather than being limited to one brewery's beers.

What is the difference between a brew pub and a taproom?

A brew pub is a pub that does its own brewing on the premises and usually serves food alongside the beer. A taproom is typically a brewery's own tasting room, where the beer is poured at the source and food is often limited or brought in.

Both are places to sit and drink, and many add extras such as live music or an outdoor patio. Neither is the same as a liquor store, which stocks beer from many makers and sells it packaged for you to take away.

The practical difference for you is choice versus setting. A brew pub, taproom or bar gives you a place to sit with one maker's beer and perhaps some music. A store like ours gives you many makers to compare, with the freedom to drink wherever you like.

Which craft beer styles can I pick up at The Wild Duck?

We carry hop-forward beers, lagers and a range of other styles. If you like bitter, aromatic beers, start with our IPA page, and for the hazier, softer style see New England IPA. A New England IPA is typically juicy and less bitter than a classic West Coast IPA.

If you prefer something lighter and cleaner, look at easy drinking beer, including lager. Lagers are brewed with a bottom-fermenting yeast and tend to taste crisp and straightforward. Ales, by contrast, use a top-fermenting yeast, and pale ale is a common middle ground between a lager and an IPA. Our domestic beer page covers beers brewed in the United States.

Sour beers are a different style again: tart and sometimes fruited, they suit people who find IPAs too bitter. If sour beer or pale ale is what you are after, ask us in the store what is on the shelf.

You can also browse the makers we carry most of. These include Sam Adams, Jacks Abby and Zero Gravity, and Polar for drinks to go with them.

If you want something other than beer, we also stock cider, seltzers and ready-to-drink drinks.

How do I find a beer I will like?

Start with what you already drink. If you enjoy a particular IPA, pale ale or lager, use it as your starting point and look at the style pages above for others in the same family. The brand pages help here too, because a maker you like often makes other beers worth trying.

We also keep a few collection pages that change as the shelves change. New Arrivals shows what has come in recently, and Top Rated is another place to browse when you are not sure where to start.

If you are in the store, tell us what you usually drink and what you want the beer for, whether that is a dinner, a game night, a evening with music on at home or a gift. That gives you a short list to start from instead of a wall of cans.

For a gift, our holiday gift guide and our article on beer gift ideas in Boston explain how to choose and pack.

What are the opening hours at The Wild Duck?

In the store, we are open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM, and on Sunday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Pickup hours start earlier. You can collect an order Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM, and on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM.

Delivery runs Monday to Saturday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 PM, and on Sunday from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

If you have other questions before you set out, you can read our frequently asked questions.

Can I order brew pub style craft beer ahead for pickup, delivery or shipping?

Yes. Alongside walking in, we offer pickup, delivery and shipping, so you can choose the way that fits your day.

For pickup, order from our website and collect at the shop. Our page on in-store pickup in Boston, MA explains how it works. Pickup hours are listed above.

For delivery, we serve Boston, Cambridge and Brookline. Each town has its own page: liquor delivery in Boston, liquor delivery in Cambridge and liquor delivery in Brookline. Our liquor delivery areas page gives the wider picture.

Shipping is also offered. Our article on alcohol delivered explains how ordering works and what to put in an order.

Can I pair beer with snacks, mixers or other drinks in the same order?

Yes. You can add to a beer order from the rest of the store, so there is no need for a second stop.

Our snacks section is useful for a night in. If a few people prefer something other than beer, mixers and the liquor and wine pages cover the rest. If you are setting up your own bar at home, our guide to stocking a home bar in Boston is a good place to begin.

For gifts, we carry items such as a Thank You Card and the Rokz Bloody Mary Lover Set. You can also look at gift cards if you are not sure what the person likes.

If you are planning a larger gathering, we also have a page on kegs in Boston.

What ID do I need to buy beer at The Wild Duck?

You must be 21 or older to buy alcohol from us. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID that shows your date of birth, such as a driver's license or a passport.

The same rule applies to pickup and delivery. The person who receives the order needs to be an adult of legal drinking age and ready to show ID.

We cannot sell alcohol to anyone under 21, and we may ask for ID at any time. Having it ready makes the visit quicker for everyone.