??? About Legal ramifications for homebrew mailing.

cowstick · 01-26-2009, 07:39 PM

Does anyone know what the legalities are about mailing beer using anything but USPS?

pen25 · 01-26-2009, 07:43 PM

i wouldnt mail beer. but i have others mail live yeast sample's in suspension.

**ShortSnoutBrewing** · 01-26-2009, 07:58 PM

I've I recall it's ILLEGAL to ship via USPS. Where as with FedEX, UPS, etc it's against policy.

**IrregularPulse** · 01-26-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilted Brewer

I've I recall it's ILLEGAL to ship via USPS. Where as with FedEX, UPS, etc it's against policy.

Tends to the consensus around these parts.

**olllllo** · 01-26-2009, 08:05 PM

Essentially, it's not legal, but it boils down to which agency of the government you want to run afoul of and what is the liklihood of enforcement, siezure, or civil or criminal fines.
1) It is against Federal law to ship alcohol via the USPS.
2) It's against policy to ship alcohol via Fed Ex, DHL, UPS unless you are a valid shipper of alcohol. If your package breaks, they may turn your package to your state's alcohol control board or they may return it to you, or they may dispose of it, or they may re-pack it and ship it. You are at the mercy of that employee.
3) It's undoubtedly against state law (UT inparticular) to ship beer. I read on realbeer that UT's ACB has siezed likely alcohol shipments. Google it.
4) It's against the law to ship alcohol to minors.
5) It's against the law to ship alcohol to another country without using a customs approved shipper. See beertown.org for information about their world beer contest.
So don't do #1 or #4 or #5. If you do #2, make sure your package is bulletproof. Don't identify the contents as alcohol. Don't get insurance, etc.
#3.... just move.
Deny everything.

chillHayze · 01-26-2009, 11:20 PM

I shipped through UPS once and a package broke. To make this even better I used out shipping department at my company due to the huge discount we receive. It was part of a beer swap and as such contained a nice letter with a "Hi, how ya doin?" followed by an explanation and recipes of the contained beers. UPS faxed this letter back to my office where the reciptionist picked it up, read it, and said "WTF?". Luckily for me neither the courier nor my company saw it as a big deal, and all that was lost were a few ounces of homebrew and some nice flip-top bottles. I figure it could have been worse... Needless to say I don't ship from work anymore.

**Mutilated1** · 01-26-2009, 11:35 PM

Here is how you safely do it through the mail.

Write a fake address in the place where the mail to address goes. Write the address where you want to send the beer where the return address goes. Don't put any postage at all on the package, and drop it off in the mail.

Now when the mail man notices that the package doesn't have any postage on it, you know what he does ? He returns it to the return address!!

So not only do you send the beer where it needs to go without getting your name or address involved, you do it without buying any stamps!

**velotech** · 01-27-2009, 01:28 AM

My buddies and I ship homebrew to each other all the time using FedEx & UPS. I ship bombers in boxes w/ packaging I receive from a wine club. I've never had a problem and even had a bottle of wine break in one of them. At least we've never lost any homebrew!

**ChshreCat** · 01-27-2009, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mutilated1

Here is how you safely do it through the mail.

Write a fake address in the place where the mail to address goes. Write the address where you want to send the beer where the return address goes. Don't put any postage at all on the package, and drop it off in the mail.

Now when the mail man notices that the package doesn't have any postage on it, you know what he does ? He returns it to the return address!!

So not only do you send the beer where it needs to go without getting your name or address involved, you do it without buying any stamps!

The only flaw in this plan is that the mailman isn't going to be dumb enough to think someone in Seattle drove to LA to mail a package to LA.

It would only work if you're mailing it across town and then it's just as easy to drive it over!

cowstick · 01-27-2009, 12:06 PM

I was asking because a beer pass in another site has shut down because of leagal matters involving the beer pass. It was a member started beer pass and now that member has gotten into trouble because of it.

I think that the gov' is just pissed cause they havent gotten their piece of the pie because its home brew and no one is selling it so theres no taxes to pay on it. Except our state taxes when we buy the stuff we need for the brew.

Thanks for the info. Ill be putting it to good use.