Why is it so expensive to ship beer?

I recently did an extract clone of the Alaskan Smoked porter, but have never tried the original beer, so I ordered it online along with Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig and Fat Tire. These are all beers that are not available on the east Coast. The shipping and taxes for four bottles was $28. WTF? Why is it so damn expensive? I'm guessing that California charges all these crazy taxes for alcohol being shipped out. I would've thought that 4 bottles would have been half that.

That's about what I pay during homebrew swaps. UPS is expensive.

I paid more for shipping than the cost of the actual beer. Did UPS all of a sudden get expensive? I can't imagine that 4 bottles weighs a lot.

where did you go to order beer online>?

The only place online that I could find with Pliny the Elder, that ships out of state.
http://www.qualityliquorstore.com/
Russian River Pliny The Elder

I'm almost wondering the heavy shipping charges is a mistake.

Up here in Alberta Canada,my local craft beer store will bring most anything I ask for.

We can't get Pliny the Elder on the East Coast for some reason anywhere. I guess they say that these smaller west coast microbrews don't have the capacity to produce for the demand. It's a beer that I'm thinking of doing a clone of, so I wanna try it.