Tutorial for Shipping Beer

I sure wish the OP still had the pics. I cannot see them anway.

Is it just me?

Not just you. I can't see the pictures either.

I get beer from Clubs of America (sometimes schwaggy, sometimes not) in the mail every other month. They send via UPS and they pack the beer in an awesome box without foam peanuts, bubble, etc.

The inside of the box has two pieces in it (one for the top and one for the bottom) made out of the same kind of cardboard that is used at fast food restaurants for the soda to go holder. The bottom has twelve holes fit for the base of each bottle and the top piece has twelve slots that fit the cap/neck. These two pieces hold twelve bottles tight without any plastic or foam.

I have been saving these pieces for my own beer shipping purposes, but it would be nice to find similar cardboard molds to avoid using a bunch of plastic and foam to ship beer. Shipping beer is cool, but that is a lot of material for just one use/end. It's also way more reliable. Each beer sits in its own place within the box. Once the box is sealed there is no movement.

Uline.com has beer and wine box's that have modeled foam to ship in.

What priority level do you all use to ship? My concern is with temperature. It is hot right now and anything sent ground is going to be sitting in hot trucks/trailers, warehouses, and delivery vehicles.

Do any of you use ice packs?

Thanks for the great thread! It's just in time for a couple of cases I need to send.

Thank you so much! Just finished or first batch (20 Gal!) of mead, and wanted to ship some out to Cali for my West Coast fam. Now, I know how to do it!

Anyone have the pics for re-hosting?

I shipped a couple bottles that I picked up in the Netherlands and in Belgium this last summer. I shipped out of Brussels along with some other gifts/souvenirs that I didn't have room for packing around the rest of Europe.

I packed a box (approx. 12"x16"x5" box) with 3 bottles of beer along with the other stuff COMPLETELY full so that there was no room for any of the contents to shift. It included bubble wrap, the contents, and any other paper that was usable (this was all done in the Brussels train station). It took a month to get from Brussels to Alaska (it arrived about a week after we had arrived back in Alaska). Not a single bottle broken, but the box had been taped and re-taped about 5 times in it's long journey home. The real key to to pack tight with absorbent between bottles and between bottles and the outside of the box.

To be honest, I thought it didn't make it (a bottle broke and the mail service tossed the contents), but it did. I did not use a ton of packing material because I had a lot to fit in there and the box was quite hefty as well.

+1 for rehosting these picts

That was good...here's to hoping pics are fixed.

I recently shipped two corneys from north carolina to the bay area for a wedding. Told them it was yeast samples and there was no further inquiry. It was expensive, but possible

I've had great success shipping beer by using plastic bottles - not only do you not have to worry about breakage, but saves a lot of weight, too! The plastic bottles are more expensive, but I believe you save that much in shipping costs and packaging.

Here they are at northern brewer.

I don't believe you! I am going to send you my address and require you send me a box of your best brew to prove your method.

So what about shipping to altitude? My buddy was in town from Colorado and we brewed a batch while he was visiting (he's hooked). I'd like to send him some of the beer, but I live at 8ft and he lives at about 8000ft. I was thinking of shipping them as soon as they are bottled so they won't be carbonated at all yet.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I know things I received when I lived in CO that were shipped from lower altitudes had the tendency to expand..to say the least

psymonkey said:

So what about shipping to altitude? My buddy was in town from Colorado and we brewed a batch while he was visiting (he's hooked). I'd like to send him some of the beer, but I live at 8ft and he lives at about 8000ft.

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I'm in Ohio around 800 feet, and my brother is between Carbondale and Aspen... around 7500 feet or so. I've shipped him numerous shipments in glass bottles without any problems. I wrap the SNOT out of them just to be safe.

Pics do not work for me. Anyone else having this issue?

ewtotel said:

<snip>

I'm in Ohio around 800 feet, and my brother is between Carbondale and Aspen... around 7500 feet or so. I've shipped him numerous shipments in glass bottles without any problems. I wrap the SNOT out of them just to be safe.

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Thanks for the info! My buddy is in Vail so quite close - as a crow flies anyway.. I'll be sure to double-bag 'em, as it were.

Wow, somebody should really update the pics.


Hmm... Somebody.....

+1 on the picture fix please. About how much does it cost to ship a 12x12x12 box?

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the laws are on this?

I read on one forum it can be a felony in some states. If that's the case then I personally wouldn't risk it. Sure it's unlikely that you'll get caught but how many times have we heard of guys who have had a home brew bomb due to too much carbonation? Now imagine that same bottle of beer is on a UPS truck and the driver calls the police because he thinks something exploded in your package. It wouldn't take much for the shipper to wind up on the wrong side of the law.

What I just read on a few govt. sites suggests we, consumers, need a permit to ship it but the retailers don't

I doubt the pictures will ever be re-linked. His last post was 3 years ago.

Maybe un-sticky then?

Looks like pics died in June of 2010...

still a sticky? Did anyone save pics and can re up them?

I think it's a great sticky... Can we get someone to rebuild it? Do we have the technology?

Good to know.

The temperature is what concerns me. I have a few competitions I'd like to ship to in June, but with it warming up I'm not sure they would do well due to oxidation. The insulated box method sounds a bit expensive and I'm not sure it would keep it cool enough during the summer. I imagine it can get pretty hot on those trucks. What kind of experience have people had with this? Do the beers all end up oxidized by the time they get to their destination?

Nice thread. Would love if it still had the pics but I def get the idea. Thnks.

Still good thread even without pics

The only problem that I have with this thread is that there isn't anything here addressing pasteurization prior to shipping the bottles. Easy to do and ensure the recipient gets good beer.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Home Brew mobile app

Why not USPS?

I have to ship to an embassy in Honduras and USPS is the only way to deliver there.

My cousin works for the state dept.

Just shipped to my second comp in brewing career. Both had specific instructions to NOT tape stuff up. If you need to hold stuff together use rubber bands.

They do not want mummy bottles.

I put together a series of photos on the process of how to ship beer to competitions.

Just a thought on the cooling side of things, anyone ever tried packing in a bit(very, very little mind you) of dry ice in there with that insulation? It wouldn't get soggy and so long as your box isn't airtight it wouldn't be likely to have pressure issues. I'd just be sure to give the stuff it's own space and not touching the bottles since it could very well freeze things or at the very least make the glass more likely to break. Though I've no idea on the legality of it but can't see it being much of an issue and it could do wonders for keeping brew cold on hot days.

Great post! Even without the photos the OPs descriptions of the steps are more than sufficient. Is there a way to also sticky this over in the beer swapping forum? I looked for something there, but couldn't find anything. Luckily someone else knew this was here and directed me. But it would provide a lot of assistance if it were in that forum as well.

Solid stuff. I wish the pictures worked, is the link broken or the hosting expired?

I'll see if I can replicate the pictures and post.

kharper6 said:

Why not USPS?

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It's illegal:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/212/kw/mailing%20alcohol/session/L3RpbWUvMTM5NjY0OTU0Ny9zaWQvdkhSakxaUWw%3D/suggested/1

What does it usually cost you guys to ship a sixer?

cank said:

What does it usually cost you guys to ship a sixer?

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Depends upon destination. $9 to $18.