Take homebrew on commercial flight out of Country?

Is it possible to take a couple bottles of homebrews on a commercial flight out of the US. I want to pack 'em into my suitcase if it's possible to do. I know you can only care so much liquid carry-on so wasn't sure what the rule was if it's stored. I know you can't ship them USPS in the country so just curious.

Thanks in advance

Don't think, you can't take liquid in your carry on, and the baggage compartments aren't pressurized so the bottles will probably break if you check them in your luggage.

You can't carry it on, but you can check it in your luggage.

Luggage compartments are pressureized, that is where some of the larger pets go when you travel. Even so, pressure is not an issue. Most breakage occurs when 2 bottles hit each other inside your bag and not from any outside trauma. Pack well and make sure everything is immobilized.

The larger issue may be with the customs in whatever country you are flying to. Saudi Arabia would be an obvious problem.

I packed about a dozen homebrews with me when I met up with Orfy in the UK. Went through immigrations and was shocked that all I had to do was pick up my bag.

In stark contrast, on the return into the US, as you may know, you clear Customs by presenting your credentials and then claim your checked luggage where it may be inspected and you may be asked about the contents.

Still, be prepared to lose it all if you go this route.

My friend just came back from Belgium with 2 suitcases full of bottled beer. I don't know how he packed everything and I didn't ask. I just made great haste to his house when he called me over to try everything!

I myself, have brough back cans of beer from the UK in my checked luggage without a problem. I was afraid to try bottles, but after my friends success I will bring bottles back next time.

awesome! Good to know guysI will just pack em in w/ my luggage and if they need me to dump it, no major loss. Thanks

I'm planning on heading to Belgium end of December for a month and was wondering this question as well. Wasn't planning on bring back into the US but I was wanting to take some with me. g/f has family over there and they have land over here where I live. Actually have offered to let us use the land for whatever farming we would want to do. I'm thinking Muscadines for some wine, since I doubt hops would enjoy our weather.

another question, I'm planning to bring a mead that I threw in refrigerator to stop fermentation. I'm worried that when I package it in the luggage that it may possibly explode due to it carbing up. Am I over thinking this or is there a way I can permanently stop the yeast from fermenting again?

aliu630 - Wrap it well with paper, then a water tight bag. Worst case is you have to wash your cloths, second is having to dump it down your mouth at customs. Just make sure you get into a taxi and not drive afterwards.

aliu630 said:

another question, I'm planning to bring a mead that I threw in refrigerator to stop fermentation. I'm worried that when I package it in the luggage that it may possibly explode due to it carbing up. Am I over thinking this or is there a way I can permanently stop the yeast from fermenting again?

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Potasium Sorbate will stop fermentation.

aliu630 said:

another question, I'm planning to bring a mead that I threw in refrigerator to stop fermentation. I'm worried that when I package it in the luggage that it may possibly explode due to it carbing up. Am I over thinking this or is there a way I can permanently stop the yeast from fermenting again?

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Well, if you put it in the fridge to stop fermentation and take it out- it will blow up. Not just because it''ll be warmed up so that fermentation would restart, but it'll be warmed up, jostled, thrown into a luggage compartment, probably cooled and warmed again, and shaken a few more times on the way out to the baggage carousel. It's already risky to just take it out at home because fermentation would restart, but to take it out and abuse it like that is asking for a bottle bomb.

If fermentation hadn't stopped, and if there are still sugars in there, I wouldn't chance this.

I have never had a bottle bomb in 40-some batches, so I wasn't worried about that. I checked Mexico's customs page and they said there was no problem with bringing up to 3 litres of alcohol in.

I figured out how many 12 ounce bottles that was (I forget now) and put each bottle into a sock and the socked bottles into ziploc bags.

No trouble at all and my swim-up pool bartender couldn't get enough of my jalapeno pale ale!

I have come back in the US with beer before. I even declared it on the customs form. No issues.

This was about 10 years ago though.

Special Hops said:

I have come back in the US with beer before. I even declared it on the customs form. No issues.

This was about 10 years ago though.

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There *should* be no issues if you stay under the limit (what that is IDK), but in this day and age of confiscating nail clippers and the Global War On Liquids, one never knows.

homebrewer_99 said:

Potasium Sorbate will stop fermentation.

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I just wiki'd potasium sorbate and read that it stops the yeast from multiplying but whatever remaining yeast is left will still eat away at any fermentable sugars.

YooperBrew said:

Well, if you put it in the fridge to stop fermentation and take it out- it will blow up. Not just because it''ll be warmed up so that fermentation would restart, but it'll be warmed up, jostled, thrown into a luggage compartment, probably cooled and warmed again, and shaken a few more times on the way out to the baggage carousel. It's already risky to just take it out at home because fermentation would restart, but to take it out and abuse it like that is asking for a bottle bomb.

If fermentation hadn't stopped, and if there are still sugars in there, I wouldn't chance this.

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Yeah...I'm thinking I may not bring the mead.

If you pack it well and it is fully fermented you should have no problems. If you are a nervous nelly be sure to bottle in a commercial beer bottle complete with label, so as to prevent any unwanted hassles with a (to the customs people) unknown entity.

I was pressed for extra bottles so I sanitized a 2 liter bottle and bottled some cider and put it right in the refrigerator. A few weeks later the bottle was nice and tight and the cider was nice and fizzy. I haven't found that refrigeration totally stops the fermentation. I would pop the top and make sure that there has been no extra gas produced. That's just been my experience.

Can you imagine if bottles blew up in the cargo hold and started leaking everywhere? There would be some p!ssed off baggage handlers.

McKBrew said:

Can you imagine if bottles blew up in the cargo hold and started leaking everywhere? There would be some p!ssed off baggage handlers.

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Your clothing would probably absorb it all. Imagine getting out of the country and all the stuff you brought is full of broken glass and beer.