Best way to fly with homebrew?

Any experience packing up beer for flight? I know it will have to go in checked luggage.

I'm traveling to see some old friends for a long weekend and would like to take a few bottles to share. I'm thinking of wrapping them in towells and then taping it all up inside styrafoam and putting the package in my suitcase.

Maybe i should put a note on the bag for the TSA people who will undoubtedly search the package.

Will it get confiscated?

thanks

I've flown with storebought beer I've bought while on business trips....no issues....I just stick them near the center of my bag and hope for the best. Never had a blink from TSA.

when I ship beer, I wrap it in newspaper, just to help in case of breakage, than put it in a 2 liter zip lock bag, that way the liquid stays in the bag, (have had a few break and that has saved my ass) Don't know about checking the bag on, I did baggage handler for Midwest Express a long time ago, and do know that they don't take extra care with luggage so wrap accordingly. Otherwise you might be better off shipping them via like fedex

Yeah, I've brought commercial beer home too (in checked luggage, of course), but who knows what craziness they might think it is, and try to confiscate it, if it's an unlabeled homebrew bottle! Of course, they'd have to do a manual search to know this...on the xray it'd just look like a bottle of beer.

I travel with beer once in a while. Done it maybe a dozen times and no broken bottles so far, knock on wood.

Large bubble wrap is best. But I usually just use t shirts. I bring a lot of extra t shirts with me when I travel. Each bottle then gets wrapped in its own shirt. Put a layer of clothing on the bottom of the suitcase. Then place your rolled bottles. I alternate which way they're facing. I just did this coming back from the Great British Beer Festival and brought back 13 bottles in one smallish-mediumish sized suitcase. Did one layer of bottles, then some t shirts on top of them, then another layer, then more clothes. Socks and other t shirts around the sides. Don't pack anything else hard in that bag.

Anyway, works for me. That case was really very full and now I have those 13 bottles of beer that I can't get here. I've done the same coming and going from Croatia to California with wine and beer, with two legged flights and no troubles.

Obviously, just don't try the carry on bag.

biochemedic said:

Yeah, I've brought commercial beer home too (in checked luggage, of course), but who knows what craziness they might think it is, and try to confiscate it, if it's an unlabeled homebrew bottle! Of course, they'd have to do a manual search to know this...on the xray it'd just look like a bottle of beer.

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Just pop a label on it.

I've traveled with homebrew, hops, yeast, dried malt extract and all sorts of stuff in checked bags without a problem. And I've even seen them inspect my bag (in LA) which had hops, yeast and DME in it and they didn't flinch.

I've traveled from CA to GA with a case of homebrew for gifts. I bought a styrofoam shipping container designed for wine from BevMo and filled it with 22's. The bottles are a little smaller than the wine bottles, so I filled the extra space with newspaper. Every bottle came out great and no issue with TSA.

ship it! a mess of a bee-otch when it breaks lot's of questions at final destination!

double or triple ziplock may have saved me.