Any advice for mailing cold beer? I've bottled a couple from keg and thus it's chilling in the fridge to maintain that temperature. Any issues allowing it to warm up in transit? Afraid of skunking it. Should I find a bunch of ice packs?
Mailing Cold Beer
- Thread starter Wreck99
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Sunlight is what skunks beer- so it won't be a problem. You can send it, and assuming it doesn't spend too long at 90+ degrees, it shouldn't be any the worse for wear.
OP
OP
Cool, so overnight shipping it is.
Holy cow, how much is that gonna cost? I'd look at 2nd day options, and drop the beer off as late as you can. Adding any ballast to the package to try to keep things cool will just cost money. Chill the bottles down, and if the package fits in your fridge, put the whole thing in there for a few hours before you go to the shipping store. It probably won't make much difference, but may help your peace of mind.
I've shipped a lot of beer, always ground. Shipping overnight is not worth your money. It'll get there plenty quick. I've never had issues. Pack carefully!
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
This, seriously.
Save yourself the money and ship it ground. Worry more about padding the beer to prevent breakage, and less about keeping it cold. Those package handlers aren't going to be gentle with it.
It'll be alright if it warms up. If it goes bad from just warming up a little, you did something wrong.
OP
OP
Thanks for the confidence.
chrishanson
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It's also worth noting, it's illegal to ship alcohol via USPS, and UPS & FedEx really don't like to do it if you don't have a resellers permit. I wouldn't screw with the Postal Service but just don't mention what's in it to UPS & FedEx.
Stealthcruiser
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They are but "cosmetic samples", is all they are.................
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They are but "cosmetic samples", is all they are.................
I prefer live yeast cultures
I go with textbooks.
hunter_le five
Sheriff Underscore
They are but "cosmetic samples", is all they are.................
"Meat marinade", "the tears of my enemies", "holy water", "yeast samples", take your pick. Just don't mention alcohol.
And wrap it like you think they're gonna try to break it. 'Cause they will try.
I've always packed at home, thrown a label on it at home, taped the heck out of everything, and just walked into a FedEx store saying "Just dropping this off!" and have never received any question on what's in the box. My understanding is that FedEx is the most lax about shipping alcohol, but I've received UPS shipments numerous times without issue.
That's what I do; there's one fedex shop near me where they will ask what's in there sometimes, but another one that is so busy that when I walk in, they just point to the counter and tell me to drop the box off there. As mentioned before, the key is to just pack things securely so you know that a bottle won't break, and you'll be ok. I definitely try to limit my interactions with the staff.
