Beer Mail!

[call226]

I just finished bottling a london brown that I am pretty excited about and was looking to mail some off to family for the holidays. I am sure that someone on here has sent bottles of homebrew in the mail before. I am just looking for a little direction.


Thanks,

Dan

 

[BargainFittings]

Wrap each bottle in bubble wrap and then space them in six pack holders, box the six pack holder and then pack in another box thats big enough to put about 2 to 3 inches of packing paper/bubble wrap/foam between the two boxes.

You will be good to go then.

Send UPS to stay legal, or ship them postal mail if you like living on the edge. I've done both.

 

[jmo88]

Yup just sent some UPS. Package well with bubble wrap and label fragile, perishable, live yeast cultures. No insurance and fake return. It's illegal.

 

[Christian]

Do not over compensate on your wrapping though. I used to work for UPS and the wife works for USPS and i have friends that work for fed ex and trust me you can write fragile a thousand times on the package and it will be treated the same as everything else. When people overwrap breakables it doesn't allow for any movement in the package and when they load it on a truck with a bunch of packages on top of it the item gets crushed. If you wrap in a way that allows a little give then the item has a better chance of making it, just not too much give or it will have an opposite effect and break the item.

 

[Kungpaodog]

Actually. I believe it is only illegal to ship via the post office, and only against policy for UPS, DHL, Fed Ex, etc.

 

[MX1]

I like to put each brew in it's own ziploc bag as well, just in case

 

[IrregularPulse]

I like to put each brew in it's own ziploc bag as well, just in case

Double this. Each brew in own baggie, then cushy packaging and tell them you are shipping yeast samples. There's a gian sign in teh shipping post that say no alcohol.

 

[Jonnio]

There's a gian sign in teh shipping post that say no alcohol.

That's why I never send alcohol, only live yeast cultures I can't help it that the best storage medium for yeast happens to be somewhat alcoholic.

 

[jmo88]

I know it is a fine of $250, 000 in the State of Washington. I can't imagine it being that much different elsewhere but I really don't know. I am probably a little more cautious than I need to be so I make up a fake return address and lie about its contents. Now that it's cold out, make sure you write perishable on it. You don't want your beer hanging out on a porch in Michigan for a day...

 

[coolbeerluke]

Do not over compensate on your wrapping though. I used to work for UPS and the wife works for USPS and i have friends that work for fed ex and trust me you can write fragile a thousand times on the package and it will be treated the same as everything else. When people overwrap breakables it doesn't allow for any movement in the package and when they load it on a truck with a bunch of packages on top of it the item gets crushed. If you wrap in a way that allows a little give then the item has a better chance of making it, just not too much give or it will have an opposite effect and break the item.

ditto for working at UPS...exactly what he said. Your safest bet is to line the box with pine furring strips, and use newspaper...I wouldn't even use bubblewrap.

 

[mnadamn]

take a look at the sticky from the DIY section