Can beer be shipped?

[Reedwalker]

Legalaties aside, is it possible to ship beer?

Could I send a sixer to my cousin in Montana?

Would glass bottles with standard caps work? Would plastic bottles w/ screw on caps be better?

 

[Ksosh]

I would think plastic bottles would work better, less likely to break.
Don't use USPS.

 

[elbajista]

What would happen if a bottle broke mid-shipment and the package was identified as carrying ETOH? What kind of legal repercussions could one expect?

 

[giligson]

Tell them you were shipping wort and it must have gone bad.

Honestly I don't think anyone would be interested in filling out the paperwork for your six of beer.

Use PET. I ship glass from time to time but its a pain in the ass.

 

[Jersh]

I have shipped beer several times with no problems... I typically ship 12 at a time. I wrap each beer in bubble wrap, then lay 4 of the wrapped beers side next to each other, then wrap the group with a couple layers of bubble wrap, then do the same with the rest of the bottles so I have 3 groups of 4... I then stack the three, tape them all together, and put them inside a plastic trash bag and tie the open end into a knot, removing as much air as possible, then I put that inside another plastic trash bag and again tie it in knot. I then put some packing peanuts in the bottom of a box, put the bag in the box, then fill the remaining space with packing peanuts. I have done this several times have not had any broken boxes, shipping UPS ground each time. I even told them it was beer that I was shipping and they had no problems with it.

 

[Yooper]

Going through the US postal service is illegal- they may or may not prosecute you.

Going through UPS, FED-Ex, or DHL isn't illegal, but may be against their policies. Many of us have done it, and I've had a couple of issues. Once, the box just never made it to where it was supposed to go. Ever.

Once, I got a phone call asking if my box had BEER in it? I said, "Um, why?" Well, one bottle had broken near the destination and they were returning it to me. Ok, that's fine, but why not just send it on? was my thinking. Anyway, it got returned to me, and I repacked it and resent. No problems, other than being out $12 for the first try.

 

[bull8042]

I have shipped beer several times with no problems... I typically ship 12 at a time. I wrap each beer in bubble wrap, then lay 4 of the wrapped beers side next to each other, then wrap the group with a couple layers of bubble wrap, then do the same with the rest of the bottles so I have 3 groups of 4... I then stack the three, tape them all together, and put them inside a plastic trash bag and tie the open end into a knot, removing as much air as possible, then I put that inside another plastic trash bag and again tie it in knot. I then put some packing peanuts in the bottom of a box, put the bag in the box, then fill the remaining space with packing peanuts. I have done this several times have not had any broken boxes, shipping UPS ground each time. I even told them it was beer that I was shipping and they had no problems with it.

Yeah, except for having to handle a refrigerator box!
That is not much different from what I do. But seeing all the steps written out, it sounds like the final package would be as big as a fridge.

 

[Indy418]

Shipping beer across state lines is illegal. That being said...if you were to do it, per say, you'd want to pack well in a bottle with lots of newspaper and packing peanuts. One might suggest using a prepackaged box from a site like liquidsolutions.biz. One might even want to put the bottles in zip lock bags in case of a leak. Just suggesting... you know, if one were to want to do that kind of thing.

 

[bull8042]

Take a look here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/tutorial-shipping-beer-93042/

 

[Wade E]

Ive never shipped beer before but have been shipping wine out for many years. Just pack it real good as if it were beer! Seriously, I typically ship about 4-6 bottles of wine at a time and when UPS asks and they always do over here I tell them its Jams, jellies and marinades.

 

[pen25]

for anyone concerned about broken bottles go buy a couple 4 packs of bud light or bud aluminum bottles. you have to cap with a bench caper.

 

[Reedwalker]

Thanks for all the info. Very helpful tutorial, and stories.

 

[ottobrew]

I've never shipped bottles, and everyone has had success with their own procedures, but I thought this was kind of cool.

Competition Bottle Shipping System designed for 12 oz longneck bottles

Cheers