Flying internationally with a full corny keg?
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No. You'll need to ship them. Anything under pressure will get stopped, as it will.be in an unpressurized hull in cargo.
OP
OP
I've flown with bottles and growlers in my luggage no problem though which are technically under pressure too. I guess a keg is different?
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They gonna take it from you, drink the beer and then claim to have lost it...that's a hard NO
InspectorJon
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Better to ask the airline you are flying on. You can get lots of opinions here but the airline that checks your baggage has the final say based on regulations and policies they follow.
I'm just going to ask why you think there might be a beer shortage in Munich...
Is there ever enough beer anywhere?
OP
OP
I'm visiting a friend in Belgium and want to give him some homebrew
Its actually going to be traveling with me via plane from Boston to Zurich then in a car from Zurich to the Dolomites then Munich. Then on plane from Munich to Cologne & then a train to Bruges.
He's coordinating for me to sit in on a brew day at Abbaye Des Rocs. I'd like to bring a gift of some homebrew and not have it be totally stale by the end of my journey.
I can do a closed counterpressure transfer to a keg whereas packaging in a bottle will be much more prone to oxidation along my travels.
I do have a way to counterpressure fill bottles via a tapcooler, but its not as good as a fully closed xfer.
With terrorism the way it is these days, and the additional hostilities coming from the Ukraine, I'd be hesitant to fly a container with that much liquid anywhere. Even a short domestic trip.
OP
OP
Yeah I guess a metal vessel rated to 130 PSI might raise some red flags.
I'll just bottle it up & if its oxidized oh well
From my experience trying to drink Kloster Andechs dry, there can be too much beer to handle...
Cheers!
I can’t imagine a 2.5 gallon Corney keg filled with an unknown liquid passing any inspection anywhere. Brings a whole new meaning to “getting bombed!”… In fact you might have the FBI drag you off to a room for interrogation at the airport for the day. Rethink this…
Definitely better off just filling a few bombers and putting them in plastic bags and then wrapping t-shirts around them and packing in your suitcase. Do you really want TSA taking your keg and beer?
Print some really nice labels and put on the bottles, make up a barcode (or scan one from another bottle) as well so on the cursory glance inspection, it is commercial beer.
I believe the domestic air travel rules allow for some small quantities of bottled beer, but as mentioned above, they need to have factory labels. Not sure what the international rules are, you may need to check the destination country.
I’m sure TSA would like to help “dispose” of your brew!
I’m sure TSA would like to help “dispose” of your brew!
OP
OP
That's what I usually do, but that was before I went down the low oxygen brewing rabbit hole!
LOL
Gilbert Spinning Horse
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Imagine the fun times you'd have if the plane had to make an emergency landing in the UAE. You'd probably get the death penalty.
They would probabally turn it over to the bomb disposal unit.
It would go into one of those containment trailers with a small detonating charge and when it was all over, the EOD guys would open the containment trailer and go, "hey man it smells like beer in here, wtf?" lol
I've brewed low oxygen, well before I got my Foundry which is not as LoDo friendly and shipped bottles to comps and they have maintained their goodness. I am sure bottles in a suitcase don't get bounced around much more than being in a hot truck driving cross country!
mashpaddled
Well-Known Member
The risk of losing the keg is pretty high. Not only do you have to worry about what TSA might think but it could become a customs issue when you land. Even if they let you get the keg to its destination they might want to open it up to check which gets you the oxidation you worry about. You would also want to see if you will have to pay any taxes at customs getting it into Germany. A lot of work and a lot of risk when you could just fly some bottles in your suitcase. You should still check customs rules in Germany.
Jacob_Marley
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Every official along the 4000 mile route will require a lengthy investigatory sampling to verify the safety of the contents. Make sure to attach Beer Nuts and pretzel rods to the kegs.
Broken Crow
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OP
OP
I'll just use my messy tapcooler counterpressure filler and call it a day.
Really do recommend these minikegs to everyone though . They are awesome!
So much better than growlers/bottles unless of course your flying across the world!
The guy who manufactures the flotit makes an awesome compact picnic tap with flow control. Pair this with a minikeg and a CO2 charger and you've got an amazing way to share your beer.
Also here's a video of counterpressure filling one of these kegs on my setup
Really do recommend these minikegs to everyone though . They are awesome!
So much better than growlers/bottles unless of course your flying across the world!
The guy who manufactures the flotit makes an awesome compact picnic tap with flow control. Pair this with a minikeg and a CO2 charger and you've got an amazing way to share your beer.
Also here's a video of counterpressure filling one of these kegs on my setup
OP
OP
I'll be traveling from the Dolomites through Innsbruck to Munich. Will have roughly two full days in Munich. Are there any local breweries in those areas that you recommend?I am living in Germany ... In regards to customs you are allowed to bring 16 liters of beer (roughly 4 gallons) per person with you to Germany. So no problem there
I'll also be in Cologne & Dusseldorf for about two days
This will be my first time in Germany
rmr9
Well-Known Member
In Düsseldorf visit the altstadt and go to Uerige, Schumacher, zum Füschen and zum Schlüssel. All within walking distance of each other and all amazing
OP
OP
Oh wow! I didn't realize they were all that close to eachother
I'll have to have my coaster ready after the second little beer so I can hit all 4
It sounds like it could be dangerous if I'm not careful
You're going to Europe. Go and enjoy the beer there. You'll be blown away at the difference of German beer you can buy in the states vs what you'll be able to drink there.
OP
OP
Not denying that, but I'm still bringing a homebrew as a gift to my friend in Belgium who originally inspired me to start brewing about 15 years ago.
I am from northern Germany
... So not that experienced with Munich etc. BUT you should try the gutmanns hefeweizen. It is a small brewery and their beer is famous in German home brew forums. Especially because they are one of the few remaining breweries that bottle condition with the yeast they used to ferment the beer. I also love Bayreuther hell.
Well, for cologne and düsseldorf ... I can't recommend kölsch or alt, but you should try them
@Unicorn_Platypus any reason you can't take the keg AND a few bottles? If you are travellimg with someone, split it up? Keg in your case, bottles in the other?
OP
OP
I think the keg is an issue, because it may look like a bomb.
But I'll bring the bottles. Traveling solo
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