flying with beer

[Matthewjscott]

I have made an imperial I.P.A. for my father in law and will be flying down to Florida next weekend to visit. I want to bring a six pack down with me in a checked bag. Does anyone have any advice or opinions against it?

 

[pwndabear]

do something to be extra secure about your caps. bubble wrap the bottles. put them in a box. bubble wrap the box. bubble wrap the bubble wrap.

those luggage guys do not care about your luggage one bit. they throw stuff around like theyre tossing babies. be as precautious as you can be. and dont be surprised if its gone when you get to your destination. those guys are also all freakin thieves.

 

[Fennis]

Why not ship it through UPS or FedEx?

 

[Matthewjscott]

I am very wary of shipping due to the potential of them not allowing "yeast samples" to be shipped.

 

[boxofjibboo]

Pretty sure they don't like it if you ship alcohol either. But people do it, I've done it from tx to ca.

I put 4 22oz bottes, bubble wrapped in what I think was the USPS flat rate boxes I believe 12x4. Box was a little damaged when it got here but contents were safe. Just tell them there's glass in the box, just don't mention beer

 

[brewmedic43]

I know you can ship beer through fed ex or ups just not the postal service, that's how so man homebrewers are able to get their creations into some competitions.

 

[Indianhead_Brewer]

Why not ship it through UPS or FedEx?

+1 for shipping. This seems to be a good option since people have good luck with this for homebrew competitions. UPS and FedEx are paid to get things to their destination in one piece......at least most of the time.

Seems risky to fly with beer as luggage since as pwndabear said those baggage handlers aren't the gentlest of people. Last time I flew I watched those guys unloading the plane and I am not sure beer would have survived what they do.

 

[shelly_belly]

I checked a whole suitcase of beer on a recent trip from Colorado. It was all cans. I packed them at room temperature into socks for insulation. When I arrived in Alabama the cans were icy cold, although none had slushed up or froze.

For glass, the airline I flew required that bottles be packed in styrofoam, something like this...

http://www.mrboxonline.com/bottle-styrofoam-beer-shipper-p-7579.html

 

[Obliviousbrew]

I travel quite often and always with beer or wine. The only precaution I take is bubble wraping and put it rigth in the center of my suitcase so the clothes can cushing the bottles in case it gets a beating. Works fine for me.

 

[TyTanium]

I put 4 22oz bottes, bubble wrapped in what I think was the USPS flat rate boxes I believe 12x4.

PS - It's often recommended to use UPS or FedEx; shipping beer is only against their terms of service, whereas shipping beer via USPS is illegal.

 

[bleme]

If it is against their terms of service, what do they think is in all those packages they deliver to the National Homebrew Competition every year?

 

[Boss]

I've flown multiple times with beer sandwiched between clothing in a checked bag. Never had any problems or any break. Luck may have been involved

 

[AmandaK]

I fly out to San Francisco, Denver, Fort Collins and Seattle all the time. I have amassed quite a few of those "Wine Sleeves" They fit two 12oz bottles or one 750mL bottle quite nicely. I haven't had any problems.

But then again, I've also flown with two FULL suitcases of beer (about 8 750mLs, 6 sixers, some bombers, some singles) just wrapped in socks and shirts and been completely fine.

I think a lone sixer will be alright.

 

[Brewchitect]

put each bottle in a freezer sized ziplock before you wrap each one individually in bubble wrap, and tape them up. the ziplock bag with the zipper thingy, not the pinch to close ones.

 

[gr8shandini]

I checked a whole suitcase of beer on a recent trip from Colorado. It was all cans. I packed them at room temperature into socks for insulation. When I arrived in Alabama the cans were icy cold, although none had slushed up or froze.

For glass, the airline I flew required that bottles be packed in styrofoam, something like this...

http://www.mrboxonline.com/bottle-styrofoam-beer-shipper-p-7579.html

There's no need for insulation. A common misconception is that the cargo hold of an airplane is unpressurized and / or unheated. It may get a little cooler down there since the air is pumped through the passenger cabin and flows below via vents in the floor. But it's pretty much the same environment down there as where you sit.

I would advise making sure the caps are tight, though. If you have a long ground delay, it can get fairly hot in the cabin. Couple that with a quick climbout where the cabin altitude gets up to 8 or 9,000 feet, and I could see how you might pop a top if they're not secure.

 

[badhabit]

I pack local or homebrew every time I travel domesticly by air with a checked bag. I just wrap in socks and other clothes and put it in the middle of the case. Never had a problem.

 

[microbusbrewery]

My wife and I are flying down to Cali tomorrow and I'd been thinking about "flying with beer" all week. I want to pick up some beers that aren't available locally. I flew with some a few months ago by packing them in cardboard with newspaper; all the bottles survived but I was paranoid they were going to break and leak all over our clothes.

To give me a little more piece of mind this time, I decided to build a little crate that fits inside our suitcase. It holds eight 22oz bottles (four on each side of the middle divider), so I can't bring a ton back with me, but I should be able to bring back a nice little selection without having to worry about paying for an overweight bag.

I made it out of 1x8 poplar and 1/4" plywood for the middle divider and side covers. I ran a dado down the middle of the 1x8 and the middle divider is glued in so the thing is really solid. The side covers are held in place with six screws each. There's enough room for bubble wrap and ziplocks on each bottle. I'll let ya know next week how it worked.

 

[brewmaster89]

When I flew to NY in March I brought a 6 pack in my checked bag. It was wrapped up well and then in Ziplock bags. They opened them up but they were safe when I got there. So I am guessing they just wanted to know what it was and couldn't tell with the xray.

 

[veritas524]

I pack local or homebrew every time I travel domesticly by air with a checked bag. I just wrap in socks and other clothes and put it in the middle of the case. Never had a problem.

This is what I do for beer and my PlayStation when going on long trips. Haven't had a mishap ever.

 

[microbusbrewery]

My wife and I are flying down to Cali tomorrow and I'd been thinking about "flying with beer" all week. I want to pick up some beers that aren't available locally. I flew with some a few months ago by packing them in cardboard with newspaper; all the bottles survived but I was paranoid they were going to break and leak all over our clothes.

To give me a little more piece of mind this time, I decided to build a little crate that fits inside our suitcase. It holds eight 22oz bottles (four on each side of the middle divider), so I can't bring a ton back with me, but I should be able to bring back a nice little selection without having to worry about paying for an overweight bag.

I made it out of 1x8 poplar and 1/4" plywood for the middle divider and side covers. I ran a dado down the middle of the 1x8 and the middle divider is glued in so the thing is really solid. The side covers are held in place with six screws each. There's enough room for bubble wrap and ziplocks on each bottle. I'll let ya know next week how it worked.

View attachment 61722

So my homemade beer crate worked out pretty well (all bottles survived). With all the other cr@p in my bag I was pushing max (52 lbs) but the nice lady at the counter let it go through anyway.

 

[Matthewjscott]

I have just gotten to my destination with beer intact. I appreciate all of the advice. Thanks to all of you!