Homebrew and Customs...

[Tanagra]

I am planning a road-trip with a buddy to visit our friend in Boston during my vacation next week. I am anxious to bring some of my homebrew with us as my friend in Boston has yet to try it. Our trip takes us through Canada and I am concerned with the bringing a case of unlabeled homebrew through the Canadian border and then again through the US border.

Has anyone had any experience with whether or not a declared case of homebrew will make it past customs? My alternative is to mail it, but I would MUCH rather save the trouble and cost by just bringing it with us.

 

[jordanpace]

why not just bottle it in a budweiser bottle or something similar or put a label on your bottles

 

[Teromous]

Traveling to Canada:
Visitors Duty-Free Allowance for Alcohol

If you are a a visitor to Canada, you are allowed to bring a small quantity of alcohol (wine, liquor, beer or coolers) into the country without having to pay duty or taxes as long as:

* the alcohol accompanies you

* you meet the minimum legal drinking age for the province or territory at which you enter Canada.

You may bring in one of

* 1.5 litres (50.7 US ounces) of wine, including wine coolers over 0.5 percent alcohol, or

* 1.14 litres (38.5 US ounces) of liquor, or

* a total of 1.14 litres (38.5 US ounces) of wine and liquor, or

* 24 x 355 millilitre (12 ounce) cans or bottles of beer or ale, including beer coolers over 0.5 percent alcohol (a maximum of 8.5 litres or 287.4 US ounces).

Coming back to the U.S. I found laws on alcohol: Trip less than 48 hours 4oz of liquor, Trips longer than 48 hours, 1 Liter. I couldn't find anything on beer though.

Edit: Oh, and also from my experience in bringing alcohol back to the U.S., they do it on a per-person basis. So if you and your friend are going up, you should be able to bring that much each. I brought some beer back with me from Germany but I can't remember how much they let each person have. I think we all claimed a case each and everything was ok.

 

[TheBroonery]

Flying back from Banff, Canada in 2003 I had a case of Kokanee as one of my "carry-on items"!

Nowadays you're limited to 1 carry-on item, and any liquid over 3 oz is assumed to be a bomb!

 

[Brewdouche-RuBrew]

why not just bottle it in a budweiser bottle or something similar or put a label on your bottles

Sometimes to be a jerk I use IBC root beer bottles and accompaning sixpack holder because they have cast labels on bottle. Warning, screw top use bench capper.

 

[Goatey]

I went through Customs at Niagara Falls and Sarnia/Port Huron, Michigan. They never asked me if I wanted to claim any alcohol, I just told them I was going through for my brother's wedding. I was never given any issues.

I did, however, pack them in the back of my trunk and in 12-pack containers just to discourage them from getting too interested. But, like I said, they never asked and I never told.

You shouldn't have any problem.