Lambic Discussion Thread

[Beerontwowheels]

Curious if they mean 2004 vintage with 2006 cork or 2004 cork and 2002 vintage. I'm thinking the latter because my "vintage 2004" labels have 2006 corks.

Will inspect cork tomorrow. Took a peek today but got distracted by behemoth box.

 

[Hindsight1]

Overlooked this point in my response, but I agree with LambicKing. I think destination = your house. Did you receive a previous message that is was in LAX? I thought all these Belgian shipments came through JFK

I had 7 boxes, from Belgium, "stuck" in customs - 2 in LAX and 5 in Chicago (ORD). The LAX boxes cleared recently and were delivered to me today, still waiting on the ORD boxes. All previous shipments had been through JFK.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Curious if they mean 2004 vintage with 2006 cork or 2004 cork and 2002 vintage. I'm thinking the latter because my "vintage 2004" labels have 2006 corks.

Cork reads 2005. Difficult to see, but the last number is definitely a 5. Here's the best picture I can muster:

Edit: according to lambic.info, this would be a 2003 vintage based on cork date.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Cork reads 2005. Difficult to see, but the last number is definitely a 5. Here's the best picture I can muster:

Edit: according to lambic.info, this would be a 2003 vintage based on cork date.

Makes sense. I'll check my 2005 corked bottles and pribdbly update that batch list because I know there are some labels that say "2003" on them with a 2005 cork.

 

[jmarce]

Is it possible to tell anything from the alphabetical lot letters notched on Hanssens labels? Do they go in order like lot C is older than lot D? And is there a cut off for when they switched to dating? I have 750s with 2012 dates notched but lettered ones are all that are around here for 375s.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Is it possible to tell anything from the alphabetical lot letters notched on Hanssens labels? Do they go in order like lot C is older than lot D?

As far as I know no one has been able to figure the lot system out, and we tried when we were working on the site. I recently opened a 2010 Oudbeitje that was actually dated though with month and year notches.

 

[jmarce]

As far as I know no one has been able to figure the lot system out, and we tried when we were working on the site. I recently opened a 2010 Oudbeitje that was actually dated though with month and year notches.

I was thinking it seems odd to notch all the labels for no discernible reason because they don't seem to go in any kind of order as lot J was around here way before lot C on shelves and it's only 10 letters so it can't represent a month but then I remembered it's Hanssens.

 

[Snarf1]

Also the tilquin vintages are still on kentucky shelves

Tell me more.

 

[The Red Viper]

Tell me more.

I bought five 2011-12s in KY a few months ago.

 

[EliotRosewater]

Just got notice that my box was sent back to Belgium. The order was from Beerplanet and I've already sent a couple messages to them. Anyone have any experience with how these things usually get resolved (specifically with beerplanet)? Should I just expect to have to pay shipping costs again?

From a legal/technical standpoint, I'm also curious why my box would have been sent back? Is it as simple as the shipper not including proper documentation or is there another reason why something like this happens?

 

[csano]

Just got notice that my box was sent back to Belgium. The order was from Beerplanet and I've already sent a couple messages to them. Anyone have any experience with how these things usually get resolved (specifically with beerplanet)? Should I just expect to have to pay shipping costs again?

From a legal/technical standpoint, I'm also curious why my box would have been sent back? Is it as simple as the shipper not including proper documentation or is there another reason why something like this happens?

... because it's illegal to ship alcohol?

 

[SeaWatchman]

Just got notice that my box was sent back to Belgium. The order was from Beerplanet and I've already sent a couple messages to them. Anyone have any experience with how these things usually get resolved (specifically with beerplanet)? Should I just expect to have to pay shipping costs again?

From a legal/technical standpoint, I'm also curious why my box would have been sent back? Is it as simple as the shipper not including proper documentation or is there another reason why something like this happens?

I once had a trade box from France sent back. When the sender received it it was all taped up with US customs tape but nothing was damaged or missing. He just reboxed it and sent it a second time with no issues. I've never had that experience with any of the online vendors though.

 

[EliotRosewater]

... because it's illegal to ship alcohol?

I guess I was living under the illusion that the major online Belgian shops were licensed to ship alcohol.

 

[kscaldef]

... because it's illegal to ship alcohol?

No, it's not. But, the Belgian beer shops seems to play a little fast and loose with customs declarations ("collectable lambic glassware"). Shops like Master of Malt never have problems, and their shipments arrive amazingly quickly.

 

[BusinessSloth]

No, it's not. But, the Belgian beer shops seems to play a little fast and loose with customs declarations ("collectable lambic glassware"). Shops like Master of Malt never have problems, and their shipments arrive amazingly quickly.

It is in certain states. TX for instance does not allow beer shipments from anywhere.

 

[ASUBeer]

Just got notice that my box was sent back to Belgium. The order was from Beerplanet and I've already sent a couple messages to them. Anyone have any experience with how these things usually get resolved (specifically with beerplanet)? Should I just expect to have to pay shipping costs again?

From a legal/technical standpoint, I'm also curious why my box would have been sent back? Is it as simple as the shipper not including proper documentation or is there another reason why something like this happens?

I don't want to scare you but my one and only box from beer planet was packaged so poorly that I was shocked the box made it to me intact. I'm talking fairly loose bottles with 4/5 box full of packing peanuts.

Hopefully your issue is just a technicality.

 

[kscaldef]

It is in certain states. TX for instance does not allow beer shipments from anywhere.

Fair enough, although I don't know that US Customs cares / would turn around a box because of that.

 

[EliotRosewater]

I don't want to scare you but my one and only box from beer planet was packaged so poorly that I was shocked the box made it to me intact. I'm talking fairly loose bottles with 4/5 box full of packing peanuts.

Hopefully your issue is just a technicality.

Yeah, I've ordered from them before. Definitely not the best packaging - ****** hay or some such ****. Very likely that bottles were broken I suppose. I guess I'll just have to wait and hope to hear back from beerplanet. I wonder if there's any benefit in contacting usps or if that would only make matters worse.

 

[SeaWatchman]

Fair enough, although I don't know that US Customs cares / would turn around a box because of that.

They do, see above.

 

[kscaldef]

They do, see above.

I'm not really sure what you're referring to.

I once had a trade box from France sent back...

doesn't appear to have any relevance to the question of whether US Customs cares at all about state laws.

 

[SeaWatchman]

I'm not really sure what you're referring to.



doesn't appear to have any relevance to the question of whether US Customs cares at all about state laws.

Given that customs is handing it over to USPS and in general you can't ship alcohol with USPS, I am sure they just make a blanket assumption to not let it go through and send it back if they really get into the box and inspect it. And from experience, they do care about state laws, or at least think about them before acting. Customs agents consulted state law at the CAN/MT border crossing on how much I could transport in my car for personal use according to the state.

 

[Hindsight1]

I'm not really sure what you're referring to.



doesn't appear to have any relevance to the question of whether US Customs cares at all about state laws.

They do when there are unpaid federal taxes on said bottles. You ever filled out a customs declaration form? Why do you think they care how much alcohol you're brining back into the country?

 

[kscaldef]

They do when there are unpaid federal taxes on said bottles. You ever filled out a customs declaration form? Why do you think they care how much alcohol you're brining back into the country?

Yes, customs cares about unpaid federal duties. Obviously. Because that's their entire job. And completely unrelated to the point being discussed in this thread of the conversation.

 

[GetchaPull]

Just got notice that my box was sent back to Belgium. The order was from Beerplanet and I've already sent a couple messages to them. Anyone have any experience with how these things usually get resolved (specifically with beerplanet)? Should I just expect to have to pay shipping costs again?

From a legal/technical standpoint, I'm also curious why my box would have been sent back? Is it as simple as the shipper not including proper documentation or is there another reason why something like this happens?

Man, sorry to give you any false hope with my post. Appears I don't know **** and I'll keep my pie hole shut next time. Sorry about your box, hopefully all is recoverable.

 

[kscaldef]

Given that customs is handing it over to USPS and in general you can't ship alcohol with USPS, I am sure they just make a blanket assumption to not let it go through and send it back if they really get into the box and inspect it. And from experience, they do care about state laws, or at least think about them before acting. Customs agents consulted state law at the CAN/MT border crossing on how much I could transport in my car for personal use according to the state.

hmm.. yeah, USPS is an interesting point. At least that's within the same jurisdiction, whereas the idea of federal employees enforcing state laws gets into some interesting constitutional grounds. (And, to keep beating the horse, if etre/biab/etc cared about doing things legitimately, they'd use a shipper that was okay with alcohol. Of course, if they did decide to do things on the up-and-up, that might add cost or otherwise restrict their customer base; so it's quite possible that they've decided that it just makes more sense from the point of view of their business to push all the responsibility / risk over to the buyer.)

 

[EliotRosewater]

Man, sorry to give you any false hope with my post. Appears I don't know **** and I'll keep my pie hole shut next time. Sorry about your box, hopefully all is recoverable.

No worries man. Just hoping it's not a total loss.

They do when there are unpaid federal taxes on said bottles.

Others have reported having to pay taxes on a package. Would there be a reason usps would just ship a box back if taxes were the only issue?

 

[Der Fuchs]

Yes, customs cares about unpaid federal duties. Obviously. Because that's their entire job. And completely unrelated to the point being discussed in this thread of the conversation.

So when are you gonna contribute anything meaningful?


At least be a dick outright and not some sniveling quasi-dick.


And you obviously don't know **** about customs if you think their main job is to collect taxes.

 

[Forgetfu]

I love it when we play self-proclaimed lawyers.

I slept at a holiday inn express last night, too...

Every time alcohol crosses a border (federal import or state to state) there are federal laws in play. This is not just a state issue. Otherwise, we could all just self-import / self-distribute. This is not just about collecting taxes. #3tiersystem #postprohibition #immakingshitupnow

 

[ineedbeer1]

Fair enough, although I don't know that US Customs cares / would turn around a box because of that.

They care. My Etre boxes were refused entry by the USPS. Etre provided photos showing nothing was broken and customs stamped it "Return to Sender."

 

[csano]

They care. My Etre boxes were refused entry by the USPS. Etre provided photos showing nothing was broken and customs stamped it "Return to Sender."

At least USPS is nice enough to refuse it. FedEx and UPS on the other hand, "destroy" them.