The Kunzman Guide to Shipping Beer
I am not an attorney, and I do not pretend to be. Please check your local state and federal ordinances and consult legal advice for such matters. The following is merely for educational purposes….
Shipping beer is very tricky. There is one thing you must know about it. No one really wants you to do it. However it is very hard to enter competitions if you don’t.
Avoid shipping at all costs
Shipping costs money, and there is a lot of trouble with shipping. It is best to find a way not to ship the beer if you can avoid it. If you have to enter a competition that is not too far away, drop off the beer at a drop of point or find a homebrew club member to drop off the beer for you. Many clubs will put all of their beer in a box and give it to a guy who is driving to the competition. If you want to give beer to a family member for Christmas, take it to them. There are many ways to avoid shipping beer.
Ship Fed Ex or UPS Ground
The United States Postal service is the worst way to ship beer. Do not even attempt this. It is against federal law to ship alcoholic beverages via the USPS. The risk is not worth it to ship this way. UPS and Fed Ex will be your best route. Shipping alcohol is against the rules of both companies, but many homebrewers do it anyway. This is just against the policy of the companies, and not federal law, so you’re pretty safe on this. When shipping beer to homebrew competitions, most homebrewers that I know use UPS ground. When using Fed Ex or UPS, it is important to use the ground travel. Beer shipped by air has a tendency to freeze and explode. Many freight airlines will not heat or pressurize their cargo hold. Be very leery about shipping by air.
Wrap those bottles
Bubble Wrap works well. Wrap each bottle individually in bubble wrap. This will stop the bottles from smashing into each other in the boxes and shattering. A single strip of duct tape will hold the bubble wrap. You don’t want to overdo it on the tape because someone will have to open that beer on the other end.
Place all of the wrapped bottles in a plastic bag
If you do happen to have a bottle that bursts, then your box will start leaking. This is the last thing that you want. Place all of the bottles in a plastic bag and make sure you tie it off really well. Then place that bag in another plastic bag and tie it off. The chances of a shard of glass puncturing both bags are much less than just a single bag.
Pack the box tight
Put lots of peanuts and crushed paper to fill the deadspace in the box. You don’t want the botlles bouncing all over inside the box during shipping.
Ship with a third party
If you go on the UPS website you can open an account and then print off a shipping label. Tape the label on the box and take the box to a third party to ship, like Mail Boxes etc. or something similar. Boxes with labels and shipped from third parties are almost never opened and searched. Many homebrewers label their contents “Live yeast cultures” or “collectable bottles”, as to not exactly lie when shipping in case there is a break.