Mailing beer

General brewing information, questions and discussion. Topics that do not seem to fit elsewhere.

Moderators: slothrob, 2row

Post Reply
Wally
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2001 10:50 am

Mailing beer

Post by Wally »

I would like to send a few bottles of beer as a gift from Texas to Florida. Is it legal? Assuming I pack it securely, will it explode if shaken in shipment? If it's not legal to mail, can I ship it by UPS or Fed-Ex?
l48shark
Double IPA
Double IPA
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2001 11:02 pm

I don't think so...

Post by l48shark »

Wally,

I thought your question was a good one, so I looked into it. I went to usps.com and checked their restricted/non-mailable regulations. Section C024.7.0 states:
INTOXICATING LIQUOR
A potable beverage is non-mailable if it is of 0.5% or more alcoholic content by weight, which is taxable under Chapter 51, Internal Revenue Service Code. The product may be mailed if it conforms to applicable requirements of the Internal Revenue Service and Food and Drug Administration and is not an alcoholic
beverage, poisonous, or flammable.

So it looks like if you are brewing O'Douls it's OK, but otherwise forget it. UPS, on the other hand, will ship only beer and wine if, and only if, state law allows such shipments and the package does not require any special processing. In fact, the only states it will ship beer to or from are California, Illinois, Michigan, New York and Ohio. (Not much help for your Texas to Florida shipment.) I had a little more trouble trying to navigate the service guide on the FedEx website, but I imagine they stick to the same or similar rules.

So it looks like the answer is "no," unless you ship UPS and are shipping from and to the states listed above. However, I once read about a project on the Internet where a group of people tried to mail various bizarre objects to see what was delivered and what wasn't, such as a helium balloon and a stamped $20 bill with an address scribbled on it. They found that postal regulations were quite often violated and most of their items were eventually delivered. So I would probably throw it in the mail and see what happens, but I didn't tell you to do that. :)

If you are unable to mail your homebrew, I know for a fact that you can deliver it. I brought some pale ale on a plane the last time I went to visit my brother. Airport security wanted to open my carry-on and see the bottles, but they had no problem with them. Another time, I brought a 6-pack of Banks beer through international customs for my Pop. They didn't care either, nor did they even ask about the Cuban cigars I was carrying. By the way, if you are ever in the Caribbean, look for Banks beer from Barbados. It may be the best lager known to man, but it is only available in the West Indies.

Good luck with the shipment. Oh, by the way, I do not think you need to worry about the bottles exploding during shipment. Think about what commercial beer goes through (particularly imported beer) on its way to your local liquor store. Your homebrew should be fine. Just be sure to protect the glass bottles from breakage. Hope this helps.

-Tom
amwilbur
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2001 11:21 pm

I have...

Post by amwilbur »

When I was stationed in Germany I sent about 30 beers total stateside for Christmas presents. The only real problem I found is that it is not covered by thier insurance, so don't send other stuff with it. Good luck and good brewing.
Post Reply