How to Mail Beer

by Maria Benner

If you are a homebrewer, you may want to mail your beer to share it with close friends, or family who live far away. Or maybe you are a beer nerd who loves to try new releases from other States, and you have trading buddies. There are many reasons why people want to mail beer, and especially during the holidays, because beer is the best gift! So, here is some information about how to mail beer successfully.

Legality of Mailing Beer

Basically, it’s illegal for consumers to mail beer to other consumers. You are breaking the law, so if you decide to mail beer, you’re doing so at your own risk. There are many laws pertaining to various destinations: intrastate, interstate, international, etc. Here is a picture of a letter from the Enforcement Unit Supervisor for the Alaska Alcohol Beverage Control Board, stating that Alaska does not regulate alcoholic beverages imported into the state for personal consumption and not for resale.

UPS: Shippers must possess a valid retailer or brewery license in their home states, and where applicable obtain a license or permit in the destination state. All beer shippers must enter into a UPS Agreement for Approved Beer Shippers.

FedEx: Individuals (consumers) cannot ship alcohol via FedEx. Businesses that hold appropriate alcohol licenses and are enrolled in the FedEx alcohol shipping program may ship to their customers in select states or countries.

USPS: Completely illegal.

How to Pack the Beer

If no one finds out what’s in your box, then are you really breaking the law? Well, yes, but you better hope no one finds out. One way for everyone to find out is if beer starts leaking out of your box. Oops! To prevent your bottles/cans from breaking, I recommend following these steps:

• Pack the beer as if you are mailing raw eggs. Do not take any chances. If your box leaks, the shipping company will immediately throw it away, and the liquid could also damage other peoples’ shipments. Even worse, you may have to face consequences for breaking laws.
  • Use a brand new, sturdy box. If possible, double up boxes.
  • Line the box with bubble wrap.
  • Wrap each beer in several layers of bubble wrap. Obviously, glass is more fragile, and the bottle cap could be knocked off, so take extra care wrapping glass bottles. Tape the bubble wrap so it does not come unwrapped.
  • Place each beer in it’s own Ziploc bag, and seal it. This will prevent leakage if the bottle/can breaks.
  • Then put all the beers in a big plastic bag, place that bag in your box, and tape the bag shut.
  • If there is any empty space in the box, fill it with packing paper, cardboard, bubble wrap, whatever. As long as there is no space for the bottles/cans to move.
  • Seal the box with package sealing tape. Seal all the folds, gaps, corners, etc. Make sure it’s bomb-proof.
  • Put a note inside the box that says “liquid yeast samples”.

Mailing Your Box

Choose the most affordable carrier to ship your box. Mail it as early as possible in the week, so it doesn’t end up in a warehouse during the weekend, or a holiday. Make sure the recipient has the tracking information, so they can receive the box as soon as possible. You don’t want it sitting out in the heat too long. Opt for ground shipping when available, to minimize the chances of bottle caps failing due to pressure changes in airplanes. If anyone asks what’s in the box, say it’s jam, bbq sauce, anything but beer. I know that’s lying, but everyone does it, so that makes it okay, right? Yikes.

Good luck! I hope your box arrives at its destination safely! In the meantime, lobby your lawmakers to legalize mailing beer, so we can all enjoy it no matter where we live!

Cheers!