# Sending Beer Overseas



## sanmerah (7/6/09)

I did a search but didn't come up with anything. 

I have overseas visitors arriving and wanted to send some of my latest beer over to relatives in England. Now that new restrictions are in place I believe that passengers can't carry on liquid more than 100ml even if the restriction was sub 1ltr I'm not sure if they'd let homebrew on board!?! and the bottles aren't suitable for checked in luggage (I guess).

Does anyone know:

1. what options there might be for passengers to take homebrew on the flight (take it to check in for special packing)
2. options I should look into in order to have the beer sent in the traditional mail / Special delivery and any cost effective options that others may have used.

Thanks in advance

AB


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## bum (7/6/09)

Unless you use really tiny bottles they will not get it on as a carry on (the larger amounts are only allowed for stuff purchased duty free and even then they are transferred to the plane by the duty-free shop not the passenger).

Should be no limit on what they take as checked luggage (in term of liquid, might be alcohol restraints (possibly unrelated to duty)). If you think you can wrap it safely to mail it'll be just as safe tucked in with their dirty undies.


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## domonsura (7/6/09)

I've packed homebrew beer separately and taken it on a flight to NZ since the all round airline security uproar, it just went on as check in luggage. I would imagine that it might get a little bit more attention being UK, but you might still be OK. Ring the airline you are going with and ask, only way to know.
You will be expected to package them appropriately - you can buy polystyrene bottle boxes from the post office and some other places. Also make sure that it is clearly labelled that it is beer, one of them mentioned to me that if I hadn't labelled it as well as I had, they wouldn't have let it through.


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## kevo (7/6/09)

I know it's not ideal, but perhaps PET bottles are a way to go?

Kev


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## bum (7/6/09)

I'd say they were most definitely ideal for the situation. Still require padding of some sort for peace of mind, of course.


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## seravitae (7/6/09)

bottom line is australian customs is some of the hardest in the world, do *not* try shipping anything containing food products, by post or inflight. Even if something accidental happens, they will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Trust me, i know.

Especially because your beer is actually a biologically active sample as well. You will probably need special importation and exportation permits unless its a comercially packaged product. Spirits is different because it is pretty much deemed sterile. If you recap some beer bottles with brand new labels on them you *might* be okay, but honestly for a couple of brews the risk of complications is probably not worth the trouble.

Also i last i heard, UK airport security ramped up their rules of importing alcohol products because of drug smuggling. Walking through with a recapped beer isn't going to go down lightly.


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## Darren (7/6/09)

Put it in the baggage if you really want it to get there then. Glass bottles of relatively unknow origin will never get on board as hand luggage. For example, I have had half bottles of coke removed from hand luggage.

cheers

Darren

(PS: You can just see it at the airport, "Did you fill the bottle?" Ahhhh No)


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## mwd (7/6/09)

You can put any glass or PET bottles into checked baggage no problem to take out of Australia.

Our boys take Coopers Brew kits to the Middle East no problem at all in checked baggage except they are heavy.

Customs at the other end can be the problem.

A few bottles into the U.K. as long as the flight is direct with no stopovers involving baggage unloading in another country should not present much problems.

PET bottles suitably wrapped have less chance of being smashed in transit.

Edit: Duty Free expert in and out of the Middle East and most ports between every six weeks.  Don't buy from duty shops free in Australia  

Buy goods and reclaim the GST on exit of the country if you are non resident or tourist.


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## Leigh (8/6/09)

In my experience, duty free shops only transfer the goods to the plane if you don't have a direct flight, if you do have a direct flight, they are happy to hand it over for you to carry onboard (possibly country dependent).

I see no reason why you would not be able to carry homebrew in your checked luggage...have carried fine china in the suitcase before with no issues. I have also sent/recieved bottles of alcohol internationally via the postal services and haven't had a breakage yet!


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## sanmerah (8/6/09)

Thanks for all the prompt replies, well it looks really difficult to share my latest hobby with friends and family overseas. Maybe I need to take a 8 week extended holiday and actually brew some over there  

I was worried that the checked in baggage might be exposed to extremes of pressure or temperature causing bottles to explode? or degrading the quality of the beer. I guess the same issues present if I was trying to ship using postal or carrier services.

I'll check with the airlines in question but think if I'm going to try this it will be packaging in PET and checking with customs first.

Thanks again

AB


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## Greg Lawrence (8/6/09)

Leaving the UK last year, they took my half full tube of toothpaste. I argued that it was under the 200ml, but they said that the container was capable of carrying 200ml. 
Dont like your chances of beer in your carry on luggage.


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## mwd (8/6/09)

On passenger aircraft the cargo area is also pressurised and temperature controlled as animals are transported in the cargo area along with baggage.
Beers packed in checked baggage should survive O.K.

Saying that 2 bottles of expensive Single Malt Whisky I had nicely wrapped in checked baggage survived a trip half way round the world only to get smashed on the 2 hour domestic leg here in Australia. The bag was still dripping as it went round on the carousel.

I never buy any Duty Free in Australia because it is much more expensive than most other countries especially when the Aus dollar is strong against the US.
Glenffidich 18year US$64.00 1litre against AUS$99.00 750ml .


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## jayandcath (8/6/09)

Another option might be to check out Australia Post, I'm pretty sure they have wine packs that hold 6 bottles. Then just post them, might cost you a few bucks but IMO it sure beats trying to deal with any airport security staff.

Jay


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## mr_tyreman (8/6/09)

you should practice by sending all of us a bottle and we will tell you how it goes


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## Sammus (8/6/09)

Post it and mark it as a yeast sample, dont have any fancy labelling on the bottle, just write "sample #23" or something. I've read that you can send beers overseas for international comps pretty easily this way - they mail their entry forms separately of course


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## newguy (8/6/09)

Sammus said:


> Post it and mark it as a yeast sample, dont have any fancy labelling on the bottle, just write "sample #23" or something. I've read that you can send beers overseas for international comps pretty easily this way - they mail their entry forms separately of course



I've done it, both to the states and to Australia from Canada. Yeast samples, for analysis only, not for resale, with the bottle caps marked with some sort of cryptic script. The BJCP style #/substyle letter works well. Declare a value of anywhere from $.10 to $1 per bottle.

As Sammus mentioned, never include any paperwork at all that implies that the bottles don't hold yeast samples. Ironically around here customs isn't the problem. It's the courier. Must be a holdover from the bloody puritans who settled this place.


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## seravitae (9/6/09)

you are extremely lucky they made it through - likely customs in their random baggage checking didn't pick it up.

I know people who have sent commercial yeast samples (still packaged) and it was refused based on it being a live biological sample.


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