Brewing to ship overseas

[welly2]

Alright yer bastards. Even though no one responded to my post saying I'm leaving, I've just had a spark of inspiration. I'll be shipping all my brewing gear back to pommyland but thought it could be an interesting experiment to make a beer before I leave and stick it in one of my boxes that I'll be shipping back.

So I'm thinking an IPA, as a nod to our brewing forebears that would make highly hopped beers and ship 'em over to India. (yes, I know there's more to that story than just that).

Here's the factors to consider -

- It'll be on a boat for 3 months

- I'd really rather the ******* didn't spill all over the place

- I'll ship it in a corny keg

First set of questions is about the logistics of shipping a corny keg full of beer in a packing box so it doesn't piss all over the place.

Should it be carbonated? Should I wait to carbonate it when it gets to the other side? Should I stick a bit of CO2 in it just to keep the keg air tight? Will a bunch of plastic sacks with a shitload of gaffer tape suffice to keep it water tight? Anything else I might need to think about when sticking a keg full of beer in a box to ship to t'other side of t'world?

Second set of questions is about the actual beer itself

I'm going to make an IPA. How much could I/should I get away with hopping it? How much will those hops settle over 3 months? Is there anything I should think about when making this sea travelling beer?

Cheers!

 

[Rocker1986]

I would have thought the keg would be fine without any gaffer tape or whatever. Whenever I fill mine up somewhat to clean them, I shake them around and roll them back and forth and none of the cleaning solution ever leaks out, and that's with no pressure inside them. For peace of mind though it might be easier to carbonate it here.

Can full kegs even be shipped internationally? Obviously commercially yes, but maybe the rules are different for private citizens. :unsure:

 

[manticle]

Definitely co2 from a beer perspective but check legalities of shipping pressurised containers.

If not, at least fill right to the top.
Also cool/cold would be preferable.

 

[Leyther]

Might be some shipping/customs legislation to consider too.

When I shipped the other way (pommy to auz) I was advised against shipping my motorbike (petrol) and lawn mower (grass) as these would both trigger customs inspections that could seriously delay clearance and they would generally impound the whole container not just those items.

They generally also fumigate containers, not sure if that would/could impact your beer, probably not if its sealed.

Also bear in mind your container will travel through massive temperature ranges, it will be hot from Auz to Singapore (most tranship here) then cold when it gets to Europe (presuming shipment soon), that could affect your beer too.

 

[welly2]

Might be some shipping/customs legislation to consider too.

When I shipped the other way (pommy to auz) I was advised against shipping my motorbike (petrol) and lawn mower (grass) as these would both trigger customs inspections that could seriously delay clearance and they would generally impound the whole container not just those items.

They generally also fumigate containers, not sure if that would/could impact your beer, probably not if its sealed.

Also bear in mind your container will travel through massive temperature ranges, it will be hot from Auz to Singapore (most tranship here) then cold when it gets to Europe (presuming shipment soon), that could affect your beer too.

Yeah, I think if anything, customs might be my plans undoing. I'm going to get in touch with Her Maj's tax inspector and find out what the deal is. I assume there'll be tax to pay whether it's home brewed or otherwise. Depending on how much they want for 20 litres, we'll see.

 

[Matplat]

This is a ******* brilliant idea... I sincerely hope you can pull it off. I look forward to the tasting review when it reaches you on t'other side.

 

[welly2]

I would have thought the keg would be fine without any gaffer tape or whatever. Whenever I fill mine up somewhat to clean them, I shake them around and roll them back and forth and none of the cleaning solution ever leaks out, and that's with no pressure inside them. For peace of mind though it might be easier to carbonate it here.

Can full kegs even be shipped internationally? Obviously commercially yes, but maybe the rules are different for private citizens. :unsure:

Well, I wonder that myself but then again, I'm not sure why it wouldn't be allowed. After all, you can ship cases of wine internationally and it's just a different alcohol containment vessel. I will definitely have to research it a bit more but I'm wondering if I'm overthinking it. I'm sure it's probably just a case of packing it up, shipping it and coughing up for tax on the other side.

 

[Bridges]

Genuine seafaring old school IPA! Awesome! Do it, do it, DO IT. You'll regret it if you don't.

 

[Blind Dog]

It needs to be with you and within the alcohol limit (which is a decent amount) when you arrive, or you'll need to make special arrangements. If it's within the duty free limits and with you, they don't seem to care. Even if it's way over, they just seem to want you to declare it as you arrive. Talk to them, but when I spoke to them before the last time I went back they basically said not to ship it as it won't get through

 

[peteru]

You could always declare it as flavoured sugar extract and claim it spoiled during shipping. The spoilage just happened to be due to a yeast infection.