Checking beer on a plane flight/baggage

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by IamMe90, Nov 16, 2012.

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  1. jtdolla911

    jtdolla911 Initiate (0) Nov 18, 2011 Massachusetts

    I will be travelling to Belgium next year and plan on bringing back lots of beer. I will use the empty suitcase tip and fill it with bubble wrap so i dont go looking for it there.

    Im hoping to get a case of Westy 12, and see that it might b an issue. Does anyone have any insight on getting.cases of Westy 12 back to the states.

    And will Mass's screwy liquor laws affect the ability to check beer in luggage?
     
  2. Stevedore

    Stevedore Grand Pooh-Bah (5,072) Nov 16, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    For those of you who used styro shippers and checked them on planes: how did you label the box aside from your name and address? Any "fragile", "this side up" notations, etc?
     
  3. LambicPentameter

    LambicPentameter Initiate (0) Aug 29, 2012 Nebraska

    I used a box with the styrofoam mold for bottles, and we did write "FRAGILE" on several sides of the box. I think most airlines will also give you some sort of sticker that marks it as delicate cargo, but they will caveat the shit out of any implied guarantee that the sticker will ensure safe arrival of said cargo.

    When my wife and I shipped 12 wine bottles back from Napa on our plane using this method, all of them made it intact.
     
  4. Eighty

    Eighty Pundit (815) Feb 17, 2013 Washington

    Has anyone used zip-loc bags for bombers/750s? They don't seem to fit in a gallon freezer bag. Do you use larger bags? What about + cork and cage?

    Sorry if this has been answered. Quick search didn't show any results.
     
  5. LivingWeapon

    LivingWeapon Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2012 Illinois

    Going to Russian River and want to bring some beer back home on the plane with me. What should I know about bringing beer back on a plane.
     
  6. kbuzz

    kbuzz Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2011 North Carolina

    pack carefully in the luggage you're planning on checking
     
  7. TravisMBinns

    TravisMBinns Initiate (0) Apr 30, 2011 Illinois

    Check your luggage. Make sure you protect your bottes from breaking against one another. I use bubble wrap. A lot of people also put their beer in ziplock bags. Bring me back something!
     
  8. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Assuming you're packing the bottles in your suitcase, use bubble wrap, tape, ziploc bags, and stuff some clothes in between everything. And pray that TSA leaves your shit alone.
     
    kbuzz likes this.
  9. Kopfschuss

    Kopfschuss Initiate (0) Aug 19, 2009 Oregon

    Would it be similar in price to get a 12 bottle shipper and mail it to yourself? Or are you already checking the bag?
     
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  10. AngusOg

    AngusOg Pooh-Bah (1,896) Apr 23, 2010 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Don't tell them there is beer in your suit case.
     
  11. billyshears

    billyshears Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2008 Connecticut

    I went to san fran/santa rosa in early July. Bought a bunch of wine too. I just ended up buying two 12 bottle shippers, loaded them up and checked them. I padded it a bit with bubble wrap just to make sure. I was a little afraid seeing them slide down onto the carousel, but they arrived safely with no issues at all. If you don't mind the additional fee for extra baggage, I would say that is the way to go.*

    *not responsible if the bottles break
     
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  12. kbuzz

    kbuzz Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2011 North Carolina

    depends how far you're shipping. When I brought beer back from RR to Pittsburgh, it was probably about equal in cost to what shipping would have been, but I had my beer the day I got there instead of having to wait another week for it to get to me. :grinning:
     
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  13. theGroove

    theGroove Initiate (0) Apr 6, 2007 Indiana

    I'll be heading there in September and can't decide whether to take back in a suite case or take some of the packing materials I have from online orders and ship them.
     
  14. Stevedore

    Stevedore Grand Pooh-Bah (5,072) Nov 16, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader


    Buy a 12 bottle shipper and check it on the plane both ways. Proceed to enjoy your vacation and not having to worry about breakage.
     
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  15. azorie

    azorie Pooh-Bah (2,409) Mar 18, 2006 Florida
    Pooh-Bah

    big hard side cases with lots of bubble wrap and baggies to trap any breaks...
     
  16. Dakotah

    Dakotah Initiate (0) May 3, 2013 California

    if you can fly home from Santa Rosa, you can check a case of wine for FREE. See if that's possible logistically, and put your RR in a wine shipper. bazinga.
     
  17. BeerBuckeye

    BeerBuckeye Savant (1,223) Oct 2, 2009 Ohio


    I usually throw a note in my bag just letting them know what's in the bag and if they need to remove the beer, to please do with caution. I thank them for their service, 'Murica, and it has seemed to work every time so far.
     
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  18. Bizoneill

    Bizoneill Initiate (0) Apr 19, 2012 Connecticut

    I recently flew from NY to Charlotte NC with 2 screw-top growlers that checked in my luggage. I have one of those hard plastic suitcases that worked perfect for this. I also wrapped electrical tape around the tops and was very generous. After the tape I used my heat gun to melt the tape a little bit and then let it cool and added another layer of tape. Last I lined a double growler bag from Magic Hat that worked perfect for keeping them cool on the trip down with a garbage bag dropped in the 2 growlers put a towel in-between and tied a knot and more tape on the end.

    Worked perfectly... :wink:
     
  19. nsheehan

    nsheehan Savant (1,182) Jul 3, 2011 Texas
    Trader

    No one has mentioned this yet: http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Protective-stuff/Movers-Stretch-Plastic-Wrap
    This plastic wrap is better than tape because you can take it off your bubble wrap and re-use the bubble wrap. You can also use it to further secure beer that has already been wrapped in clothes (tape might leave residue on clothing). Also, I invested in an $8 luggage scale.

    I've flown with beer a fair amount, and tried different methods. If you're patient, I'd suggest plastic wrapping the beer, especially the cap/cork area. Then wrap it in clothes or bubble wrap. Then plastic wrap it again. Put one or more beers in a decent trashbag of proper size. I put five 500-750 mL in a very thick contractor's trash bag after wrapping them like this (overkill, maybe. 0 breaks, worth it). I had two bags of ten beers in my upright soft-side suitcase. I also left a note for the TSA.

    I also put four similarly wrapped beers into a super over-sized soft duffel which I checked, and they made it through fine using the above wrapping method plus an extra layer of clothing and plastic wrap.

    Good luck!
     
    Bizoneill likes this.
  20. AlienSwineFlu

    AlienSwineFlu Savant (1,135) Dec 14, 2012 Ohio

    Wrap it in colorful wires.
     
    Sarge3130 and MCain04 like this.
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