Go far enough down the road of homebrew obsession, and sooner or later you’ll find yourself needing to ship some beer. Whether submitting samples to a competition, participating in a Secret Santa swap, or simply offering a bottle of your 2008 barleywine as a holiday gift, getting your precious homebrew from point A to point B is, unfortunately, not as straightforward as it ought to be. Here are some options to help you navigate the murky waters.
Deliver It Yourself
This is by far the least complicated method of moving homemade beer, at least legally and ethically speaking. Competitions often have designated drop sites at homebrew stores nationwide, in which case you can deliver your submission to the location nearest you and wash your hands of the whole mess. However, if your beer’s destination happens to be two time zones removed, driving it there isn’t exactly practical. Whatever you do,
Don’t P.O. the P.O.
It’s patently illegal to ship alcohol through the U.S. Postal Service, so just don’t even try. The law is right there, plain as day, for all to see in Title 18, Part I, Chapter 83, Section 1716, Paragraph (f) of the United States Code: