Best present ever...but how do I get it to him?

smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
So I got my father the best present ever for the holidays. OK, might be an exaggeration, but here is the thing. I cannot figure out the best way to get it to him. My Dad is a WWII veteran and one of the things he did during the war was guard a brewery in Austria. When I was a teenager we went to the small town where he had served and he got to see the brewery and they welcomed him with open arms and thanked him and our family. The same family was still there running the brewery. So a few months ago I was at a bar in Portland and I looked up and the name on one of the taps I was sure was the same name and logo of the brewery we had visited that was such a part of family lore. So, I checked and sure enough the beer is still brewed in Austria, but also in Berkeley, CA! So, I tucked it away and made a mental note. Fast forward to trying to get him some where he lives. Not available on the East Coast. Found it through a store in Chicago. Thought I would have it shipped to him. No dice as he lives in a state that won't allow it. So I bought a couple 12 packs anyway, one for Xmas and one for his birthday in January. He has no idea the beer is even available in the US, so I am so excited to get it to him. UPS won't ship it. My local liquor store won't ship it. I am not driving to see him, but flying. I might be able to pack it up and ship it in a suitcase but don't know if it will get too cold in the hold. Fortunately, the flight is a short 1.5 hour trip. Anybody have any creative ideas I haven't thought of short of saying the package is olive oil and shipping it? Or anyone know of a good way to package liquids for checked luggage? I really want to make this happen!
 
Matt

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
smittytabb said:
So I got my father the best present ever for the holidays. OK, might be an exaggeration, but here is the thing. I cannot figure out the best way to get it to him. My Dad is a WWII veteran and one of the things he did during the war was guard a brewery in Austria. When I was a teenager we went to the small town where he had served and he got to see the brewery and they welcomed him with open arms and thanked him and our family. The same family was still there running the brewery. So a few months ago I was at a bar in Portland and I looked up and the name on one of the taps I was sure was the same name and logo of the brewery we had visited that was such a part of family lore. So, I checked and sure enough the beer is still brewed in Austria, but also in Berkeley, CA! So, I tucked it away and made a mental note. Fast forward to trying to get him some where he lives. Not available on the East Coast. Found it through a store in Chicago. Thought I would have it shipped to him. No dice as he lives in a state that won't allow it. So I bought a couple 12 packs anyway, one for Xmas and one for his birthday in January. He has no idea the beer is even available in the US, so I am so excited to get it to him. UPS won't ship it. My local liquor store won't ship it. I am not driving to see him, but flying. I might be able to pack it up and ship it in a suitcase but don't know if it will get too cold in the hold. Fortunately, the flight is a short 1.5 hour trip. Anybody have any creative ideas I haven't thought of short of saying the package is olive oil and shipping it? Or anyone know of a good way to package liquids for checked luggage? I really want to make this happen!
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Nice! If you figure it out feel free to send some my way too :)

Is it cans or bottles? We checked cans of beer back from PHX and they ruptured, I think that it may have been influenced by pressure.
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
Matt said:
Nice! If you figure it out feel free to send some my way too :)

Is it cans or bottles? We checked cans of beer back from PHX and they ruptured, I think that it may have been influenced by pressure.
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Bottles, and not sure if that is better or worse than cans...
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
Matt said:
Nice! If you figure it out feel free to send some my way too :)

Is it cans or bottles? We checked cans of beer back from PHX and they ruptured, I think that it may have been influenced by pressure.
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I recall there was some exchange of beer in CLT. Didn't you have some kind of special Vermont beer with you? How did you get it there? Or, did someone give it to you there?
 
N

nickelfish1

Level 2 Member
GREAT GIFT!!!
I think Fed Ex if his state allows the transport of alcohol and will require a signer to be at home that's over 21. I'd call and ask. If they say no...then I might package it and say it's vintages Coke bottles.
 
A

AnotherGradStudent

Level 2 Member
Bottles are better than cans - the embrittlement is less, the stress-to-fracture is higher, etc, etc. I've transported wine and liquor via checked bag countless times; with the exception of the seal at the cap/glass interface I can't see it being any different. Over 1.5 hours, packed in your suitcase + secondary containment (find something akin to a wine diaper) the temperature change at the center of your suitcase will be minimal; I wouldn't worry about freezing.

That said, the caveat is the cap/bottle interface - that could be your weak point (as in, that seal may rupture). If you have good secondary containment then even if it does rupture it should be alright - at worst you can recover the contents of the bottle from secondary containment, though it will be somewhat flat, but if you have a good *tight* secondary containment system it should prevent more than minor leakage.

Fedex more or less requires lying and it may get broken in shipment.

Your flight is short enough that there may be someone else driving that route; check craigslist and zimride to see. Lotsa' drivers are willing to take $$$ in exchange for trunk space if you're not shipping something obviously illegal (drugs, bricks of cash, etc).
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
AnotherGradStudent said:
Bottles are better than cans - the embrittlement is less, the stress-to-fracture is higher, etc, etc. I've transported wine and liquor via checked bag countless times; with the exception of the seal at the cap/glass interface I can't see it being any different. Over 1.5 hours, packed in your suitcase + secondary containment (find something akin to a wine diaper) the temperature change at the center of your suitcase will be minimal; I wouldn't worry about freezing.

That said, the caveat is the cap/bottle interface - that could be your weak point (as in, that seal may rupture). If you have good secondary containment then even if it does rupture it should be alright - at worst you can recover the contents of the bottle from secondary containment, though it will be somewhat flat, but if you have a good *tight* secondary containment system it should prevent more than minor leakage.

Fedex more or less requires lying and it may get broken in shipment.

Your flight is short enough that there may be someone else driving that route; check craigslist and zimride to see. Lotsa' drivers are willing to take $$$ in exchange for trunk space if you're not shipping something obviously illegal (drugs, bricks of cash, etc).
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Yeah, my son suggested paying someone to drive it there. I am wondering if Amtrak might ship it as well. I have shipped wine in my luggage on planes countless times since we can no longer bring it on board most of the time. Never have attempted beer. Carbonation might be an issue, although I shipped vino verde from Portugal with no problem.
 
Chasing The Points

Chasing The Points

Administrator
Staff member
Where in the East Coast is your father located? I can extend a helping hand in receiving your beer and meeting with you if it's in Manhattan

Here's a strange thought. What about shipping the beer to a liquor store in your father's state and buying a little bit in return? It'll be like how people purchase firearms in different states where they send it to an authorized spot
 
R

raenye

Lever 2 Membel
2nd vote for http://www.amtrak.com/express-shipping (although one is not supposed to ship liquids, they don't check and it arrived flawless in one piece despite careless packing).

Instead of buying a box, go to a liquor store and ask for their cardboard leftovers. They're strong (it's good even if you ship other stuff)
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
Chasing The Points said:
Where in the East Coast is your father located? I can extend a helping hand in receiving your beer and meeting with you if it's in Manhattan

Here's a strange thought. What about shipping the beer to a liquor store in your father's state and buying a little bit in return? It'll be like how people purchase firearms in different states where they send it to an authorized spot
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Thanks, but it's DC suburbs in Virginia and it seems to be a state you cannot ship liquor to at all...
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
raenye said:
2nd vote for http://www.amtrak.com/express-shipping (although one is not supposed to ship liquids, they don't check and it arrived flawless in one piece despite careless packing).

Instead of buying a box, go to a liquor store and ask for their cardboard leftovers. They're strong (it's good even if you ship other stuff)
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Yes I did get some cardboard leftovers today from the local liquor store. It looks like I will have to take the bottles out of the original packaging which I wish I didn't have to do as it has the logo and colors I remember from the brewery all over it. I wish I could just put it in the car and take it to him as it is!
 
ctbarron

ctbarron

Level 2 Member
smittytabb said:
Thanks, but it's DC suburbs in Virginia and it seems to be a state you cannot ship liquor to at all...
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Can you ship to DC proper or MD? Not that sending someone to pick up their present is the best idea, but both states (even WV) are close.
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
So, I got the 12 pack of beer to my father today. I ended up packing it up and putting it in a suitcase and checking it. I used the website that @Annie H. suggested for the packing suggestions. I put each one in a ziplock plastic bag and then packed them in bubble wrap and carefully put lots of packing materials around them and put them in a small hardsided suitcase. Since it was a short flight in small Embraer, we didn't go up that high and so there was not much worry about them getting too cold. I took apart the case and flattened it and then put it back together when I unpacked everything.

I had him open it today so he can enjoy them and at almost 91, why not? He was quite happy about the whole thing and shocked that I not just found them, but found a way to get them to him.
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
Oh and BTW, the TSA lets you bring up to 5 liters of alcohol in checked luggage. 12 beers is shy of that. Already planning which flight to do this again for his 91st birthday next month:) Monday is Bloody Mary day for him but he also had a beer first. Hope I am doing that when I am his age!!
 
P

PainCorp

Level 2.14 on Dining/Travel until 12/15
When I went to Hawaii I bought 4.75L of Vodka that's distilled on Hawaii. Had UPS package it once I realized I had been given incorrect information about shipping it back. Luckily the most you can check is 5L, so I just made it. TSA inspected it, but all the bottles made it through. I would double check the alcohol limits on checked baggage, too.
 
smittytabb

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
PainCorp said:
When I went to Hawaii I bought 4.75L of Vodka that's distilled on Hawaii. Had UPS package it once I realized I had been given incorrect information about shipping it back. Luckily the most you can check is 5L, so I just made it. TSA inspected it, but all the bottles made it through. I would double check the alcohol limits on checked baggage, too.
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5L
 
lancemahn

lancemahn

Level 2 Member
On a side note consider seeing if the brewery offers a traditional 1 litre mug. These are often available, and then, he'll have the memory when the beer is gone too... ;-)
I had done a 4 month stint backpacking out of high school and started offering guidance to folks who were interested in following a similar adventure. One of the couples bought one back for me and it was one of the coolest things to do. I was traveling too light to do it myself when i was there. FWIW.
L
 
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