Traveling with Beer

I've travelled with beer (both in checked luggage as well as carry on) plenty of times without any problems. You might have a problem with security if you are packing unlabeled home brew (I had a friend that had it confiscated not too long after 9/11)

Bruce

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003, it was written:

Not homebrew but I've brought home a box of commercial beer in bottles on the plane before. (went to a conference in Sarasota, FL, and stopped in at World of Beer in Clearwater. box was loaded with beer and other stuff from a Caribbean grocery that we can't get here, no problems at the airport)

want to take a few bottles on my next trip.

I was once flying back to Chicago from Europe, and the person next to me brought a full 24-bottle crate of Leffe with her as carry-on. She said it was her favorite beer. The flight attendants helped her carry and stow it.

I've known some people who had problems with unlabeled, self-capped homebrew being confiscated. Who knows what evil substance they could have in those bottles? Of course, we all know it'd be easy to recap a commercial bottle, so there should be no difference, but I guess they don't pay airport security people to think.

-- Joel Plutchak | Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots

"I don't like beer. I tried it once and thought it was terrible." - Overheard at a restaurant

Never had this kind of trouble, yet qv. below...

I'll second your point... last time I flew from London to Edinbugh, the security lady threw a fit over a tiny pair of foldable scissors, of the very blunt type, I had in my jacket pocket. I tried to ram into her wee little head that her insisting I sent that back home was utterly ridiculous, and that the only thing I could decently damage with those was paper, but she held on firm to it. I then ventured further :

- BTW, you've noticed as well that my hand luggage contains a bottle of beer. Now that's a dangerous weapon...

- Erm, no, bottles are not forbidden...

- But then it can obviously be turned in seconds into a dangerous weapon... I could seriously hurt someone with that. You realise how ridiculous your double standards are ?

- I'm only doing me job sir...

- Doing your job does not dispense you from using your brain, Madam... ... and it went on on that mode for a few more minutes. Amazing logics, isn't it ? All in the name of duty-free sales !

I finally got my bottle on board of the plane, and the Ileft the scissors to this lady, arghuing that postage yould cost more than the scissors... Yet NOBODY in airport security realised I had my Swiss Army knife, along with my keys and purse (keys and coin nicely blurring the x-ray image, thanks), in the side pocket (ie on top or bottom of the x-ray image, whilst the person watching the screen tends to look in the middle...) of my hand luggage all the time. ;o>

Problem is with all this "war on terror" nonsense, security personel tend to think that applying the rules by the book is the only way they can save the world. Single-handed, of course. Bruce Willis Syndrome, anyone ? I strongly feel it's a sacred mission for any citizen to challenge this kind of crap whenever encountered. ;o)))

On the other hand, there are some security agents of a more relaxed kind... on the way back from Edinburgh to London, as I put my shoses (whose metal eyelets tend to be beep whilst crossing the metal detector) on the x-ray's conveyor belt, one of the security agents grinned and said with a wink : " I think this gentleman flies too often..." :o) Yes. It can also be done with a smile and a healthy dose of common sense.

Cheers !

Laurent