When it comes to celebrating or ringing in the good times, there are few beverages more appropriate than a good beer. You love beer, and there's a very good chance that your friends and family love beer just as much or even more than you do.
But how can you celebrate in style when they're located in a different city, or even a different state? Transporting beer safely and legally can be a bigger challenge than one might expect. After all, not only do you want your beer to arrive in one piece (nothing sadder than a broken beer bottle in the mail, plus it is illegal to send through the standard postal service) you also want it to be as presentable as it was when it last left your own sight.
It's All About The Packaging
There are many reasons why you may want to send a thoughtful beer-laden gift basket to someone you love. Birthdays and holidays are obvious ones, but such baskets can also be a great surprise for anyone who's just received a promotion, graduated school, or who might just need a good pick-me-up.
The main threat to this wonderful gift is your gift basket not making it into their home or apartment in one piece. This is the worst case scenario: a soggy box, broken glass, and no beer to be able to enjoy.
The main way to prevent this? You guessed it. Proper packaging technique.
Grab A Garbage Bag
Your first line of defense against potential spills, leaks, and breaks is a trusty garbage bag from under the sink. Without garbage bag protection, one bad bottle in your batch has the ability to ruin the whole bunch.
All it takes is for one single bottle to leak or break to get your box soaked. And once the cardboard is wet, you can bet that it won't be able to hold the weight of your magnificent gift basket. That means it's only a matter of time before the whole gang goes spilling out on the concrete.
Lining your box just as you would a garbage can helps to protect the cardboard material from any potential spillage. In an ideal world, there will be no leaks period, but it's always good to prepare for the worst case scenario.
If you don't like the appearance of a garbage bag as part of your shipment, you can swap it out for another box of the same size. Two layers of cardboard should be enough to stand up to most leaks and accidental soaks.
Create A Safe Environment Inside The Box
Now that you've laid out a safety net inside your box, it's time to make sure that worst case scenario doesn't become a reality. The goal here to prepare your box so that nothing will cause a bottle to break or leak.
Snail mail carriers aren't always gentle, so you have your work cut out for you.
The best bet? Get some bubble wrap. You might already have some at your house or you might need to run to the corner store. Either way, there's no better material when it comes to packaging a beer gift basket.
You'll line each side and the top and bottom of the basket with bubble wrap. This helps to ensure that when your box inevitably gets tossed around, your bottles won't make a direct impact with a hard surface.
If you really can't get your hands on bubble wrap, some crumpled newspaper might be able to suffice as a replacement. But you can't really beat the reliability that bubble wrap brings to the table.
Consider Wrapping Each Individual Bottle
Even with bubble wrap around each side of your box, your beet bottles are still at risk of a fairly serious collision. The best way to prevent this is to wrap each bottle individually. If you do this, you've ensured that your bottles will have a great shot at making it to their destination in one piece.
The place where a beer bottle is going to be most vulnerable is the neck. As the skinniest part of the bottle, it's most at risk for breaking or snapping. How you wrap the beer is up to you. The easiest way, since you already have bubble wrap on hand, is to wrap them a few times around with the material. You can then use a rubber band to keep the wrap in place.
You can also wrap them in a thick amount of newspaper, or purchase some of the wine sleeves they have available in various outlets. It's less important exactly how you pack a beer bottle, but it's deadly important how well packed it is.
Looking at your prep job after you've finished. If you dropped the bottle to the ground, would it remain in one piece? That's the kind of sturdy protection you should be aspiring towards.
When you place the bottle in the box itself, make sure everything is sealed up and tight. The less loose room you have, the less chance of a bottle gaining momentum and crashing into something.
How To Ship Beer Gift Baskets
When it comes to giving a gift, there are few things more rewarding and challenging than a beer gift basket. It can be difficult to figure out how to ship beer through the standard mail system, especially with a complex legal system from state to state for consumers.
Want someone to take care of all that hard work for you? Check out some of the beer gift baskets that we have on sale.
