[davejg]

Hello all,

I will be attending a wedding next month for a cousin of mine that I've been stockpiling beer for.  I will be traveling from North Carolina to New York, and I cannot find any rules or regulations as to if I can bring home brew with me.  I am trying to cover all bases so I figured I would ask here.

Does anyone know of any rules about crossing state lines with home brew?  Thank you for your time and attention.  =D


Dave

[theoman]

As long as it's in your checked luggage and under the weight limit, there shouldn't be a problem.

[Pinski]

I never would have given it a second thought. However, considering that it just became "re-legalized" to transport homebrew IN Oregon (thanks to Denny and others!), it might be a good idea to find out for sure, particularly if you like to exceed the posted speed limits. Sucks that you even have to worry about it as long as it's packaged. Safe travels.

[thomasbarnes]

If you're going to be traveling by air, you've got something of a paradox. On the on hand, you'll want to package the hell out of your brew to keep the baggage apes from smashing it, on the other hand, you'll want to make it easy for the security people to identify and/or inspect. If you can afford it, it might be worth packaging it like you were going to enter it in competition and shipping it separately.

If you're going to be traveling by car, just make sure that the beer is kept cool and that anything that could be interpreted as an "open container" (e.g., kegs, grolsch bottles) by overzealous law enforcers is hidden away in the trunk of your car.

[davejg]

Thanks for the input so far everyone.  I am driving up, would never think of bringing it through an Airline.  I plan on keeping the cases in the trunk, and all that other jazz, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any laws off the top of their head governing crossing state lines with alcohol, specifically home brew.

I know that North Carolina has some pretty inane laws concerning importing alcohol, but I'm also under the impression that home brew is/could be treated differently.

So many odd laws out there that checking before doing is the safest route to take; CYA as they say.  Thanks again everyone!


Dave

[Hokerer]

Technically, you can only bring one gallon into Virginia...

Importing Alcoholic Beverages

No more than one gallon of alcoholic beverages (or the metric equivalent) may be brought into Virginia from outside the Commonwealth, excepting shipments to the commission or its licensees, or new residents under special permits.

Anyone who transports more than such quantity of alcoholic beverages per adult in possession of the bonafide owner may be arrested, fined up to $2,500, and sentenced to a year in jail. In addition, the vehicle involved may be impounded and confiscated.

Alcoholic beverages includes wine, beer, or distilled spirits. This restriction applies not only to those alcoholic beverages brought into Virginia from other states or the District of Columbia, but also from defense installations.


...from http://www.abc.virginia.gov/enforce/shippinginfo.html

[scooter2374]

Technically, you can only bring one gallon into Virginia...

Importing Alcoholic Beverages

No more than one gallon of alcoholic beverages (or the metric equivalent) may be brought into Virginia from outside the Commonwealth, excepting shipments to the commission or its licensees, or new residents under special permits.

Anyone who transports more than such quantity of alcoholic beverages per adult in possession of the bonafide owner may be arrested, fined up to $2,500, and sentenced to a year in jail. In addition, the vehicle involved may be impounded and confiscated.

Alcoholic beverages includes wine, beer, or distilled spirits. This restriction applies not only to those alcoholic beverages brought into Virginia from other states or the District of Columbia, but also from defense installations.


...from http://www.abc.virginia.gov/enforce/shippinginfo.html

Ouch, I guess they take that stuff seriously in VA

[davejg]

Technically, you can only bring one gallon into Virginia...

Importing Alcoholic Beverages

No more than one gallon of alcoholic beverages (or the metric equivalent) may be brought into Virginia from outside the Commonwealth, excepting shipments to the commission or its licensees, or new residents under special permits.

Anyone who transports more than such quantity of alcoholic beverages per adult in possession of the bonafide owner may be arrested, fined up to $2,500, and sentenced to a year in jail. In addition, the vehicle involved may be impounded and confiscated.

Alcoholic beverages includes wine, beer, or distilled spirits. This restriction applies not only to those alcoholic beverages brought into Virginia from other states or the District of Columbia, but also from defense installations.


...from http://www.abc.virginia.gov/enforce/shippinginfo.html

That is what I'm looking for, and figured one of the few states would have something to impede me lol...Figure a case of beer is 2.25 gallons that really is not that much beer.

Thanks for the information hokerer, and it looks like I have myself a lot of beer to consume locally lol


Dave

[tschmidlin]

Frankly this is not something I would worry about at all.  Even if they stopped you, and even if they checked the trunk and found it, they would have to first - suspect it was illegal, second - care (which most probably don't), and third - prove that you brought it in from out of state and didn't get it there.

If you are just honest with them and tell then it is homebrew that you are taking to your cousin I can't imagine that they would be all that interested.  But I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not you, so do what you are comfortable with.

[rabid_dingo]

Frankly this is not something I would worry about at all.  Even if they stopped you, and even if they checked the trunk and found it, they would have to first - suspect it was illegal, second - care (which most probably don't), and third - prove that you brought it in from out of state and didn't get it there.

If you are just honest with them and tell then it is homebrew that you are taking to your cousin I can't imagine that they would be all that interested.  But I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not you, so do what you are comfortable with.

That would be my philosophy on it. Especially on the ground. Just don't give them a reason to pull you over...

[Kit B]

I know this is a pretty strange suggestion, but what if you contacted them for a permit to cross through VA with your brew?

[phillamb168]

I've got a couple of 9,7 liter cornys I was thinking of bringing with me to the US. Think they'd have a problem with that? Has anyone ever flown with full kegs before?

[hubie]

Ouch, I guess they take that stuff seriously in VA

I recall (about 25 years ago) that DC raised issue with VA over this.  At the DC end of the Key Bridge there was a liquor store (Dixie Liquors).  The VA cops (don't recall if they were State or local) would sit on the VA side of the bridge with a telescope watching people come out of the liquor store.  When they drove over the bridge they would pull them over and fine them for bootlegging if they had more than a gallon with them.  The VA stores were State-run and had higher costs. 

[tschmidlin]

I've got a couple of 9,7 liter cornys I was thinking of bringing with me to the US. Think they'd have a problem with that? Has anyone ever flown with full kegs before?

As far as I know they won't let you bring them on the plane if they are pressurized.  I'd get it in writing from the airline ahead of time if I were you.

[Slowbrew]

Ouch, I guess they take that stuff seriously in VA

I recall (about 25 years ago) that DC raised issue with VA over this.  At the DC end of the Key Bridge there was a liquor store (Dixie Liquors).  The VA cops (don't recall if they were State or local) would sit on the VA side of the bridge with a telescope watching people come out of the liquor store.  When they drove over the bridge they would pull them over and fine them for bootlegging if they had more than a gallon with them.  The VA stores were State-run and had higher costs. 

VA isn't the only place the local Blue gets a bit picky.  I know a priest from Sioux City, IA who found a liquor store across the river in North Sioux City, SD where he could get the wine for his parish for quite a bit less.  Ever 6 months or so he'd drive over and pickup 10 gallons or so and drive back.  The Iowa cops busted him one day and threatened to throw the book at him.  The cops had been tipped off by the previous wine supplier (who just happened to the a cop's brother-in-law).

Paul