The best way to end the day is to sit back, relax, and pop open a bottle of beer straight from the fridge. But before your drink arrives at your home, did you know that brewery owners must overcome numerous hurdles just to ship beer successfully? In fact, it’s said that beer is notorious for demanding more care when it comes to delivery and logistics compared to other products.
On the surface, shipping a truckload of beer seems easy, considering all that’s needed to be done is get it from Point A to Point B. Although, its sensitivity to changes in temperature puts a damper on that plan. Moreover, continuous movement can easily damage the beer’s containers – be it cans or bottles – thus, causing them to leak into the rest of the packages.
Despite how tragic these incidents are, each and every single one of them become a stepping stone for brewery owners to perfect an effective strategy when shipping out beer. And it’s as follows:
Whichever container you choose will determine how well the beer withstands its condition. With that in mind, picking its packaging material must be taken seriously. Otherwise, it might compromise its drinkability. Luckily, you don’t need anything overly complicated; a simple cardboard box will do.
But knowing the cardboard box’s dimensions, simply packing beer inside still leaves it wide open to getting jostled around or crushed by other packages. If you want to double its security, put the beer in another container before settling with a cardboard box, preferably a plastic bin or a cooler. To push it to the next level, ensure you hide it in three cardboard boxes. This way, outside elements have to get past multiple layers before reaching the beer.
Although there are already layers of containers surrounding the beer, small breweries oftentimes make the error of relying on them completely when it comes to shipping. Because little do they know, these layers won’t be used if additional safety precautions weren’t included. One of these measures is to wrap up the beer completely.
Small businesses must be thorough in wrapping each beer in multiple layers. Roll them in bubble wrap and put each one inside small Ziploc bags. Ideally, when talking about bubble wraps and beer, it’s best to use a self-cling to keep everything in place. Remember to keep the sticky side out to make it happen.
Those who think this is enough are sorely mistaken. Because aside from bubble wrap and Ziploc bags, put the wrapped package in a trash bag. Then, ensure it’s tied securely before lowering the wrapped-up beer into its containers. Although, that many layers are only applicable to glass bottles. Otherwise, beer cans or ones that are in plastic bottles might burst.
Once you secure the box to seal any potential openings, ensure the beer is stacked properly with the rest of the packages inside the storage unit. After all, more boxes of beer are expected to fill up the unit. Although, if a small brewery placed the order, the number of beers would be far less than what a full-fledged brewery ships out. Thus, all sorts of packages will be right next to the beer.
Be mindful of how the packages are organized. Ensure that the beer packages are always placed on top if other bigger and heavier packages are included in the shipment. Tie them up to keep them all stationary. Your preferred transport partner can help you with that.
As you might’ve noticed, multiple layers cover the beer for a single purpose: to prevent it from moving so much. After all, the more space there is, the more likely it will move around and break. To keep that from happening, fill the excess space with fillers, such as packing peanuts or pillows. Keep each beer separated from one another inside the package. This way, it cushions every single beer and stops them from damaging each other when there’s movement.
Now that the packaging material is taken care of, next on the list is the rest of the details you must smooth out first, such as shipping methods and labeling. On the bright side, there are only two shipping methods available, namely traditional and online carriers.
Traditional carriers utilize the postal service, thus, giving you more shipping options. If available, choose ‘ground’ shipping—or by boat if it’s delivered overseas. Changes in altitude result in differences in pressure and temperature, which are some beverages' worst enemies.
Aside from shipping methods, always remember to label your beer package properly. Considering its delicate nature, it’s easy to identify it as a ‘fragile good.’ Although, if you’re planning to have it shipped internationally, it’s highly recommended you have a license on hand. After all, transporting liquid products sensitive to the environment pushes them from ‘fragile’ into ‘dangerous goods.’
Many brewery owners have struggled in shipping out their beer for far too long, especially those who run small businesses. But after countless trials and errors, they’ve created strategies that complement their package needs. Although they’re not enough to eliminate breakage, they prevent most packages from getting compromised and ruining the rest of the shipment.
