Mile high club? Anyone ever flown with their beer

[magnethead]

This may be a silly question, I have a trip coming up to Montreal and I'd like to take a few beers in the suitcase with me. It's about 8 hours flying time. I've heard that modern cargo holds are pressurized etc.. If I taped down the caps on a few bottles(once they have been properly crimped in place), Do you think they'd survive the trip?

The bottles wouldn't be over carbonated (I guess this would be a big factor)

I'm just interested to see if anyone has bothered, or gotton away with this before.

Thanks
Nathan

[Wildrover]

It is true that the cargo area of the plane is pressurized to the same altitude as the passenger cabin (pets wouldn't survive down there otherwise) but I believe cabins are pressurized to 10,000 ft so there will probably be an even greater area of low pressure outside the bottle as compared to inside than usual. To the extent this provokes explosion is beyond me it all probably has to do with how much you carbonated the beer.  I'm wondering though, if the canned beer I usually see on commercial flights is the result of the cans being better able to withstand the pressure than bottles or simply a cost cutting measure?  Of course, when those cans are opened the beer doesn't normally come flying out so after thinking (typing) it out, my guess is, so long as you haven't over carbonated the bottle, you should be fine. 

Getting the beer through customs?  You might have to declare it, but again, I'm not sure?

$.02

[magnethead]

Good question about the canned beer I'd say cost cutting measure knowing most airlines, plus the safety aspect of not been able to glass the pilot.

Found two articles on the net about flying with beer, Looks like quite a few people do it, only mishaps start with the bottles are broken during luggage handling time, so plenty of bubble wrap is needed.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/t-605862.html

http://ask.metafilter.com/52748/Flying-with-beer-in-your-checked-luggage

I'm going to risk it on the back of these stories, I'll post up if all go's well and the bottles don't explode upon opening at the other end.

[Beer_Tigger]

I've brought bottles to share to our dive destination (Bonaire) without trouble.  Just put the bottles in the sleeves & legs of my wetsuit to cushion them.

[88Q]

I fly regularly with my beer, albeit in my own airplane. It is NOT pressurized, and the highest I've cruised at was just under 15K, so that's way higher (read: lower pressure) than the belly of a commercial airliner.

Never had a problem. In fact, I just transported a case of Pliney the Elder from Vinnie's place (Russian River Brewing), and I have NEVER IN MY LIFE paid that much for a case of beer ($108)..... all without a problem.

hope this helps.

[magnethead]

Hi Guys,
I'm happy to say that the four bottles of Ale, arrived safely after a long flight (10 hours flying with connections) to Montreal 

NO problems at all, They were well wrapped with bubble wrap.

International beer meets are a GO