Shipping Lambic

This article is meant to clarify several technical concerns about the shipping of lambic. It is not meant to be exhaustive, nor does following the advice here guarantee safe shipping under all conditions. Additional information is given in the Further Reading section on the specifics of packaging and shipping.

Shipping lambic in inclement weather

With the proliferation of beer trading and online lambic sales, an increasing amount of lambic is being shipped around the world, often in less-than-ideal temperature conditions. However, as shipping times are usually less than a month, the exposure to extreme temperatures is minimized, leading the primary concerns to be freezing and exposure to fairly extreme heat that can cause acute effects on the beer.

Shipping in cold temperatures

Lambic, at ~5% alcohol and ~0.75% residual sugars by weight (assuming an OG of 1.050 and an apparent attenuation of 85%) [1][2][3][4] will freeze around -2 C/28° F [5] (due to the high molar mass of any sugar compared to ethanol and the low concentrations of residual sugars in lambic, we can approximate lambic as just an ethanol-water mix). If the low temperature anywhere on the shipping path will not go below this temperature, the lambic will not freeze. If it does go below -2 C/28° F along the path, the lambic may still not freeze, as it will take prolonged exposure before the beer is cooled to the freezing point. Freezing a significant portion of the beer will take even longer, as the enthalpy of fusion for water is very high.

Most packaging used in shipping (styrofoam, bubble wrap, etc.) also double as good insulators, which will serve to dampen any changes in temperature outside the box. Thus, if the daily temperature varies between 10 C/50 F during the day and -7 C/20° F at night, the beer in the box will likely remain closer to 7 C/45° F and is unlikely to freeze.

Hot packs are not recommended as a solution, as they may create hot spots (see the shipping in hot temperatures section below) and will likely stop producing heat long before the beers arrive at their destination. More complex solutions like themostatic electric blankets might work, or you could just be patient and wait for spring. Up to you.

Any shipping where the temperature may go below freezing should be done at your peril, but if the average temperature is well above freezing or the time spent in the cold area is expected to be low, most lambic will likely survive the trip unscathed.

Shipping in hot temperatures

High temperatures may also be very detrimental to lambic, though the short period of exposure during shipping will reduce its impact. The most pressing concern is usually cork leakage and bottles exploding. The solubility of CO₂ in water goes down as temperature goes up, which can nearly double the pressure in the bottle from 10 C/50° F to 43 C/110° F [6]. As gueuze may be up to 5 volumes of CO₂ and the bottles they are usually bottled in are rated to a pressure equivalent to ~7 volumes at 25 C/77° F, a doubling of pressure may considerably exceed the rated pressure in the bottle. High temperatures may also increase the production of CO₂ by any active yeast present, though whether it will cause more CO₂ to be produced than would be eventually without exposure to heat is unlikely.

Bacteria and yeasts are unlikely to be killed outright by temperatures below 38 C/100° F, though the ecosystem may be perturbed by temperatures over 27 C/80° F and any active yeasts and bacteria may be stressed, causing some off-flavors [7]. In May 2009, the thermostat at 3 Fonteinen failed, causing a large number bottles to be exposed to temperatures exceeding 60 C/ 140° F. Approximately 16% of the 80,000 bottles exploded, and most of the rest of the gueuze were deemed unusable and were distilled into an eau de vie called Armand’Spirit. However, some of the surviving bottles of kriek were released and are were warmly received by the beer community[8]. See the 3 Fonteinen and the 3 Fonteinen Oude Kriek pages for more information. Prior to this, the exceptionally warm summer of 1949 caused over 3 million bottles of lambic to be lost.[9]

The insulating effects of packaging will have a similar dampening effect on the bottle temperatures in hot weather as in cold weather.

Post-shipping

Allowing the lambic to cool or warm at cellar temperature (7-13 C/45°-55° F) for at least 48 hours after arrival is recommended to allow the yeast to settle and to prevent foaming on opening. Longer periods are recommended for older lambic which may contain more sediment than younger lambic, with up to two weeks needed for complete settling.

Legality of shipping lambic

As an alcoholic beverage, the legality of shipping lambic varies by jurisdiction. Please consult an expert or your shipping company for more information. Lambic.info is not a source of legal advice.

Further reading

Here are a few how-to references and material sources for packaging and shipping beer:

Ratebeer's guide to trading and packaging[10]

A very in-depth look at packaging methodology[11]

A common and well-tested extra safe way to package bottles for shipping[12]

Standard styroshippers for various bottle sizes types[13]