Not sure if anyone here knows the answer but… would a regular UPS-ground shipped box stay mostly nice and cold enroute in December? I shipped my first box ever yesterday and everything seems fine so far, it’s at its first stop after leaving town. Then I had kind of a horrifying realization. someone told me that some beers have to stay refrigerated 100% of the time (makes sense but I never even thought about this). There are a couple sour beers in there (the smoothie kind) That being said, it’s freezing cold in the Midwest though the beer will eventually make its way to the southeast (but even then the highest temps are 50s during the day). How worried should I be about those beers?
I'm not aware of any beer that needs to be refrigerated 100% of the time, though it's never a bad idea. From my experience, a bigger worry is the beer freezing on board the UPS truck when it's out for delivery (or sitting on the porch). This is less of a problem with higher alcohol beers, but can still be a concern depending on how cold it is outside. That being said, the likelihood of something freezing en route is pretty low, unless the delivery area is in the middle of a cold snap. Not much you can do either way at this point, but I really don't think you have much to worry about. Outside temperature is much more of a concern in summer months, especially if you happen to live in the South or Southwest. That's why many wineries will hold wine shipments in Summer until things cool off a bit. My sister lives in Arizona, and just recently received her summer and fall wine club shipments (for example).
The only beers that need to be stored cold 100% of the time are those with added components that can begin to cause fermentation in the can. This was a problem years ago with products like the “fruit smoothie” beers that have fruit added at the end. Warehouses are warm, but not warm enough to be an issue in the winter, even for those beers. In general, the beers are going to be cold the entire time.
