If the only reason you'd be checking luggage is because of the booze, I'd say go ahead and ship it. Carry-on to save money with the airlines, and put it towards getting the beer there safely. If you're gonna check luggage anyway, it's a toss up. Personally, I'd ship it, since it's not terribly expensive, it'll be easier to pack and protect, and the odds of it getting lost are exponentially lower than that of carry-on luggage.
Use FedEx if you do it, since that goes towards my inheritance, hahahaha...