My friends: Although late in coming, it is finally time.
I officially announce the 30th Gathering of the Fellowship of the Drink!
The FotD is a beer swap for members of the continental US to allow you to try some beers from outside your region. Every participant picks a few beers as their “offer.” Then we devise a draw order and go down the list until everyone has selected an offer to receive. If you’ve participated before, it’s good to see you again. If not, see below for the rules.
Here are some of the previous rounds so you can see how this works (and some of the cool names):
So how does it work?
On pick day, log in at your time slot to submit your pick on this thread. If you previously sent me a pick list, I’ll cover you. If you miss your window, say something in the thread when you arrive, and you can pick after the person currently picking. If you are a no-show, you will receive a randomly matched pick (or the last one, whichever applies.)
What’s in an offer?
Each offering should be:
What’s in the box?
The essential thing in the box is what you offered, but many participants also include other “extras.” It is not uncommon to receive beers not listed in the offering. Sometimes these are doubles, unique ones; sometimes, let’s face it, we are cleaning out our refrigerators.
The FotD isn’t a contest to see who can shove the most beer (or most expensive beer) in a box - whales are not required or expected. Most participants are looking to try beers they may have never known existed from small breweries local to you. Let’s think about those Untappd things.
Guidelines are just that, guidelines. Final shipments may, and many times do, exceed the offering posted. Extras are not required.
Some members have also been creative with “noisemakers.” I would never suggest that you ship prohibited items, but if you wanted your box to sound like something other than beer, the following have been used:
Rules (there must be rules)
Participants must also meet all of the following requirements:
I officially announce the 30th Gathering of the Fellowship of the Drink!
The FotD is a beer swap for members of the continental US to allow you to try some beers from outside your region. Every participant picks a few beers as their “offer.” Then we devise a draw order and go down the list until everyone has selected an offer to receive. If you’ve participated before, it’s good to see you again. If not, see below for the rules.
Here are some of the previous rounds so you can see how this works (and some of the cool names):
- Fellowship of the Drink Trading Thread– Started October 17th, 2016!!
- Fellowship of the Drink II: The Two (beer) Towers
- Fellowship of the Drink III: The Return of the (beer) kings
- Fellowship of the Drink IV: I’m out of Lord of the Rings Puns
- ...
- Fellowship of the Drink XXV: The Silver Anniversary
- Fellowship of the Drink XXVI: Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote
- Fellowship of the Drink XXVII: welcome to the Club
- Fellowship of the Drink XXVIII: Skol
So how does it work?
- Post your interest in this thread! I will keep a list of the interested people (please also see the "Rules" below for eligibility)
- Make sure you are confirmed
- Go shopping for beer! (see "What's in an offer" and "What's in the box" below)
- After I have confirmed your entry, but before the “Offer Due” date, PM me a photo of your offering along with a link to something like Beer Advocate/Ratebeer/Untappd for each beer so that others can get an idea of what they are choosing
- Wait patiently for the offer list to be posted. A few days before the drawing, I will post a complete list of all the offerings and photos
- When I post the offerings, I will use a randomizer to create a drawing order. I will post a time for each participant that you are “On the Clock” with five minutes between participants
- Be here the night of the pick!
- Contact the person who picked you for shipping details
- Ship!
- Wait for your care package
- Enjoy it responsibly, and post a pic if you like
On pick day, log in at your time slot to submit your pick on this thread. If you previously sent me a pick list, I’ll cover you. If you miss your window, say something in the thread when you arrive, and you can pick after the person currently picking. If you are a no-show, you will receive a randomly matched pick (or the last one, whichever applies.)
What’s in an offer?
Each offering should be:
- At least 3-6 cans or bottles of commercial beer. Preferably, these will be local to the sender (or otherwise not widely distributed) but please - no more than 86 oz total in the pictured offer.
- At least one non-beer item: glassware, stickers, koozies, etc. Get creative!
What’s in the box?
The essential thing in the box is what you offered, but many participants also include other “extras.” It is not uncommon to receive beers not listed in the offering. Sometimes these are doubles, unique ones; sometimes, let’s face it, we are cleaning out our refrigerators.
The FotD isn’t a contest to see who can shove the most beer (or most expensive beer) in a box - whales are not required or expected. Most participants are looking to try beers they may have never known existed from small breweries local to you. Let’s think about those Untappd things.
Guidelines are just that, guidelines. Final shipments may, and many times do, exceed the offering posted. Extras are not required.
Some members have also been creative with “noisemakers.” I would never suggest that you ship prohibited items, but if you wanted your box to sound like something other than beer, the following have been used:
- Hard candy
- Coins
- Rice
- Beans
Rules (there must be rules)
Participants must also meet all of the following requirements:
- Continental US resident of legal drinking age
- An HBT member for at least six months
- An active participant in the community (based on iTrader rating/activity, recent post count, participation in previous beer swaps, etc.)
- ... or have been (or are vouched by) a previous FotD participant.
- Tuesday, December 5th- Offers due (including photos & style descriptions)
- Thursday, December 7th- Offers and Pick Order posted.
- Sunday, December 10th- Pick day! 1st pick will be around 7:00 PM EST. All others will be in a 5 min interval, according to the rules above.
