As we approach the Fifth Anniversary of the Fellowship of the Drink (FotD), I am honored to host the 26th running of this esteemed event. No prize at all will be conferred to the person who decodes the meaning of the name of this particular iteration (but I’ll be interested to see how quickly it happens.)
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.
Here are ALL the previous rounds so you can see how this works (and some of the cool names):
If you’re interested in participating:
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:
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.
Here are ALL 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 V: The Fellowship Drinks Bock
- Fellowship of the Drink VI: All Crying Samwise’s will be Flogged
- Fellowship of the Drink VII: The Drinkers Awaken
- Fellowship of the Drink VIII: The Battle of the Brewers
- Fellowship of the Drink IX: Falling Down
- Fellowship of the Drink X: The Beer Drinkers Guide to the Galaxy
- Fellowship of the Drink XI: Lunar Landings
- Fellowship of the Drink XII: The Bad News Beers
- Fellowship of the Drink XIII: Nightmare on Doug Street
- Fellowship of the Drink XIV: Shipping with the Enemy
- Fellowship Of The Drink XV: Flight Club
- Fellowship of the Drink XVI: No more yankie my wankie. The Donger need beer!
- Fellowship of the Drink XVII: The Hazy Sour Adjunct Stout Project
- Fellowship of the Drink XVIII - XVIII and Life
- Fellowship of the Drink XIX - Beers at the 19th Hole
- Fellowship of the Drink XX: The Imperial Pint
- Fellowship of the Drink XXI: The Thread that is Old Enough to Drink Itself
- Fellowship of the Drink XXII: Dry Hop with a Vengeance
- Fellowship of the Drink XXIII: Support Your Local Doug
- Fellowship of the Drink XXIV: Now we have a case
- Fellowship of the Drink XXV: The Silver Anniversary
If you’re interested in participating:
- 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.
- Sunday, November 21st - Offers due (including photos & style descriptions)
- Wednesday, November 24th - Picklist & order posted
- Sunday, November 28th - Pick day! 1st pick will be 7:00 PM EST. All others will be in a 5 min interval, according to the rules above.
Last edited:
