FotHB XVIII: In Memory of @aharri1 [RIP]

[TwistedGray]

Welcome to the FotHB Society...membership dues are payable to @ThirstyPawsHB (formerly known as @Pianoman) and @TwistedGray.

How to become a member of our super secret, public, everyone is invited (well...kinda) society of FotHB traders:
1. Review the previous FotHB threads - linked at the bottom.
2. Express your interest in this thread.
3. Have four beer styles in bottles, kegs, fermenters, or otherwise in the immediate works. If you have only a single style of beer in your inventory, you have some catching up to do.
4. Send a private message to me including descriptions of your homebrew offerings (see previous FotHB rounds).
5. If you are not going to be around for the pick date/time, send me an ordered pick list so that I can pick on your behalf.
6. On pick day, submit your pick during your designated time slot. If you have sent me a pick list I'll cover you.
7. If you show up late on draft day, you haven’t submitted a pick list, and your position has been passed over, you will be the next in line after whoever the current picker is. (Example: You were pick #2 but you show up during #6's pick...you will get to pick #7, then it resumes the picking order.)
8. If you completely forget and do not show up on draft day, it will become a first-come-first-serve free-for-all.

Rules! There must be rules!
- Continental US residents only
- Must be of legal drinking age
- Participants must have at least 1 iTrader rating, of course 100% positive; otherwise, just PM me your mail trading experience. Newbies are welcomed but must be vetted by their peers. It’s best if a current or former participant can vouch for you.
- All participants are expected to leave feedback on iTrader once their package is received.
- All other matters fall under General Rule 1: Don’t be a jerk.
- If you win the coveted #1 pick position that means you will host the next FotHB

Note: If you have not shipped beer before and have no one vouching for you, check out the Local Only Trade thread and get involved there first. You can get iTrader feedback in time to get involved in this round of FotHB; just be snappy about it. OR offer a trade in this thread; most of us are interested in small trades to help HBT members get involved.

Offer guidelines
- Minimum offerings are 4-12oz bottles of your homebrew: ANY beer style, along with ciders, meads, hard lemonades, sours, etc.
- If possible, 4 different styles are preferred. One style is not enough, but <4 might be allowed depending on group consensus.
- Be willing to share recipes and explain your brewing techniques to those who request.
- Be willing to give constructive and useful feedback (if requested) on the homebrew you receive.
- Guidelines are just that, guidelines. Shipments often exceed the offering posted. Extras are not required and should not be expected. You should be OK with receiving the offer as posted.

Important Dates and Times
September 1st - Offers due
September 1st/2nd - List of offers, pick order, and pick times posted once all orders are in
September 4th - Pick Day! First pick is at 5pm PST (8PM EST)
Time is subject to change - follow the thread for latest information as this post will become non-editable

Timeline is subject to change, depending on feedback from participants.

Caution: we have had a number of members forget the dates and times; put it in your Google Calendar and/or set reminders.

The pick order will be determined by an online list randomizer.

What happens on pick day
- The first picker will have five minutes to make their selection.
- The second picker will have up to five minutes to make their selection.
- Rinse and repeat until all members have chosen (see notes above about late arrivals, no-shows, etc.).
- There will be a timeline provided by the OP (me) that includes pauses in order to update the available offers, let people catch up, etc.

Past FOTHBs REVIEW THESE THREADS IF YOU’RE NEW TO FOTHB
FotHB I: The Hops are Strong with This One
FotHB II: May the Malt be with You
FotHB III: Coatee-cha Tu Yub Nub
FotHB IV: Trying to Catch Me Brewin' Dirty
FotHB V: KNO3 + S8 + C7H40
FotHB VI: Let Doug and Mark Get Their Own from Now On
FotHB VII: Kegs of Fury
FotHB VIII: I Drink and I Know Things
FotHB IX: Better Bring Beer Because Birthday Boys' Bellies Be Bone-dry
FotHB X: Thou Shalt Enjoy the Homebrew and Hangover
FotHB XI: Stay Home, Stay Safe, Drink Up, and Brew On!
FotHB XII: The Purge
FotHB XIII: Never Give Up, Never Surrender!
FotHB XIV: Lambic Pentameter
FotHB XV: Cupid's Buttplug
FotHB XVI: Fireworks & Beer, What Could Go Wrong?

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Wish I had gotten to trade with @aharri1 before his untimely passing....RIP Buddy. I'm in on this one as I missed the last one. Should have some decent choices with a few others coming down the pipe as well.

 

[Dgallo]

I’m in! Very fitting name for this round, RIP

 

[RCope]

I'm in. I had the privilege of trading with Austin in 2020. Only the good die young! His beers were excellent and often interesting (Blueberry Chocolate Sour, anyone? I'm sure @DrGMG remembers that one...

 

[wepeeler]

I traded a few times and had a few good private conversations with him. Good dude.

I'm in.

 

[BrewMan13]

I sent him beers (in the first FOTHB I participated in), but never tried his. Nice tribute to him for this round. Anyway, I'll give it a bit before I fully commit, but I'm most likely going to be in.

 

[3 Dawg Night]

I'm in!

 

[fourfarthing]

In

 

[TwistedGray]

I'm in!

Offer received

 

[duncan.brown]

Great guy. Austin picked me in the last round of FOTD. I'm glad he was able to enjoy some Central New York beers before he passed.

I'm in. Might need to step up some brews as I only have three on tap right now.

 

[duncan.brown]

Also tagging folks from the last round of FOTD

@orionol73
@Thorrak
@LBussy
@MajorJC
@jerbrew
@pshankstar
@BAF

 

[pshankstar]

Also tagging folks from the last round of FOTD

@orionol73
@Thorrak
@LBussy
@MajorJC
@jerbrew
@pshankstar
@BAF

I would love to participate but I haven’t been able to brew beer this year with the new job.
@aharri1 (Austin) was a great friend to know around here!

 

[TwistedGray]

I’m in! Very fitting name for this round, RIP

Offer received

 

[Dgallo]

let’s go people. This round offers are due 9/1… I haven’t seen @TwistedGray posting that he’s received peoples offers. Let’s get those offers in lol

 

[TwistedGray]

In

offer received

 

[TwistedGray]

let’s go people. This round offers are due 9/1… I haven’t seen @TwistedGray posting that he’s received peoples offers. Let’s get those offers in lol

I've been individually quoting

We might have to push the date out as there are only three received offers (not including myself).

 

[TwistedGray]

@3 Dawg Night
@Dgallo
@fourfarthing
@TwistedGray

Offers received from these four...I am not sure what we should do as a minimum number of participants, but four seems a bit limited, lol.

 

[Noob_Brewer]

@3 Dawg Night
@Dgallo
@fourfarthing
@TwistedGray

Offers received from these four...I am not sure what we should do as a minimum number of participants, but four seems a bit limited, lol.

I will be getting my offer in ON TIME. but just because of @Dgallo nudge, I will take the fully alotted 6 more days lol.

 

[BrewMan13]

He nudged me in person recently, lol. I've got plenty of beer in the pipeline, just had a lot of stuff going on IRL, and I need to figure out what should be in the offer. Will probably wait until the last day

 

[TwistedGray]

@3 Dawg Night
@Dgallo
@fourfarthing
@TwistedGray

Offers received from these four...I am not sure what we should do as a minimum number of participants, but four seems a bit limited, lol.

Offers also received from @wepeeler and @RCope

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I will get mine in tonight when I have the chance to sit down and write them out

 

[wepeeler]

Just a quick thought: Could we push pick day to Tues Sept 5th? Monday is Labor Day, and I'm sure some people have stuff/parties going on.

 

[TwistedGray]

A slight change in schedule, as requested:
September 1st - Offers due
September 3rd - List of offers, pick order, and pick times posted (in the PM)
September 5th - Pick Day! First pick is at 5pm PST (8PM EST)

^ Happy Birthday Pick Day for me!!! Toast a HB for me on Tuesday

 

[wepeeler]

Cool. I'll probably still forget LOL

 

[Noob_Brewer]

@TwistedGray offer in!

Edit: just updated it as I forgot to add an entry lol

 

[TwistedGray]

Offers in from:
@Noob_Brewer
@wepeeler
@RCope
@3 Dawg Night
@Dgallo
@fourfarthing
@TwistedGray

 

[BrewMan13]

Sent my offer in this morning.

 

[TwistedGray]

Received @BrewMan13

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Honestly, although there are only 8 entries in this time around, Ive always seen solid beers from the group. Don't think we will be able to go wrong with a pick.

 

[TwistedGray]

I'm glad it's coming together

 

[TwistedGray]

@3 Dawg Night

Honeymoon Suite
Tropical Stout
5.9% ABV, 46 IBU, 47 SRM
Citra & Motueka hops. This one was brewed last year. It has changed over time, but it's still a good, roasty stout.

Tormado
American Amber Ale
6.1% ABV, 37 IBU, 14 SRM
Centennial hops. Malt-oriented amber. This is my own recipe based on analysis of NHC winners over the past few years. I'll be interested to hear your comments on this beer, to see if they gel with my observations.

Goldilocks
Oatmeal Stout
5.5% ABV, 35 IBU, 50 SRM
EKG & Northern Brewer hops. Recipe is based on a recent NHC winner. It didn't ferment out as much as I expected, but it didn't turn out overly sweet. Smooth and roasty.

Want of Wit
Witbier
5.1% ABV, 21 IBU, 4 SRM
Pacific Jade hops. No "extras" (e.g., citrus peel, coriander) but the Pacific Jade gives it a citrusy, peppery flavor by itself.


@Dgallo

1 - The Darkness Within (black wax) - 8 month bourbon barrel aged 14.1% imperial stout

1 - The Darkness Within (pink wax) - 8 month bourbon barrel aged 14.1% imperial stout finished on Tahitian Vanilla and coconut

1 - ESB - Traditional ESB at 5.8% abv

2 - Divinity - double hazy ipa at 8.2% whirlpooled with Simcoe cryo and Nelson and Dryhopped with 100% Nelson

1 - Josephine - a 6.1% wild ale fermented with my house culture, aged on lavender blossoms and dryhoped with Strata hops

2 - Swetter Wetter - 7.6% cold ipa utilizing solely my wet homegrown cascade, Columbus, and cashmere hops

Depending on timing, 2 additional wild/farmhouse style mix cultures could be ready if they are stable in time


@wepeeler

Kolsch - Fantastic! Floral and crispy! Tettnang + Omega Kolsh 2
German Pilsner - Tastes more like an American Pils at the moment. Needs to lager! Hallertau Mittelfruh + Tettnang 34/70
Festbier - Pilsner, Vienna, Munich. Tettnang hops. 34/70
NEIPA - if I can find the time to brew it. Should be able to get one going next week. Most likely going to be Citra, Simcoe, Cascade + Coastal Haze.
Possibly a Hefe, depending how long it lasts. Banana and cloves! Oh my! Wyeast 3608
Oh, and an Altbier I should be kegging next week


@RCope

Hop Freezer WCIPA 5.9% 60 ibus
Southern Cross, Strata, HBC 586

Vienna Lager 5.7% 32 ibus
H. Mitt and Saaz

"Citra Ass Down" Cold IPA 6.8% 72 ibus
CTZ, Nectaron, Citra Hop Hash

Prickly Pear Wheat 6.1% 29 ibus
Harlequin, Nectaron

Screaming Devil NEIPA 6.9% 28 ibus
Riwaka, Strata, Vic Secret, Lupo Amarillo

Probably a couple more...Cheers!


@Noob_Brewer

Doppelbock - 9.5% - Nice maltiness and body with dark fruit character (cherry/plum). Kegged in January and been lagering ever since.

Dunkles Bock - 7.4% - Malty, semi-dark fruit character with a touch of malty toast, more sessionable than the doppelbock.

Saison - 7.4% - Drinks like a standard strength saison despite super strength abv. Effervescent, grainy grain bill shines and backs up the nice lemon zest with clove very well. Belle Saison yeast.

Double IPA - 8.3% - This is a clear, Russian River Pliny-inspired Double IPA. Supportive malt backbone to support the hops. Note: no crystal malts were used or harmed in the production of this beer.

Belgian Dubbel - 7.3% - Nice balance between malty grain bill to support the yeast esters (Abbey Ale - WLP 530) which are straight dark cherry/plum. Yeast balances more towards fruity esters rather than spice.

Cranberry Saison - 6.0% - Same grain bill as my saison but used Farmhouse Hybrid Saison-style Lallemand yeast and added pure unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate (flash pasteurized) by Fruit Fast. Yes I cheated, but cranberries are tricky dammit!
*First 5 of these have done very well in multiple comps this year, with all 5 medaling most recently in a comp mid-August. Cranberry Saison will be kegged on 9/2 so give me a week or two for carb time before bottling and sending this to you.


@fourfarthing

Honey saison made with @LBussy shipped honey from Kansas.

Belgian Strong Dark aged on mixed culture and zante currants. Originally brewed in 2021 and probably should get rest in the bottle until next Spring.

Belgian Abbey (Single)/Pale Ale/Wheat beer. This is a frankenstein beer. Grisette grist bill, Abbey Ale yeast, about 5%. About to bottle, but if it comes out as usual, its one of my favorities.

One secret surprise Barleywine homebrew that I did not make.


@BrewMan13

English porter "In Darkness Begotten": 5.5%, 22 SRM, 38 IBU. Just this side of a brown ale. A decent amount of brown and crystal malt give it an interesting flavor. First time doing this style, but it went over very well at our brew club meeting.
Piwo Grodziskie "It's Always Sunny in Albany": 6.6%, 5 SRM, 67 IBU. I guess you could call this an "imperial" grodziskie since the style is normally 3-4%. Super light, but very smokey with a firm bitterness. Basically a SMASH with Bootleg biology grodziskie yeast blend, polish Lublin hops, and oak smoked wheat malt.
American strong ale "Get to the choppa!": 8.7%, 12 SRM, 96 IBU. Hopped basically like a DIPA with simcoe and mosaic, with a solid malt backbone. Still conditioning, so final opinion TBD.
West coast IPA "This is why I don't like "C" hops": 6.8% ABV, 67 IBU, 9 SRM: fairly heavily hopped with chinook (bittering) and cascade (whirlpool), then chinook and citra in the dryhop. Brewed for a club comp, not my usual cup of tea, but tried to make it fairly true to style.
Märzen "Hopfen & Malz": 6.3%, 10 SRM, 23 IBU. Note: *this is ear-marked for a friends' party, but I have a lot so I should be able to siphon off a couple bottles beforehand*. Super malty, always goes over very well. Basically a Munich malt bomb. Has become one of my favorites.
Imperial stout "The Darkness within" 14.1%, 63 SRM, 57 IBU: the HUGE stout I brewed with @Dgallo. Bourbon barrel aged for ~8 months; no adjuncts. I still haven't drank any of my share...yet.


@TwistedGray

Hard cider - It's my "house" cider. Pretty much keep this bottled throughout the year

Raspberry / Hibiscus Hard Cider - Similar to the above expect overloaded with tart raspberries and a fistful of hibiscus

Mexican Pumpkin Stout - A standard American Stout with several pounds of Mexican pumpkin added to the boil

(SSB) Session Saison fermented w/ Brett -

Hibiscus Saison - To me, the yeast didn't really impart a lot of saison characteristics, or the hibiscus changed that. I'm not sure...drinks more like a regular ole' hibiscus ale (still good - just not the intent)

 

[Noob_Brewer]

I stand by my previous post...although we don't have as many participants this time around as normal, Im pretty damn sure I'll be pumped to get any of these offerings.

 

[wepeeler]

I'll have some beer to send someone's way...

 

[TwistedGray]

If I get off my ass soon enough, I'll brew something else to toss in.

Need to get that pick list posted soon...I'll do that in a little bit.

 

[TwistedGray]

1. @3 Dawg Night
2. @TwistedGray
3. @wepeeler
4. @Noob_Brewer
5. @Dgallo
6. @fourfarthing
7. @RCope
8. @BrewMan13

 

[3 Dawg Night]

@BrewMan13 got my favorite spot. I hate picking first!

 

[BrewMan13]

@BrewMan13 got my favorite spot. I hate picking first!

Lol, yeah I would too. I can't imagine I'll be disappointed with any of the offerings, so we'll see where everything lands!

 

[duncan.brown]

Sorry, my mother in law had a collapsed lung so I didn't get much chance to brew the last month! She's doing fine now, but I'll have to bow out of this round.

 

[TwistedGray]

A slight change in schedule, as requested:
September 1st - Offers due
September 3rd - List of offers, pick order, and pick times posted (in the PM)
September 5th - Pick Day! First pick is at 5pm PST (8PM EST)

^ Happy Birthday Pick Day for me!!! Toast a HB for me on Tuesday

1. @3 Dawg Night
2. @TwistedGray
3. @wepeeler
4. @Noob_Brewer
5. @Dgallo
6. @fourfarthing
7. @RCope
8. @BrewMan13

View attachment 828604

SLIGHT change to tomorrow's schedule - first pick is 615pm PST. Sorry gents

We can run it earlier, if that's preferred, as well

 

[Noob_Brewer]

Sorry, my mother in law had a collapsed lung so I didn't get much chance to brew the last month! She's doing fine now, but I'll have to bow out of this round.

dude, I am sorry to hear this. Glad she is doing better now though. Brew on!