Untappd,Beer Advocate,and Beer Menus

Technology has reached into every part of

modern life, it seems, and the world of beer is

no exception.

There are countless apps, sites, and online

communities surrounding the craft

beer scene.

Some are great, practically essential to me – others, not

so much.

There are three that are very popular, at least

here in the northeast – Untappd, Beer Advocate,

and Beer Menus.

Each has a specific purpose, something

that sets it apart from the rest of the

herd.

This is a quick rundown for the

initiated.

Get ready to create some accounts!

Untappd

I use Untappd all the time.

This app and website has a list of

every beer ever produced.

You use the app to ‘check in’ beers that

you drink.

You can rate them, take a picture, and write a description.

It serves as a catalogue of the beers you’ve tried, what you thought of them, and beers you want to try.

What’s more, you can become friends with

other beer enthusiasts and see what they’re

drinking.

I often find myself commenting and

liking the check-ins of friends.

The app is very, very well built, and

has a lot of functionality – too much to go into in

full.

If you use no other technology for your beer hobby, make it

Untappd.

Beer Advocate

Beer Advocate is a magazine and

website devoted to beer.

Where it really shines is it’s online community of beer

nerds.

And these are beer nerds.

People come here for a higher quality and more in-depth discussion about

beer.

They have an advanced rating algorithm, with users expected to rate beers on a variety of

factors individually, adding up to an overall rating.

The forums are very active, and full of great info and advice…as well

as some of the negativity so often found on the

internet.

I use Beer Advocate as a casual resource when I want

to know more about a beer or see what the real beer nerds are talking about, but I don’t get too involved in the forum.

Beer Menus

This website is very simply about

delivering listings of what beers are

being sold where.

Users can edit beer lists, or owners of bars & beer stores can update their

own lists.

There is check-in functionality, but

the site is relatively shoddy.

Here in Long Island, however, most establishments

maintain accounts.

The best feature of the site is being

able to search for a specific beer in the

area.

I hope that one day this feature will be

available on Untappd – one less

login to worry about.

Untappd,Beer Advocate,and Beer Menus