A map/distribution feature I'd really like to see (eventually)

I'd be game to take a crack at this... if the Bros gave me cross-domain query rights

 

Interesting idea although keeping it up to date might be extremely time consuming for these guys.

 

Yeah I understand. I'm sure it would be a very good tool to have although the seekabrew is already very useful and convenient.

 

RateBeer already has essentially this exact feature if I recall correctly (I'm not really ever on there). And it doesn't work. There's not really any motivation for store owners or users to keep something like this meticulously up-to-date.

Ideally, I'd love to set up a distributor portal that is linked to the BA database where they can keep a current list of what they are distributing in the state, but I can't imagine that even 10% of them would use it. I'm open to input from anyone working in the distribution industry to tell me that I'm wrong and they'd love to maintain a current beer list, but I remain skeptical unfortunately. Plus, as stated, I'd also need the Bros on board with me hitting their database.

 

The problem with the RateBeer implementation (from what I can tell... I don't really use RB either) is that it's based on reports of what's available at a specific store, not what's distributed to a given state. I think it's pretty much identical to the old BeerSpy which used to be on BA and didn't really work, either. Distribution at a state level, though, doesn't require too many updates and probably wouldn't be that hard to maintain -- as evidenced by the aforementioned seekabrew.com and the Google spreadsheet behind it, which aren't perfect but are pretty good.

It's understandable if this doesn't get a high priority, but I definitely support the idea.

 

I completely agree with you. I was trying to correct FalconA's misinterpretation of what you said, but apparently did a poor job

 

another way to get would be to capture a few more fields when you say that you 'got' a beer - where did you get it and (another option) how much did you pay?. then when you view a beer's page, you can see the most recent places where people 'got' it - and you'd be able to do the type of reporting you're looking for (top 10 beers that were 'got' in ohio, etc.)

 

This would be great if it wasn't so work-intensive. Although something like this is exactly what the internet is made for

 

I was showing this site to a friend a couple weeks ago, and while trying to explain how it is useful (he was a bit difficult), I ended up going to seekabrew.com. I was thinking about this, and had an idea very similar to this. What I think would be a worthwhile addition to this suggestion (and potentially more difficult and time-consuming) would be the ability to see whether or not a beer/brewery is available in your area on the beer/brewery's page. Even more complicated would be a way to integrate seasonal beers' rough release schedules. Here is my line of thinking:

If I am new to this site, or just don't happen to know my local market incredibly well (as I assume most regulars on BA do), and I go to a bar and try an IPA I really like. So, I get on BA, and thanks to one of its many great features, I am able to look up a number of other IPAs that the BA community rates highly. Then I go out to my local beer store looking for Pliny, Heady Topper, Jai Alai, or Hopslam in July, whatever, but none of those are in my distribution. It would be a great addition if I were able to see which of these beers I was going to be able to get.

Anyway, this seems like a giant project that would be very complicated, but I think it would be a great feature for everyone, especially newer users.

 

This is a great idea. Some states have incredible imports from other states, and it isn't always so transparent in the threads about "what can I get in your state?".