Are you a rater?

I'm a rater, and do so to cast my vote on a beer. I enjoy having a place to see a score for a beer and have some level of confidence as to whether I'll like it or not if I've never tried it.

 

I keep a detailed spreadsheet and I rate on Untappd (I'm SoCalBeerIdiot on there, too).

I used to rate on here, too, but haven't rated a single beer since the switch (back) to using the five attributes. I just don't care to put much thought into appearance or mouthfeel unless a beer is far outside the norm in either (certainly not enough to grade them on a 1-5 scale with .25 increments--that's way too fine a scale) and I certainly don't want to come off as one of the "craft beer nerds" from the Budweiser SB commercial through habitual over-analyzation of my beers; I just want to enjoy them for what they are.

Aside from not wanting to turn my enjoyment of beer into homework, I'm also just not at all a fan of the five attributes rating because it is 5x more clicking and decisions per beer than what I've been used to. Untappd is so easy to use that almost every beer I drink gets rated on there right away. In the past, I would then "update" my BA ratings about once or twice a month using my scores and notes from Untappd. This would come out to anywhere from 30-100 beers at a time--a tedious enough task under the single-score system, but now that it's five scores per beer (at least 2 of which I spend very little time considering) it's just not practical anymore. Kinda sucks because I put so much time into rating my beers on here (I got up to just over 1100 before the switch) and entering new beers (57 according to my profile) and now it seems all for nothing. The part I'll miss the most is seeing how many of the Top 250 Beers and the HOF Beers I've had, but not enough to give myself carpal tunnel over it.

By the way, more power to those of you out there who take the time to write full reviews and give thoughtful, insightful comments on the beers you drink. You people are doing the lord's work and this site is all the better and more useful for it. Just because I don't like to write full reviews doesn't mean I don't read them to help me seek out beers I might like. That said, I don't think everyone needs to (or should) be forced to put that much time and effort into it (even if we are just talking about 5 scores per beer with no additional notes).

 

I rate here because I like the organization. I rate based on how I like the beer, not within it's type. I am getting old and can't remember what I have had, so it helps. When I am out trying beer, my phone is sitting next to me on the bar. Usually I will go thru tastings of beer that I haven't had before, rate it then get down to drinking what I like. I don't believe I have actually ever slammed a beer, if I don't really care for it, and I see others did, I assumed I just missed something, that happens. If I truly liked it, and think it was epic, or stood out, I will give it a rating. I also like the ability to go back and adjust my ratings, sometimes taste buds are off and it doesn't click. If I see I gave it a bad review I will adjust it back up.

 

I tend to rate beers that don't have a lot of reviews to help build up the knowledge base on those beers. They're often from my local breweries so I figure its a good way to help them out. I rate sometimes because I feel like it. Whichever way. I write more reviews than I actually post.

 

I try not to rate on this website. Although I do review elsewhere.

 

I rate for personal logs. I always like going back and drinking a beer the 2nd, 3rd or many times to see if I feel different. I agree on being able to dissect a beer better. if you are looking for different things you just start to notice them more.

 

I'm usually with people when having new beers and don't want to be on my phone to long. I simply do a rating when i have a quick moment and go back to having conversations while enjoying my next beer.

 

I review and also keep a spreadsheet with the scores and whether "buy again...y/n". I find reviewing to be fun, I do it as I'm drinking the beer. I also look at the reviews of others while I'm reviewing. They can be a great tool to develop your palate ...what is that flavor, etc.

 

I like to review...gives me a record of what I liked and didn't like and what I remembered about the beer. It helps that I drink most of my beer at home. I don't like to geek it up when I am out in a restaurant or bar and if I wait till I get home, the data is not that accurate or detailed.

 

I enjoy rating while I'm drinking and like taking notes for my personal use provided it doesn't get in the way of enjoying the beer.

 

Never reviewed, never read reviews. I'll be the judge and jury, thank you. Rated for a year just to see how many I was actually sampling in 12 months, then stopped. I pay zero attention to ratings as well.

 

I review only those beers I want to be able to remember what drinking them was like. Or it's a beer without any good reviews and I want to help others also. I also use the reviews (NOT the ratings) to help me in purchasing decisions. A good review will be a nice way to more accurately choose a beer I will enjoy.

 

Probably on an island when I say this, but I complete hate quick rates/ticks and even moreso that it affects a beers score. EVEN moreso people who just 'rate' a beer a sub 3. A brewer (a good majority of which do watch their beers through this site) went through the time and energy to make a beer...and you gave it a 2.25. Okay, but why? There is no justification behind why someone gave it that number, or say, a 3.67. Really? How did you come up with that arbitrary number? What didn't you like about it? Was it infected? Or do you just not like stouts, so you ordered one anyways and proceed to give it a 2?

You've gone through the trouble to track down a beer, or at least sit down and enjoy it, the least someone can do is review the damn thing. People say "I just drink the beer to enjoy it, I don't have time to review"...those statements completely contradict each other. How do you know you're going to enjoy the beer? Well, if you looked a beer up on BA you probably read some peoples reviews and somewhere in them saw some descriptive words that made you want to drink it. Typically, one isn't just slamming back a dozen craft beers in the span of 30 minutes...in the act of drinking the beer does take some time, and in doing so you are inevitably going to smell and taste the beer. Those smells and tastes are going to translate to words in your head. Write them down on BA. Contribute to helping sway or disway someone from that beer. You're on your phone anyways to check off that tick...the additional 30-60 seconds to justify it is THAT much more work? Awful.

For the people who rate/tick at events/fests because there isn't enough time to review and the sample sizes are small...you're 30 samples deep, slightly buzzed, and your palate is destroyed. Guess what, your numbers are completely fictitious.

 

Mainly log book for me. Easy to go back and look for a beer I forgot about or if I am unsure if I have had the beer or not. Also good to see what are my top rated on down.

 

I tick everything on Untappd though don't usually assign a score. Almost always leave a quick comment though so I can keep track of what I think. Basically shorthand notes for science and future reference if needed.

For reviews, I've done a few on here but switched over to keeping a blog where I do a writeup of some of the more interesting beers I drink or simply when I feel like it. Always just give my impressions though since I find assigning numbers kind of arbitrary. I know it's not going to change the world and that most people won't ever read it, I just like to do it for fun and find it relaxing.

 

2,300 ratings in so yeah I guess you could say this is getting serious.

 

I have fun rating beers. I am a former radio news reporter so I like to write short to-the-point stories. Writing a review in only a few sentences fits my writing style. Many of my reviews are formulaic but sometimes I'll throw in a pun or some unusual descriptor just for the fun of it.

 

I tend to rate beers because it helps me remember the beer more, I can go back and read it if need be, and it helps me to slow down and savour the beer and to really see what is in and behind it. I also rate and review in hopes that they will help others that may be considering what or what not to purchase. Given that all reviews are subjective though, I take them with a grain of salt, as mine should be taken with one, although I try to do that best I can if it will help other BA's or beer enthusiasts. Other than that, it's just kinda fun to do.

 

I am just recently a reviewer. I installed Untappd a few years ago, and joined BA less than half a year ago. Prior to that, I drank craft beer, and only bothered to remember the ones that I would repeat. I've found that, ever since starting to review beers, my enjoyment of them has grown - even when those reviews are constrained by the Untappd character limits, adding some detail helps me more than leaving the comments field blank or typing in the equivalent of "Good beer". Needless to say, reviewing on here helps me even more. I enjoy taking time to sit and savor, to concentrate fully on the beer in my mouth, and to put that experience into words.

I'm under no illusion that my reviews help anybody on here, because my palate is probably more than 3 standard deviations away from the mean on this site, but I do it because I enjoy it. It's not homework to me, it's giving expression to what I'm enjoying (or not so enjoying) about a beer.

 

1. I don't think you're on a island with these sentiments. This topic has been debated ad nauseam and lots of other BAs feel the way you do (including the Bros. who have ultimate say). Not me, though.

2. According to Todd, there is barely any difference between the average quick scores and the average full review so I'm not sure what you mean by this or why you'd have a problem with quick ratings. Especially since you can check a box to only see full reviews.

3. ...and they got our money when we bought their beer. We don't owe them anything else beyond that.

4. Just because someone gives a beer a score outside the standard deviation doesn't mean there's no justification for it. I'm okay with the new rule about having to put in a few comments explaining scores outside that deviation, though. That makes plenty of sense. I just don't think it needs to be chained to a five-attribute rating.

5. Completely disagree here. I can enjoy a craft beer while I'm watching the game, or cooking dinner for my family, or giving my kid a bath--you know what I can't do while I'm doing those things? Review a beer. At least not beyond what it takes on Untappd; BA's app is too clunky in these situations. Don't assume that just because you have time to do it that everyone does or that everyone enjoys beer in the same setting and in the same way you do.

6. Relax! Have a beer!