Poll: Why I Don't Review Beers.

I voted “other” because these are the reasons I don’t review. I do write what I’ve thought about a beer I try (along with photos), but most of these are in other forums, mostly the Germany forum. After 10+ years learning about and enjoying beer I STILL feel I don’t have enough knowledge to properly rate a beer. I have so much more to learn, and there’s some styles that I have very little experience with. I need more homebrewing experience, I need to travel more, I need to read more….I just need more. There’s only a handful of members on this site that I feel have enough knowledge to properly rate beer.

That being said, I’m not snobby about it. I have no problem with someone reviewing a beer whether they’ve been here one day, or one decade (or more). It can be a fun experience, and it’s one way to learn more about beer (not the only way, and not the best way either in my opinion). I think the top 250 are fun, and give new users an idea of what is popular. I do have enough experience here to be able to properly gauge those ratings/reviews that are helpful to me, and those which are not. I’m not naive enough to think whatever beer is number one overall, or in a particular style, is actually the “best”.

 

2 reasons namely. I don't want to sit down are articulate everything I'm tasting. It's time consuming and it spoils the experience more often than not. If I have multiples of something, then I'll do it from time to time. But if I have one bottle of something special, it seems like a wasted experience to just spend that time dissecting the beer when you could have been enjoying the ride.

 

Yeah I'd agree there's a lot of similarity. Part of my "style" is that PA has a case law, and most of the beer here is sold by the case. Given that the folks offering single bottles for take home have to effectively be running a restaurant/eatery facility the single bottle pricing can be quite high. Until the last year or so they were not very many and not very conveniently located for many of us. When you are faced with having to either buy a whole case or pay bar prices you want to reduce the number of purchases of beer you won't enjoy. But when it comes to dealing with single bottle that we may never see again, we're basically doing much the same thing.

 

I don't think anyone has suggested reviews are "mandatory," its a free site that people can contribute to in anyway they see fit. Some review, some post a lot in various ways with tons of knowledge. Most of the posts from the international community here has sparked me to do my own research on styles and different drinking cultures which has been a great help for me. No contribution is greater or less than the other.

 

Gulden Draak Black.
Here are 3 reasons:
- Someone out there loves you
- We all love beer
- You know you want to

 

You already know I agree, but this point of view needs to be shared by more around here.

 

Subjective Vs. Objective.


Some people just don't get it.......

 

I voted other.
I am going to have to blame my work-life. I have to review so much wine and beer that as part of my job that reviewing for myself or the benifit of this website has lost its fun. Apathy is a key part of my generation and younger. I'm sure we are going to ruin everything.

 

I review on UnTappd cause it's easier and more fun.

 

I don't review beers here. I also don't use Untappd. Maybe I'll start reviewing beers here someday, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

In an ideal world, it would be great if I contributed to every corner of this site. Give and take. Ultimately, I'm in the same ballpark as @rollom . I feel like I contribute to the aspects of the site that I actually use. I read the forums (too much) and I contribute to the forums. I'm more interested in the forums as a resource. I'd like to think that I'm quite helpful to tourists in my regional forum. I hardly ever read reviews. It's the content that interests me the least. I do use the beer database here as a resource of information - to see what beers a brewer has, and I do contribute to that by submitting "corrections." I could see myself submitting "place" reviews before beer reviews. I am definitely thankful for the contributors that review beers. Thankfully, we're not all the same here and it results in a richer site.

Truthfully, on a certain level, I do not like to even talk about beer when I'm drinking it. I shiver a little when the bartender pours himself a little sample of what I'm drinking... sticks his nose in the glass and tells me that he's picking up some pepper in the nose. I was happier when we were talking about bands and I was just drinking my beer.

A long time ago, my wife said, "You should keep a record of what you drink, because you could then build upon your past experiences." After that, I decided to keep a personal list of beers I've had, and my commentary is often limited to one word: unappealing, ok, nice, very nice, or great. I have a hard time finding moments to just keep up with that. I'm grateful that she gave me the push.

I remember when Tony Magee was engaged in a typically heated and wacky thread here. He was paranoid about site users that had no reviews - considering them people who registered just to disagree with him. In some cases, he might have been correct in questioning their "authenticity," but he was also calling out members who contribute loads to the forums, as if their contributions to the forums meant nothing and their worth would only be measured by beer reviews. I don't agree with that.

 

I don't think you use the same discretion in the forums - and I don't mean that in a bad way. If you don't think you're "ready," I bet you'll never feel that you're ready. There's always more to learn.

 

Mainly I don't write reviews anymore due to pure laziness, that and I'm rarely if ever in front of the computer when drinking beer. Yes, I have a smart phone but trying to write a well thought out review on a mobile device is tedious at best. I haven't written a BA review in years. Now its just quick thoughts on UnTapp'd.

 

@AlcahueteJ , I meant the above as a respectful, complementary pep talk more than anything else.

 

Well done. Reviews forthcoming. Dont call it a comeback!

 

That is "other"

 

I voted other. I love beer, read reviews, have no problem with people that do so regularly, but it is just one more thing to not be obsessed about. Sometimes I cannot get my wife's attention because of words with friends or solitaire, so I try to genuinely simplify as much as possible. I trust the good folks around here to honestly vet beers and offer nice opinions. I spend enough time doing many things and reviewing beer will not be one of them. Plus, I think I have a damned good memory and can recall beers from 40 years ago.

 

Because I use Untappd for my quick reviews. It's just much more convenient for me.

 

Still have a Cannondale M800 Beast of the East with a Girvin front fork and old yellow Magura 1st gen brakes.
Just never been a ranking, rating, top 10 list kinda guy. Its like that look I give someone when they ask me who my favorite band is of all time...

 

I do notice that the poll doesn't say "why you don't review ANY beers" which leads me to think that "other" would be a suitable vote for someone that doesn't review every beer they try.