How has BeerAdvocate impacted your life?

Quite positively for sure. BA is not only a well of beer info it is an engine that runs like a champ and vindicates members thoughts, realizations and queries, etc. I'm a newbie here and have yet to peer into all the corners of BA but I'm in no hurry. In fact Beer Advocate's plain and simple awesomeness pulls my arm and makes me want to brew some beer. I truly believe, because I believe in people, that in time through using Beer Advocate I will hook up with members here and there in my travels, learn a lot more about what is what in brewing and gain a lot more respect for the business side of it. That being brick and mortar, distribution, retail, promotion. Who knows?! If it strikes me as a groovy thing I may very well find employment in some way shape or form in our beautiful deep beer world! Thank you Todd for starting Beer Advocate! It is truly a friendly and top shelf group. It has changed my life and I love it. Cheers!

 

Stumbled on to this site15+ years ago. It proven a valuable resource, an inspiration & has allowed me to meet some awesome BAs & trade with others. It is a rare day I'm not on this awesome site. I really appreciate the on-line comradeship & has certainly helped with my morale in good times & bad.

 

My quest to tick the top 250 has consumed my life since I first learned of its existence

 

Craft beer as a hobby has exceeded other interests I had such as my favorite sports teams. And beer advocate is the best sight for information and communication with quality beer advocates.

Now professionally it's been a detriment cause I spend too much time here instead of doing my job....

 

I spend all my free time on BA reading reviews and then trading for those beers so I can drink them. BA has become my only source of social interaction, and it truly makes my day when I get a beer trade box with an extra or even a special trinket included (sometimes I get some with pennies and other loose change also). I've made friends with people all over and we stay in touch on Untappd by reading each other's checkins. BA has definitely impacted my life as my sole source of joy and entertainment. I've enjoyed being on the cutting edge of the amazing new smoojie beers and that's all because of BA!

 

I've had a fun and (I think) interesting relationship with BA. Been watching ratings and such since 2006, joined in 2010. I was on the retail side of craft beer, as a buyer\marketing person for a supermarket chain (as a side hustle to my IT position). That allowed me to go to many events, be a judge twice for NYIBC, and made me chase the Beers of Fame as a hobby. I then did a career shift that involved travelling. BA gave me recon on where to go; the forums have helped me find good beer in over 30 states. It also raised my awareness to be a real advocate. This means supporting local breweries, talking with those in the industry, and hosting\attending events with friends who share the passion. BA has been a resource for me for 15 years, and made some memorable experiences. I recall vividly asking in the Canada forum where in Halifax to find some representative ESB's, and having folks local to the area meeting me at a gastropub (with BA shirts as well!) And just last weekend I cracked a few of my IPA fest beers with good friends to share and celebrate our first get together in over a year. For me, the feedback from the folks here and the information is what has always kept me coming back.

 

I’ve learned enough knowledge from the fantastic crew and mods and community here my first year that I joined that I found out about the cicerone program and passed the beer server test without studying. All my knowledge came from beer advocate community and trying every style I could. Secondly because of that and the obsession developed by being able to immerse myself into this site daily, it led me to study and pass a course in German culture specifically brewing. I’ve worked in a few breweries and made great friends and the only reason I do not currently work in the beer industry is because of my children I need to work my trade but I still enjoying home brewing sometimes.

I’ve been here for 7 years. Almost twice as long as The longest job I’ve ever had was 4 years as a fireman. So cheers to that

 

@FrogOut69 You must have traded with @Blutz if pennies were involved!

 

A few extra lb’s to keep off

melon became a liquid

Nate’s a wizard

adjuncts are cool!

fuck adjuncts!

hazy beer is a never ending debate

I found EBF and it tried to kill me

and tried to convince me JC is a millionaire

Realigned my view on New England and geography

but the worst....it took away my first BA name!

 

Better beer.
More "hits", fewer "misses" .
For better or worse, that has led to more beer .

 

I am sincerely a lover of craft beers (since about 2009 ... when the revolution also overwhelmed my "wine lover" country), I also don't consider myself an expert and I try to have my say only after having thought about the concept, something that after a few beers could be more complicated than can be clearly evaluated.
With my pencil and my notebook (never been like this in any other context of life, I swear!) I made several themed trips, participated in some important festivals here in Europe, harassed the guys from the breweries for good ...
I absolutely don't work in the environment, but when I start talking about craft beers I consider it to be one of the most important topics, of the least important ones... therefore maximum respect.
For years I have been writing reviews with photos and sending them to me by email to have my own database...
Obviously when this started to get tight I looked for "a community" with which to share information with other passionate people.
Obviously, it is in this context that I had the first contacts (from unregistered) with Beer Advocate.
I'm honest, I looked for if there was something similarly structured in my country, where I can talk to people who are perhaps aware of the events of the local scene ...
At the end of an unsatisfactory research of all this I realized that I always went back to reading reviews and threads on Beer Advocate, until I, who am perhaps the least social person in Italy, registered to any blog or social network (except whatsapp) , I have taken the step of registering.
I am very happy with all this.
It is wonderful to read and compare with people who (often) have something to teach or interesting things to say on this exciting topic.
Also, although in English, I have a database of personal and not very respectable reviews.
There are obviously many other positive sides not mentioned and others that I may still have to discover ... but for sure the element I want to emphasize is the Passion of speaking in a (often) competent way of this constantly evolving universe such as that of craft beers .

 

When I plan a trip, BA is my first source for finding the best beer centric locales at the point of my destination. There is no better site, in my opinion, that has a more comprehensive, worldwide listing of beer businesses.

 

Happy Anniversary!

 

Thanks! I’ve completed 29 trades in a year, I think that’s pretty good.

Cheers!

 

OK BA...I’m going to Las Vegas for the first time Sunday. Where to get great beers????
Lemme know! And yes. I’ll check places too.

 

Beer Advocate has been a wealth of information from the beer lovers to the brewing community. Beer has been a staple commodity for thousands of years, it is a interesting website with a lot of people willing to give their opinion(whether accurate or not) Beer is Awesome. Definitely deserves a platform. Moderation(I mean drinking moderation) for the most part is crucial-

 

I heard Able Baker brewing in Downtown Las Vegas has superior beer-

 

(On edit...this is my 100th post on BA. Seems fitting to respond to @Todd )

I moved to the great PNW 4 years ago. Craft beer was available in the state I moved from but wasn’t “in the bones” of the people. Never met anyone who brewed at home.

Since moving to WA, I’ve met dozens of home brewers, drank hundreds of new beers and remembered my love for beer. (Married 25 years and raised my kid and didn’t drink at that time).

Beer flows in the blood here. I came to BA to learn more about styles and service because I was swimming in breweries and brewery terms and beers available.

BA is a wonderful resource.
BA is an advocate for the rituals and finer points of beer.
BA is accepting as a community.
BA is a fun place to hang out - especially with a new beer! Everyone is excited about your beer post. I am excited about other’s beer posts. When I get a new beer...what do I wanna do? Go to BA and brag about it. Lol
BA is fun!

Thanks everyone and CHEERS!