Yep, I'm an Untappd Badge *****.

As you CAN imagine, my Untappd account mirrors/rivals my use of this site. I was an early adopter, thanks to @unclejedi who put me onto it.

I was interviewed by @JoeSixpack at one point about my prolific presence & one of his Qs was particularly prescient: "Do you think that Untappd has shaped your drinking habits in any way?"

Well, other than making my imbibing MUCH more quantifiable than ever, something which makes my mother SO proud, I unabashedly tend to chase badges. Yep, I'm a Badge *****.

That said, while this site really challenged me to stow the stogies (along with my adult-onset asthma) & hone my palate, Untappd has challenged me to dig deeply into styles that I might have otherwise glossed over. For insCANce, the "Johnny Appleseed" badge really opened my eyes to ciders. In fact, at one point, I was working to close out the badge by checking in five hundred (500) different ciders, one badge per five different ciders, leveling up to one hundred. My maternal aunt, who usually wrinkles her nose at many/most of my choices, really got excited about this kick & joined me in my quest. She is a woman of means & sprang (sprung? I should know this as a Lit major) for some high-end ciders in her native DC. We agreed that semi-dry and dry are preferable to sweet while she liked some French ciders that were SO dry that I needed my asthma inhaler.

Within the past few weeks, partially due to the online Lager Fest, I have become inspired to finally close out the "Crisp As Day" Pilsner badge. I placed an order with both Craftshack & Half Time, but I still came up just a wee tad short. I then scoured my local breweries & visited each of them this week, but I still needed ~ 5 to reach the 500/100 mark.

Locally, we have The Beer & Beverage Shoppe, but for me, it is like turning a junkie loose in a shooting gallery. I find myself needing a ride after each visit as I CANnot carry my purchases otherwise. I have an enabler in the form of a local punk rocker whom I have (CANgentially) known since we were teenagers. We met at Mad Chef Brewing today & then proceeded to the aformentioned "Shoppe", where I was greeted with great fanfare.

I explained the goal of my visit & with the use of Untappd, we scoured for any five (5) Pilsners that I had not heretofore checked into. It turned into a farce with staff, my ride, myself & even fellow CANstomers looking for Pilsners that I was reading off from Untappd! We came up with more than enough to fulfill the goal and I am currently drinking a most pleasant Matsurika, brewed with jasmine flowers & which Boss-man @Todd reviewed previously.

I CAN guarantee you that I would have not had this enthusiasm for Pilsners had it not been for my FerMentor, Lew Bryson @TheRealBarFly who pointed out the difference between Czech & German Pilsners to me early on & Untappd, which inspired me delve 500 deeply into the splintered style.

It's good to have a hobby!

 

Funny that you should suggest that. I have a vest (one of many) that showcases all nineteen (19) of the Old Style badges from c. 2014. The deal was that by checking in an Old Style while in CHI & including a location, you would earn both a badge & a cloth patch that would be physically mailed to you. I went out for ~ ten (10) days, figuring that it might take a week to get them all.

CHI is one of my fave North AmeriCAN cities & I am more public trans savvy than most so CANbining my knowledge & my CouchSurfing host's CANiosity, I knocked them all out in quick order, including the suburban ones. I then spent my time sightseeing & taking in some CHISOX games before returning home.

The endeavor proved to be a one-off for Untappd as they ran out of patches & had to have more made. Additionally, if you qualified for all 19 patches, you were entered in a drawing for 1 of 100 Old Style Dickies Eisenhower-style drivers jackets. I won one & wear it proudly in the Fall!

As far as doing it on my own, it CAN be done, but it is not eCANomically feasible. I am a retired Navy logistician & at one point, I was tasked with getting all sorts of embroidered gear made for my then-current CANmand. As it turns out, the high hurdle is the set-up fee: having the design sCANned into the CANputer & broken down into its CANponent colors. Once that is acCANplished, the design CAN be punched out onto anything, which is how that initial cost is amortized over time.

I have a guy (of course I do!) - Kyle Horst at Park Avenue Embroidery who would relish this task & would probably cut me a break or allow me to stretch out the payments, but I would need an incoming revenue stream & I just don't have the wherewithal for such a task.

Glad you asked? ;=)

 

No immediate CAN plans to do so, Boss-man!

 

OMFG! This illustrates my point. Instead, maybe get a kindergartner to copy the designs onto paper discs in crayon, which could then be safety-pinned onto the sash ... A very Punk/DIY alternative!

 

I LOVE what this thread's name has morphed into!