Why is it bad to be a ticker?

The negative connotation comes from those few people that aren't really searching for good/great, but merely drinking just to check it off their list. It's more about the motivation of the drinker than the action.

 

Generally speaking trying new things is great, but its when you get so obsessed with trying every new beer that ot can get ugly. I personally am hunting a few whales right now, and I am claiming that after I spear a dozen or so of the top 100 I will realize they really are not much better if at all than the widely available beers that don't require massive investments of time and money to reel in. Then i will just be the guy who you see buying cases of tilquin gueuze and hanssens and 3F gueuze and kriek with the occasional etre order for cantillon for the cellar with no desire to get my hands on the next cantillon or 3F one off or Lost abbey/Russian River Sour. we will see how that goes...

 

One man's bad is another man's good.

 

I don't necessarily take pride in my unique brew count in Untappd, it's a useful measuring stick so I know that... oh, I've only been on Untappd since May '12, and I've had upwards of 350 unique beers...perhaps I should use this information to amend my spending habits, or ...not, or whatever... being an Accountant, I personally prefer to have access to the data rather than to need it and not have it.

In general I find that I forego buying beers that I know I will like in favor of buying something unknown. Can't really give any good reason for this, but for now I get a thrill from the pursuit of the unknown. Just thankful the hobby's there to pursue at all.

 

Yup. Read THIS thread.

*tick*

 

brewery bartender: "what can i get you?"
you: "nothing, I've had them all."

 

have you ever been at a tasting with a ticker?

 

That said, you don't think that the average modern ticker is careless and does not ask questions, just drinks? I personally do, because I've seen it first hand dozens of times. Also, take this from somebody that sees similarity, I wouldn't call yourself a ticker if you just seek out new beer. I swear that with all of the options today, we should only drink the same beers twice if we loved our first experience or would like to reminisce. To me, a ticker is one that mindlessly just drinks whatever they haven't had, yet, in an elitist attempt for that Grand Poo-Bah chalice that used to sit next to absolutely nobody's ID here.

 

I think the original poster, and also many other people tend to lump in people who review a lot of different beer (myself and others) and "tickers" together which I dont think is a real fair assesment.

For the original posters quesiton, I'll answer that "tickers" are perceived collectible driven people who are off on a compulsive habit to complete a list, for the sake of... completing a list for whatever reason.

I had a good discussion with a beer director about this, and he refered to me a story about a guy who got a chance to visit some of the rare barreled Goose Island stuff back in the day. He was given a sample of something real nice... stood there.. took a few quick sips... wrote something down.. then said..

ok so what else do you have?

..

There's a point in life where you should really be living in the moment, instead of always chasing the next big thing.

For myself personally, I just don't have the time and resources to hunt high desired beers, they have occasionaly without trying fallen into my lap, but it is the exception than the rule. I am often at my most happy when I go home with a bottle or two of something I haven't had before, since I review on average about 2-3 new beers every day.

This giant bottle of Moab tripel sounds real cool, so off I go! But there will always be some standards to have around and drink as well. The irony is the more you review, the less "diversity" you find yourself surrounded with (since you've had so much of everything), and you find yourself more knowledgeable about what you would drink and what not. Would I love to try to finish every Tripel that's in the top 50, or on BA? Sure.. but that's going to be pretty tough, and I can be happy enough if I find another good one!

There's nothing wrong with sampling something small and reviewing it, often circumstances dicate that (large group tastings are one), but it's important to always be focused on the moment for each beer.

 

I feel like I'm ripping myself off if I keep buying the beers I know I'll enjoy and pass up new ones I might enjoy. There are so many badass beers out there I want to try.

It's more about discovering great beer, than adding to any list. Hell, I don't even have a list.

Guess that means I'm NOT a ticker... but more of an explorer.

 

Wow. Do you this many of you really feel so threatened by tickers? Oh no, they're ruining our pure image. Do whatever makes you happy. I love finding and trying as many new beers as I can and learning the standards and subtleties of every style. And I enjoy ticking off the beers I've tried and rating them on this site. I think that curiosity can only be a good thing for the future of craft beer. People who criticize other's method of beer consumption are the annoying one's.

 

Some use the term pejoratively, others do so in a more positive tone (likely because they're in the despised group themselves, but also because there's not a good enough separate term for them). I've seen your ticker before, but rarely. Most of the tickers I know are similar to me, in that they wanna try as many as possible. In the process, questions are asked.

Frankly, it's more the newer establishments that showcase the laziness we have both witnessed. The more established places and those that give a damn go that extra mile and provide knowledge resources for their customers. The newer ones tend to be lazy. I've sat next to middle age couples looking to try some of this newfangled craft beer they've heard so much about; unfortunately for them, the staff can't tell them anything about the beers, even when they only have a handful of handles to pull from.

Again, it's the laziness of owners, owners who care about the beer even less than the tickers you've sadly come into regular contact with, that leads to knowledge-less staff and a loss for the community as a whole. The "negative ticker" is in such a stark minority to the rest of the beer community, much less the population as a whole, that they can't possibly have very much impact on business practices.

 

I think the culture of beer bars with ever rotating tap lines encourages exploring and ticking. It's hard to not tick if you go into a place and it's a new lineup every time.

 

Ticking can become addicting with these apps (like Untappd) that offer badges for a variety of accomplishments. A couple of times I've caught myself buying a certain style just so I'll earn the badge.

Ultimately, I think ticking is just a phase. I've been doing it since Sep 2011 and it has pretty much served its purpose (gain a knowledge base about different styles, regions, breweries, etc.)

 

Speed dating for beer geeks.

 

I think as BA's we have a little ticker in all of us. I've been searching for the holy grail/perfect beer since the eighties and that beer changes even after you think you've found it.

 

The only time I might tick is to remember that I tried something and want to revisit for a full review. Most of those times I'm not in a position to take notes or I've focused on one beer and can't give full attention to the others I'm trying. If I can't review in full, it's just a bookmark for a return.

 

As a few others have said, it seems that many have confused tickers with anyone who tries new beers. Everyone on this site tries new beer, most probably at least 1 new beer a week but this does not make them a ticker. A ticker is someone who obsessively tries as many new beers as possible, often only a few ounces at a time, and quite frankly doesn't give a shit what it taste like as long as they can brag about how many beers they've had.

I've noticed my rate of trying new beers has dropped off sharply in the last year or so. Partly it's because I've made my way through my local distribution and most of what it has to offer but theres still plenty of stuff at the local store I haven't tried and have no interest in buying. Price is factor, since I try to avoid $10+ bombers unless I know it will be worth it, but also there's a lot of mediocre breweries out there so I like to stick with what I know I like.

 

Like most people, I like to try new beers when I can, although I don't keep track. But I ran across a ticker once that wouldn't drink anything a second time. His attitude was "why should I spend my money on something I've already had?" I just have to wonder if a guy like this really likes beer. How can you not have beers you want to have again?

 

I stopped taking notes a while ago. It took all the fun out of drinking and I think it somewhat ruins the experience.

But I tick everything. It goes way beyond beer.