Do you ever check BeerAdvocate's beer ratings while at your bottle shop?

Talk Discussion in 'BeerAdvocate Talk' started by SerialTicker, Aug 10, 2015.

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Do you check BeerAdvocate while at your bottle shop?

  1. Of course.

    535 vote(s)
    86.3%
  2. Nope.

    85 vote(s)
    13.7%
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  1. Premo88

    Premo88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,486) Jun 6, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society

    More than anything I check to see if I've had a certain beer before. Very, very few times do I check to see what a beer's score is, but it does happen.
     
  2. IckyT2012

    IckyT2012 Pooh-Bah (1,888) Oct 13, 2014 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Absolutely I do. It's not about deciding whether to spend $15 on a bomber. Its about deciding WHICH bottles to buy. Unless I'm prepared to drop $200 every time I'm the store, choices have to be made. And I'd rather make an educated choice than a blind guess.
    This is important. I know tons of beers, but I don't know them all. I don't know how rare some of them are. And sometimes the BA app is the only thing that lets me know that if I don't buy it today, I won't have another chance. Before buying the one rated higher, I'll buy the one that won't be on the shelf next week.
     
  3. Dave_Treat

    Dave_Treat Pooh-Bah (2,287) Jun 23, 2012 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I check BE on anything new to me, especially to a brewery new to me. Like many have said, it isn't the deciding factor, but helps make the decision...
     
  4. Beerds

    Beerds Initiate (0) May 13, 2015 Alabama

    More often than not no. But sometimes on new or popular beers they usually have a BA or rate beer print out with the overall score on it
     
  5. CHickman

    CHickman Pooh-Bah (2,580) Jan 7, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Right on...the whole point of mobile technology is having the information in your hand to make a better educated decision at that moment, especially with the price points for rare and new craft beers. Using BA helps, but sometimes it's just as fun to roll the dice and try something completely new.
     
  6. SkipZ

    SkipZ Initiate (0) Jul 3, 2015 Pennsylvania

    I usually look at BA and make a list of beers I want to try. I check beermenus.com for the current inventory of my local bottle shops and refine my shopping list before I get there, so I don't look like a d-bag who can't make they own decisions without the help of the Internet.
     
    VABA likes this.
  7. JackRWatkins

    JackRWatkins Maven (1,448) Nov 3, 2014 Georgia
    Trader

    I do if I'm buying something that I haven't had before, other than that no
     
  8. cyrushire

    cyrushire Initiate (0) May 25, 2012 Florida

    I do it mostly in the grocery store when i know ive only got like 4 crappy options. That way i get the least crappy of the bunch.
     
  9. skunkpuddle

    skunkpuddle Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2011 California

    If the bottle is expensive and interesting I do. Checked omega get upside down brown just the other day. $15 price tag and an 85 on BA meant a non purchase. I got some sunflower seeds instead
     
  10. Kwak

    Kwak Initiate (0) Nov 1, 2002 New Jersey

    i just check the rating to make sure im not spending good money on crap
    i never look at the review i dont want to be influenced befor i taste
     
  11. crazycatcouple

    crazycatcouple Initiate (0) Mar 26, 2015 Arizona

    Isn't that what this site is even for anyways? 69+ people are on here just for trades lol
     
  12. rickzim1

    rickzim1 Initiate (0) May 2, 2015 New Jersey

    Is there anyone else, besides myself, that walks up and down the craft beer aisles with BA on their mobile phones? I refer to reviews and ratings all the time. I find it helps me a lot, since I'm still learning about the different styles of beer.
     
    Fox82791 likes this.
  13. Crackerbarrel

    Crackerbarrel Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2014 New York

    Frequently, although I'm sort of embarrassed by it.

    But if I'm looking for something new, and I don't know much at all about a particular brewery I see something from, I want to make sure they're not a total piece of shit with a gimmick that's going to be out of business in 2 years.

    So I'm not necessarily looking for something with 95 rating....I just want to confirm they don't have a 72.
     
  14. Das_Reh

    Das_Reh Initiate (0) Mar 25, 2013 Florida

    I check BA's ratings before buying anything new. If the rating is less than an 80, I won't buy it. Why waste my hard-earned money on mediocre beer?
     
    waddellc2 likes this.
  15. kwakwhore

    kwakwhore Maven (1,413) Nov 1, 2004 North Carolina
    Trader

  16. waddellc2

    waddellc2 Savant (1,187) Aug 23, 2012 Pennsylvania

    It is more than .75 cents an ounce and gets under an 85 on BA, = not worth it! :slight_smile:
     
  17. ceanderson

    ceanderson Initiate (0) May 9, 2009 Minnesota

    One of the larger chain bottle shops here in the Twin Cities uses BA scores for their offerings. But frequently those scores are way off from what the actual score is on the BA site, i.e. always higher than they should be and always for beers that aren't moving very fast. So WiFi or not, I'll look it up myself rather than trust what appears to be a marketing ploy on the chains part.
     
  18. TooGood

    TooGood Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2014 Minnesota

    Yes, usually it is to see if I've had the beer before.
     
    ceanderson likes this.
  19. Treyliff

    Treyliff Grand Pooh-Bah (4,711) Aug 10, 2010 West Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    If it's a beer that I've never heard of, I always look it up.
     
    Beer_Guano likes this.
  20. Lucular

    Lucular Grand Pooh-Bah (3,943) Jun 20, 2014 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    No, because I do not have a smartphone. (This is intentional - I have no desire for a constant distraction in my pocket.)

    I will check ratings before going but this doesn't stop me from purchasing beer I'm not familiar with if it looks intriguing.
     
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