Referencing BA while buying beer

With what the price of beer is becoming, yes, i will sometimes see what i might find online

 

Like most things, the middle way is probably best. Many times I know pretty much what every beer is anyway. That's the best time to chat up the person to get at the stuff in back.

If it's an outstanding selection, then I'll ask for recommendations if I don't quickly find something that drops my jaw and then look them up on BA.

 

I'll admit that I check BA while shopping sometimes. If I'm just browsing and see something that looks interesting but might be a risk I'll check. If the beer has some low rating then I will generally trust the consensus and skip the beer. I prefer to ask employees though at stores where they're available and seem knowledgeable. It is definitely a better option to have communication between yourself and whoever is working there because you get to know what they like or maybe they'll have an idea what you like to buy and recommend something new they have for sale or something similar to what you normally buy, etc.

At some stores there are no knowledgeable or helpful staff around though and I'll resort to BA then.

I know what you mean. The salesmen are annoying and if I ask an employee about something and they start trying to sell me old stuff I will not ask them about beer again. Those stores are definitely phone-browsing stores. Just asking what is new or interesting is a great thing to do though and often they don't but occasionally you really get lucky with something hard to find that wasn't on a shelf.

 

I don't do that. Don't have a smart phone. Don't need it, & I'd rather spend (some) of that $ on beer.
I do follow the local bottle shop, so will look up the new arrivals, while here at home, and make a mental list. ( I have to know 1000s of names of plants,insects,diseases,etc. so what's a few more? )

I don't go by the absolute #s, on these sites. I read reviews of ones I have tried, find people who have similar experience with it. Then I look at their other reviews. When I find several in common, with a similar evaluation to mine, I look at their reviews of what I haven't had. That said, I do sometimes ask the guys at the bottle shop, and sometimes take their recommendations, & occasionally just fly blind. I like surprises. Most of 'em are good.

 

I always check ahead on beers before shopping. and, while at certain stores I talk to the beer manager, I think at times he tries to lead me towards something he wants to sell, so I am weary of that and usually stick to my plans. but I,ve said this before and i'll say it again, as far as reviews here on BA, if 7/10 people say a beer isn't worth trying, I may anyways, but if 990 out of 1000 say it's not worth trying I probably wont , so for me the ratings are valuable.

 

Have to say I've never done this, I'm rarely surprised by what I see on the shelf. Totally predictable, I only check dates.

 

I think it depends on the beer drinker. I am the type who uses self-checkouts when/where-ever possible because I'm antisocial.

 

One positive I see at my work (plants) : it makes the whole thing a lot quicker, in general, than it used to be. The quick search on the phone might be helping you sell it, because the customer is now reassured.

 

I've been burned by knowledgable "staff". If it's a well known or well reviewed beer with 100+ reviews, I may listen to the online presence more. But if its rather new (new local), I may take a chance upon their recommendation.

There is too much crap out there to waste money on. I rely on BA for a solid guidance. But not a whole guidance.

What seems like an over priced 84 rated IPA, that sits at 2 months old.. Why even give it a try, when many other better options are out there? I may be faced with 6 other choices. So freshness and longevity in review scores does take a play. I do think we are in the minority (review score shoppers). I see far too many buying pretty crappy craft beer. But who I am to judge them?

 

when you cant sample a beer and are about to drop 12$> on a sixer it can help to read someone elses thoughts.

 

Ratings by masses will always be more accurate than a rating by a single person.

I buy new beer solely on ratings (whip out my phone to check any beer that intrigues me I'm not familiar with) or word of mouth from someone who's taste I trust. Of course, most stores I'm limited to are liquor stores and I have more knowledge than all staffs combined.

 

I never look up a beer on a phone, cause I do not own a phone. I generally have a beer in mind before shopping,saves me time and money. I will check BA for a general overview and then head to the bottle shop. If said beer is within my price range,I'll buy it. If by chance I'm on the fence, I'll ask a employee or shopper to find out if they have had the beer. If their info is in line with info I gleaned from BA, I may go ahead and buy the beer, if not I usually wont buy it. Both time and money is short. In my experience,BA is the way to go.

 

ive asked my local beer store guy about numerous beers that he hasn't tried yet so he is unable to comment on them. Not his fault of course. There are about 1500 different beers there. Untappd has tried them all.

 

I'm similar to most people on here:
-I know more than staff and they don't know my palate - not to sound snobbish, but it is what it is
-I do check BA for figuring out if a beer is good if I don't know. I'm not solely choosing on the rating, as descriptions help
-That awkwardness if staff recommends a shitty beer and I don't choose it isn't fun. Or if they describe a beer a certain way - then I know I shouldn't trust their opinion. If it's a legit bottle shop, I'm willing to chat them up and ask questions (Good Bottle or Salud in Charlotte). Typically I ask how a new beer is, if they've had it. But at Total Wine? No thanks.

 

Don't take offense to it.

I'd rather have hundreds of reviews and an average rating of all those to go by rather than one or a few at most beer guys who may not have the same palette as I do. They might also have an agenda to push close to code beer or whatever will make the store the most money. The BA, RB or UT ratings are more often than reliable enough to get a gauge of if a beer is worth it or not. There's times where I want to channel my inner Ron Swanson with pushy staff.

 

i've done my checking up before i get to the store, buts that's because I'm an old guy with a dumb phone.

i do enjoy chatting with knowledgable bottle shop folk, but i've also been burnt by one or two looking to move old stock off the shelves. i no longer shop at that place.

 

Never used BA when shopping for beer. My research is usually done by the time I hit the bottle shop.

 

I usually just buy whatever catches my eye, whether or not I know it's supposed to be good. Part of the fun is in the surprise.

 

I look to see a beers rating before I buy sometimes, but it NEVER stops me from buying it to try. Just because someone rates it low does not mean that I will not like it.....