Searcher? Ticker? Who are you?

I'd say 50/50. I have a handful of brews that are standbys, typically well priced, easily available, and lower abv that I've cherished for years. But when I travel, it's all about the ticking, want to try as much new stuff as possible.

 

Absolutely 100% searcher. Not really striving to see how many I can try (don't even log most of my beers) just want to try as many great beers as possible. Still will try everything but don't make it a priority to get a big "number". I find that trying everything leads to drinking a lot of mediocre beer, but I guess that's how it goes.....Cheers

 

I'm definitely a searcher, and "ticking" is just a nice side activity to keep track of the beers I have searched for. Sure, when I get the pleasure of trying a new beer, I tend to log it on untapped, but its all about the journey of finding new beers for me. At the same time, I always love the opportunity to enjoy a classic or favorite. I will sometimes opt for standbys over untried beers if its a case of limited funds, and the allure of the classic is stronger than the allure of one I have not tried before. I get my ticks, but its more about what's in the glass in front of me. I'd say that I am maybe 90% searcher, 10 percent ticker. This definitely proved to be the case this weekend when I found myself out of town and stopped in the closest store to see what was available. There were some beers I'd never had before, but nothing that jumped out at me, and I ended up just picking up some beer when I got home because I chose sure quality over some new options that were not wildly appealing. There were some new beers, but I was disappointed enough in the overall selection to just pick up some locally available favorites.

 

I was 50/50. I'd drive up to an hour to find something.

Now, I'm just a beer drinker. I enjoy myself now that I've stopped ticking. I still love trying new beers but I know what I like and try not to stray too far because usually if it's novel, I tend to not like it enough to finish 6.

 

i wanted to say I am mostly a searcher, but I thought about it and I realize I am more a ticker. it comes down to contentment. 'the best' is such a moving target, I don't think I could ever say 'this is the BEST beer ever and I am done with all others'. instead of constantly searching for 'the best', I've become happy with everything I have access to, and if I have a chance to tick a whale off the list without standing in line for hours then I will. otherwise, more than satisfied with the fresh local beers I can get less than 20 min away

although, when it comes to cellar and aging beer, I am all searcher. i'm looking for when a beer peaks to my tastes

 

I feel similar to this, i used to go crazy trying to find the latest hyped beers, and now its just about drinking. And yes I enjoy new beers, but I'm not out to get to a specific number or something like that.

 

My journey has migrated from being a ticker from the bottle shop to a ticker at the local brewers. There are enough local brewers now releasing new beers each week, and I enjoy sampling them for the thrill to see if brewers improve, and if a great beer gets created locally.

Sort of wedged between this journey for a few years was a "trade/beercation/travel beers" period which would fall into the searcher definition, where I was seeking out best beers I could find from elsewhere not in my local distribution. I still always hit up my friends who travel or myself to look out for certain beers to bring back.

Now most of my bottle shop buys are for the tried and true beers to have on hand at home, with a little bit of ticking/searching. Most of my ticks now-adays are local samples on site at the breweries.
I'd still say I tick more than I search. Less time and money to just tick from a brewery, craft bar or bottle shop. If I had a lifestyle that involved a lot more travel/more destinations, then I'd definitely lean more heavily to being a searcher.

 

Right now I'm into all different styles and I'm still fairly new to it all, though I've gained some drinking experience along the way for sure. I'm a bit of a ticker because I want to try new things, but I'd rather only get things worth tasting/buying than every mediocre beer. I've been trying to raise the bar lately and have even thought about if I should keep trying new things or just stick with what I like the most. Sometimes I just want to drink a beer even if I know it's not going to be an awesome example of the style. I just like new experiences which every beer provides, though I also appreciate good quality. I'm a searcher in the sense that I look for good beers and breweries that I know of, but I don't go too far out of my way to get things that I could try hard for. I like to let the beers come to me, and get them when I see them and try them along the way. It is all a big wave of enjoyment through the craft beer experience. Not sure how to really divide it up, and I know over time I will be less ticker and more stand-by and searcher. I do like to have beers again, the problem is there is only so much time and drinking space to have so many brews. I find myself trying to share the duplicates at times. I buy beers that I've had before, but usually not much of them. They are just a chill drink. Right now I'm mostly ticker but as the years go on and I've had many beers and breweries then I'll probably become more of a "searcher". Right now probably 90% ticker. I tick to try new beers and breweries though, not just to say I had it. I enjoy the beers to the fullest. There's a lot of beers I've tried but didn't rate or tick because I felt I didn't get enough out of it to really rate it. I like to give all the beers a chance, and hold back on the ones I just don't find myself interested in trying.

 

Not a ticker, no check marks. Searcher? Of course I buy new stuff. But not as an ultimate goal of finding " The One" Not into trying every one, nor searching to find the best on the planet. No rating or trading, don't even look at ratings. With the exception of Rodenbach and Sierra Nevada, almost everything I buy is local, mostly New England or say 50 miles or so from Boston, Good VT stuff, sure. Buy fresh, buy local. Boston has world class beers, makes me happy. When I travel, usually around New England, I too buy fresh, buy local. Better? Meh. Better than what? No desire to trade, ship, hunt, barter for what ever brews in other parts of the country. Sure family meetups are great open cooler events. I already have THE best right here. Go to the store, see whats on the New England shelf, buy. So yes, seasonals from my local guys and gal brewers, new variations etc. I just don't have that much time or desire, its biking season. Look at it as bread or tomatoes from the farmers market. In season, local. All good,

 

I wouldn't say tickers are only in it to try it all. Some tickers surely are into craft to try it all, but not all. If you go out with the intent to buy a new beer, I would say you're at least somewhat of a ticker. Whether or not you maintain an extensive spreadsheet to track your beers or not, or you're seeking to justify why your favorite beer is your favorite are just separate levels of ticking.

Ticker seems to be thrown around like a bad word, or a scary stereotype label around here sometimes, but it's not bad, nor does it just mean someone keeps an extensive spreadsheet full of notes, ratings, dates, and reviews. It just means the user seeks out the new on a regular basis.

 

Perhaps the 3rd category is "settled in". Meaning you've had your adventures in craft beer exploration whether it be ticking or searching, and now you primarily just stick with a portfolio of beers that you revisit periodically because you love them and don't spend much time going out of your way to try new stuff.

 

Ticking can be positive. Its beer exploration.

The negative stereotypical ticker are those people who are sampling beers as quickly as possibly trying to compete with friends or show off on social media how many beers they've had and/or show off the highly sought after beers they've had. In this regard, ticking isn't very "beer advocate" like.

 

If I were a venn diagram, i'd be in the center, leaning a little more toward ticker. Probably 75% ticker, 25% searcher. Over the years I have been a little dynamic in my movement. At first I was heavy on the ticker, then I discovered online beer ordering and moved a little bit more towards (but not overwhelming) searching. Now I've found a balance that I'm happy with; what I call informed ticking. I'd love to try anything, but if I see it has a lower score than won't waste my time. If it's a beer that hasn't been added here or doesn't have any reviews than you bet your ass I'm trying it

 

I see life as adventure and my beer journey will end the day before they write my obituary.

 

I'd say that is a good place to be in--I'm just not there yet, although living where I do, my options to try new beers are often pretty limited. I'd save more money, and probably be better off if I was more settled, but the compulsion to seek out new beers/flavor experiences is still strong with me. I just don't get to indulge in that impulse as much as I'd like. Whenever I am out of town and find myself in an area with a great local craft scene/good distro, I am like a kid in a candy store, trying to snatch up as much untried beer as possible. There is a tendency to build a hoard when I am on vacation because I know what I am coming home to. Sometimes I do wish I was more settled (by choice). But the upside to it, is that I still have that excitement of the new when the opportunity presents itsself. Meanwhile, I am trying to cultivate more appreciation for the options I do have locally, but I always feel like I am missing out on a lot.

 

Great topic. I'm more of a searcher - I won't have a mediocre beer just to tick it off if the place has something that is "world-class" (which varies from beer nerd to beer nerd), I'll have the better beer.

I will say, though, that there are some breweries I buy pretty much anything they brew because of the positive experiences I've had with their products - anything from SN or Stone, or the "Upper Midwest" breweries when I lived in Minnesota (Surly, Indeed, Fulton, Summit, Toppling Goliath, New Glarus) or the "Lower Midwest" breweries that I had easy access to through trades or trips or wide-ranging distro (Three Floyd's, Pipeworks, Half Acre, Revolution, Founders, Bells).

That math will add up to a LOT of ticking - and a lot of excellent beer, IMHO.

 

Honestly I'd say neither.

I just like to drink good beer. Sometimes it will be a cheap case of a classic craft like SNPA or something similar. I will often spend too much at a craft beer store because there is so much i'd like to try.

I used to taste beers and recording and score them but I found it actually got in the way of my enjoyment. I try and get hard to get beers I like but I'm not crazy about it nor do I go completely out of my way.

I just like drinking good beer. Can't really say i'm either...

 

<-------- Searcher, not a ticker.

 

I agree that ticking usually gets a bad rap, and to some extent we are all tickers depending on how you define ticking.

I know someone who joined that other rating app thing and within 2 months was at 700 beers chasin' the badges - that's some serious ticking and when I asked how she did it, it was "well, I only take a little sip of each one..." I suspected it, but to actually hear it was a little strange. That's the extreme "other side" of ticking, I guess. But to her, it was all about the badges and social aspect of "look at me I'm drinking this beer at this location". And now guess what - after two years she doesn't drink beer much anymore - Leinie's at summer cookouts. Hmmmm....

That seems more like "pure" ticking to me - tasting as opposed to drinking and "rating" on that initial impression versus doing a review. To each their own. I did it for a while when I was doing brewery tours/tastings, hence the 35 check marks out of my whopping 278 beers. Probably still will as I find a quick numerical scoring of a tasting sample reminds me whether I enjoyed the beer or not and I don't carry the laptop or sometimes even the cell phone around with me. I suppose I could delete the checkmarks...cost me some karma but so what? But holy crap - 700 beers in sixty-ish days? Man, do the math...that's not my bag, baby.

I do keep a spreadsheet - that's the "analytical" side of me and also because I am at least in the early stages of CRS Syndrome. But I actually enjoy the spreadsheet. Mostly I just copy my notes which become my reviews, or copy the review into the spreadsheet if I am reviewing in "real time" like NBS. For me it's fun, I can sort and filter any way I wanna, and easily find my favorites should I short circuit and forget.