Posting reviews without text to back it up

Depends on how many ratings there are. One outlier can hugely influence the average if there are only a few ratings. This impacts local breweries most, since they'll have more limited distribution and ratings as compared to breweries distributed nationwide.

 

For some this is simply a hobby that many want to enjoy without overthinking it. Besides I've read some pretty ridiculous reviews where the reviewer would have been better off taking the lazy route.

 

Sometimes I add some comments, sometimes I don’t. I don’t put much stock in ratings with less than 100. Once you get a decent sample size it will average out to what it should be. The numbers become more relevant than the comments.

I do think the highest rated beers are over rated and the lowest are underrated due to style bias. We can’t expect someone to rate a beer objectively on a style they love or hate.

I agree that it’s also a personal record on whether I liked the beer or not. I can’t remember all the beers I’ve tried, so I too use it for that. This is where style bias comes into play with a large number of reviews. My love/dislike of a style is likely offset by someone with an opposite opinion.

 

Several times I’ve sat down with a beer thinking: I will rate this one for sure.
Beer? Check.
Glass? Check.
iPad? Check.
By the time I sat down and opened up my iPad? Screw it.
Just wasn’t into it. I was really enjoying the beer and didn’t want to think too much about it.
I try to leave a written review but after reading this thread,
I won’t feel as guilty with just a number review when I’m not in a creative mood.

 

Is there a difference in weight on the beers average score based on actual reviews compared to numerical ratings?

Has this been going on for 10 years now? Time flies, I guess, but that doesn't seem correct to me.

10 years ago the forums were of the tiered variety, no? If I remember correctly, only minimum character reviews were allowed because BA didn't want to become Ratebeer. And that's what was admirable. Untappd changed that, right?

 

im not inerested to read a novel about how great or shitty u find a beer @hottenot your opinion nor anyone elses on this site influences my descion either way to buy a beer or pass on it,or how i decide to rate a beer, i like to go in blind, make my own rating which is only for my personal use.

 

also this was your review @hottenot way to add to the knowledge of the community. if these are your reviews stick to a number rating bruh

 

Yes. Yes, they are that lazy. Nothing to be done about it though.

 

If you stop the numerical reviews what do you think will happen to those who want to use the new BA app when it is released? It may be a set-up for it to fail. Just wondering.

 

Every beer we review, we do at home. When encountering a new brew when going out, we use a numerical only rating because it's easier and faster. Adding a word or three slides through without being posted. Keeps the beer total ticking up and lets us know we've had it. When we can have it at home, we'll give it the full monty.

 

I try to review as much as I can, but if I have a new beer at a brewery or bar I'm not going to sit there on my phone plugging away a review.

As much as I'd love to have 100% reviews of the beers I've had, it's just not possible.

 

Sometimes I post a review with no text because I intend to add text later (don't want to be on my phone too long when I'm out with friends or my husband) and it's easier to keep track of what I have tried that day if I already have it saved under "my beers"

 

Yeah... I’ve been in a shop before where I’ll reference a beer score because I was interested in the beer bc I saw it on the WBYDN thread. I never read reviews anyway, especially not in a situation where I’m at the store.

Keep with the scores-only option. If you want to review, by all means, do so.

 

I am sorry to reply, as I understand where you are coming from, but as a solid review guy who finds numbers meaningless in the real world of using them to make beer buying decisions I couldn't let the things that bugged me in your post go without.

You say you don't have the time to write a review, but say the problem is with people who should take the time to track down the history of someone who only leaves a number, so as to try to make sense of the number. Really? You have no time to describe what you are drinking, but we all have plenty of time to track down your history to try to make sense of a number that you left? You say you want conditions to be perfect for giving a review, which just underlines my point, as even you assume that a review demands an honesty that numbers leaving doesn't. And just so you know, I am not the only one who thinks, when we see a number only, it was left by the kind of person who might have said, "This IIPA sucks, it's kind of bitter and I really hate bitter beers" if they'd left a review.

 

The new App in Beta makes writing reviews pretty dang easy. It seems like it will lead to a higher percentage of beers being reviewed.

 

I understand your view but for some they may feel better just posting numbers. Maybe they cannot put into words how they perceive a beer but can in numbers, etc. I am ok with numbers so long as they are not all 1s or 5s, then its just a spam post in my eyes. But if someone takes time to enter numbers and they sort of jive with the pack then I am ok with it. I would encourage people to add a review but I don't think it should be forced in order to log a beer.
Cheers

 

Who says rating with only a numbers results in a LOWER score?

When I was writing full reviews on the site I found that the more I wrote and scrutinized each aspect of the beer, it resulted in a slightly lower score. Aka. Firestone Anniversary beers (my favorite series every year) usually getting around 4.5-4.6 with a review. But wait, I love those beers, they're 5's. I guess not?

 

While I agree with @Millerhighlife in that I'd like to see at least something, anything that explains a beer ('darker than expected', 'hazy for a Pilsner', 'very dry finish', etc.), I'm also OK with just numbers because without that option a lot of people just won't post reviews, and I believe that in the end the numbers work out fairly well if enough people chime in.