How has BeerAdvocate impacted your life?

I've become obsessed with packaging dates and freshness, not just with beer but with other products as well. The other day I was buying premixed 2 cycle oil for a rototiller that I rarely use. I dug through the shelf at Home Depot to get one in the back with a recent packaging date, and you know what ? That tiller started on the first pull !

 

Not know anything about beer, in 2007 I discovered Beer Advocate. It has helped me become more aware of beer and the types of beer that are out there. I have become a better beer drinker and I look for better beers to drink. I advocate drinking craft beer and support independent breweries. I am constantly exploring other styles of beer then before. I have met some amazing people too. I use BA more than any social media platform.

 

If you are asking me about Las Vegas, I can't help you. I've never been there. If I was going, I would be on the "places" search looking for recommendations.

 

I've never been to Las Vegas, but now you have me curious. Looks like quite a few breweries. Good luck with your search.

 

In the ten plus years I’ve been active on BA, I’ve found people to interact with who are as passionate about beer as I am. I have some friends and a brother in law who are also into craft beer, but this site is a fun place to discuss beer, enjoy beer “together” and share information. I don’t drink beer every day, but I do read and post on BA ever day. Cheers!

 

A long time ago in a galaxy so,
so close....

BEER ADVOCATE

February MMVIII

A NEW HOPE

It is a period of war in Iraq.
As the WAR settles down a
GREAT RECESSION strikes from
hidden toxic equities. Yet victory
came in November and a
Galactic SHIFT came to the USA.

Over the next twelve years, Craft
BEER captured a large share of
the market. Some still predicted
the DEATH of a bubble even as
total breweries exceeded
pre-prohibition levels. And the
wave swept an entire planet.

Pursued by BIG BEER’s sinister
agents, Darlings of the Craft
WORLD scrambled to avoid being
gobbled up. Craft lovers stayed
the course and secured good
beer and FREEDOM to the galaxy….

 

I have only been part of BA for this year, but I really love learning and appreciating beer from a group of people that know more about beer than I do.

 

How I found BA is lost to history. I liked beer, and this place celebrated beer. Truly CELEBRATED beer. Folks seemed to care, without taking themselves to seriously, and without being any one stereotype. Ya know, a little bit of everyone.

After lurking for a while it seemed I could contribute, so I joined. Being unaware of one’s ignorance can be empowering. Still true today, for certain! Still BA has helped me appreciate the beer I liked, and stretch the horizon.

Thanks for being here, and letting an anti-socialite hang around too.

 

My first review was in February 2008... That makes me a member for 13 years or almost 30% of my life... Kind of scary when you think about it... Aside from blood relatives, only my relationship with my wife, my favorite band and a select few friends have last longer... It's tied in duration with the oldest child and longer than my youngest... While certainly not as important as any of those, it's a pretty darn long time...

Back then I knew barely anything about beer and have come a long way (though there is always more to learn)... I can't even begin to estimate the hours of research, entertainment and debate provided...

Cheers and thanks for everything!

 

One of the first personal uses I made of this site was to look for people in my area to join our small tasting group (yes, there really were that few around here) Still good friends with two members we gained that way, one who replied to me, and another who messaged me here out of the blue a couple years later.

 

As a mortician, all my friends are dead.

You guys talk to me, so thank you.

 

I've learned so much about what the beer world is all about and what beer can and should be. The people here are fantastic. A surprising bonus is all the great recommendations that fellow BA's will provide if you ask about visiting most anywhere. It has saved me so much time in finding great bottle shops and fantastic restaurants (beer-centric and not).

 

First, I can't begin to quantify how much knowledge I've picked up from this site about beer styles, and selecting, storing and drinking good beer. The Homebrewing forum is an amazing place to learn a lot on that topic. Also, finding the right beer places through the Places feature has been an immense help when planning vacation trips, or the numerous pub crawls that my wife and I enjoy doing that lead to the ratings and reviews that I eventually write for the site.

Second, I always have a passive, virtual friend to drink with. We may not be drinking the same beer, or drinking at the same time, but we talk about beer at all hours of the day. Cheers to all of my fellow Advocates and thanks for sharing your knowledge with me over the years.

And thanks to you, @Todd and @Jason , for providing the venue to make it all happen.

 

Without BA I might (still) be;

One of those saps who can't explain the difference between Ale and Lager if held at gun-point

One of those suckers who only drink cheep AAL and cheep "light" Beer.

" " " wanna-bees who only drink (hazy) IPA and have no clue about any other style.

" " " ding-dongs that chose "malternatives" exclusively over our beloved Beer.

" " " simpletons who waist money on over hyped/priced/aged shelf turds.

I would like to add that the policy makers and moderators have kept this site safe from trolls and "kakers", they get eaten alive

BA has been my salvation, Thanks.



Disclaimer; I have no issues with members who prefer IPA and AAL, I'm just happy where I am.

 

@Amendm What’s a kaker? Totally new term to me!

 

Someone who talks out his or her @$$. Cheers.

 

@micada thanks for asking. My go-to “Urban Dictionary” failed in this instance. Failed by a mile.

Given this new information, the word may have derived from Yiddish. https://jel.jewish-languages.org/words/15

Unsurprisingly, the word is absent from the etymology dictionary I use. https://www.etymonline.com

Thanks to @Amendm for keeping us geezers on our toes.

 

Well, given this new bit of info....I might be a kaker!!??
I'm turning 60 this year but I have a job so I don't think I qualify as ineffectual. Cheers.

 

Your posts are too short anyway to be one of 'them.'