Why do you review?

I started because I wanted to keep a list of the beers I'd had, and reviews were the only way to do it. Now, one can just give scores, and count it as a had. If that had been option when I started, that is certainly what I would have done.

 

This is my approach. Number score. If somethings good its good and if its bad its bad.
I have tried time and time again to sit and type one of those " aroma of vanilla and charred wood from the bourbon barrel, flavor of molasses up front followed by dark fruit and finishes off yadda yadda." , but i honestly am just lazy and don't care enough. I will give a score although i do it more on untappd cuz of ease

 

I don't review beer on BA so I know already the question isn't primed toward someone like me; I'll lend an answer anyhow because I like the question. I used to post notes on Instagram but when that became too unwieldy, I started posting them on Untappd.

I started "reviewing" beers when I started working at a liquor store because like the OP, I wanted to learn about what I was drinking and also just to test myself. I was pretty awful at that time because I basically knew nothing. Then, the emphasis became training my senses. I got a little better just by paying attention, reading about ingredients, reading others' notes, etc.

When I became the beer buyer at my store, it became a hyper-focus of learning not just about beer as a whole but also how styles are subtly different from one another and being able to describe beer to customers. It went further later on by being asked by regulars what's new/interesting/what I like and simply showing them my notes and talking to them about the beer.

Now my regulars don't really ask me for notes, they just take my recommendation at face value because I know what they like and my input is trusted. It's very flattering but also a bit of a negative since they don't really ask me anymore to go in-depth. I just say "This is good and here's w--" 'I'LL TAKE IT!' That and a sizable amount of my customers are about seltzers and I couldn't give a shit less about them. Thankfully they're finally dying. The seltzers, not the people...

Now, I really just write notes because I enjoy doing it, it's a bit of a habit, I get to continually refine my skills and test those on styles I'm less familiar with.

 

I review half of the beers I drink, so I review when I feel like doing one, and be as honest and objective as I can.

 

I came to this site to use the reviews of others. It only makes sense to add for others to use what I hope they add for me to use. The more reviews, the better the site functions as help to consumers.

Along the way I discovered that reviewing beers helps me to figure out what I like best in a beer, so I can make and buy ones I like as best as I'm capable to brew/choose.

I appreciate there are folks who use the rating system as an easy way to know what they have consumed in the past. I don't mind ignoring those numbers completely while using/providing reviews.

 

One of the reasons I got into reviewing was to create a record of what I've consumed and thought about it, and to work on my writing skills. I actually enjoy hand writing, so early on I would hand write my reviews, then publish to Beer Advocate.

Currently, reviewing is still about having a record of what I've consumed and thought about it, with the added benefit that it's a mental destressor. It's probably the only activity in my life that gets me close to my yoga practice, in terms of intention and mental focus. When I run distance, hike, or play drums, my mind wanders. When I'm reviewing, my mind stays focused on the task. I've continued to handwrite some reviews, but now it's more of a shorthand note pad that turns into a review when I'm at the computer.

I've also found reviewing beer to be an easier way to feel comfortable when traveling for work. Sometimes running in new areas is exhausting, trying to find quality roads to run, but unsure how to navigate a new city. Then multiply that difficulty by running early enough that it's still dark outside. Meanwhile, I could open up a beer and jot down notes on it in my hotel room after work, reflecting on the beer and my day. It provides a period where I can mentally relax on my duties or other tasks for the day.

 

I write reviews to add more than just a score. Justification of my score, perhaps. I usually will give a score, write my review and see how it compares to other reviews. I’m always trying to learn, so this seems to help me out.

 

I review for a few reasons.

First & foremost it's as a record of what I had & how well I liked/disliked it. Second is that I've always been a writer & when kids came along my published writing really dried up, so I started using reviews as a means to at least keep the juices flowing. Third, my own reviews amuse me, sometimes, & probably not anyone else (inside jokes with myself; i enjoy those). Last, as someone mentioned above, I sometimes read reviews before I'll buy a beer & it seems fair to add to the pile of impressions.

 

I read reviews, especially the NBW thread, to learn how to appreciate beers more and improve my own reviewing. I write reviews on BA mainly as a repository for my own experiences that I can reference later. It makes the statistics easy, (although I am more and more convinced that I could serve my purposes equally well or better with ExceI since posting pics here on BA is harder than it needs to be and harder than it is to embed pictures in Excel.) I also like to see where my ratings fall relative to the standard deviation of other peoples' ratings, but that is a low priority for me.
I can't pretend to write the same nuanced descriptions and dissections of complex flavors as many other reviewers, but what I write works for my records. To me, simple numeric ratings are not sufficient to remind me WHY I gave that score. In the future as my priorities change with regard to what I value in a beer, those wordy descriptions will be more valuable.
On occasion, I am the among the first couple people to review a beer. In that case I can pretend that maybe I am helping others make a decision about whether a beer is worth trying.

 

I don't review much, I am more inclined to keep my criticisms internalized or include them amongst the conversation on the forums, as I have grown to enjoy this community quite a bit. I have added a place though, because I loved their beer and brewery, and thought it deserved recognition here. Hidden Sands Brewery in Egg Harbor Township, NJ is awesome! Anyone who ever finds themselves at the Jersey Shore should pay them a visit. (bonus points for being the only place that showed the world cup on multiple tv's that had great beer when I used to live down there)

 

To keep a log of beers I like, I want to revisit as well as avoid.

 

I truly enjoy nosing and tasting beer. Finding different smells and tastes in a beer (or whiskey) brings me pleasure. Comparing what I think I've found to what others have found is very interesting. I always read other people's reviews for both comparison and that it gives me a feeling of comradeship. So, I guess you could say I genuinely like doing reviews and I genuinely like the other people on here.

 

Because I can. I don't want to keep "it" bottled inside me and keep on keeping on because a draught, error, drought is not acceptable.

 

Originally, for myself. 1 - As a mindfulness experience 2 - To better appreciate the sensory experience 3 - As an external memory reference 4 - As an outlet for creative writing.

The creative writing aspect never really took root, because I never respected the discipline enough to set aside time and convert my notes. This year, I have detailed notes for over a hundred beers just waiting for me to turn them into simple reviews, much less “creatively”.

Later, it seemed important to leave a record for the community, and especially for small brewers. So much of history is lost because it is ephemeral, and the value of the mundane is underrated.