It's Time to Embrace Ratings

I think this is a great idea.

As for ratings, they are meaningless to me. Ratings without words is numbers without a reference point; at least give me a few words.

As a newbie a few years ago, I relied heavily on the long term reviewing members to help me find my likes and dislikes. It is not too much different than filtering stereo equipment reviews for those why may be audiophiles. I review that stuff and try to communicate my tastes, preferences, etc.

As for uptapped, as a newbie, but not an untapped registered peep I would search a beer and invariably, all I get is somebody taking a pic of a beer at a bar with some stars, no words, no reviews, etc. BA on the contrary is way for a non BA member to find lots of impressions for beer.

I have been getting less verbose on my recent reviews but almost all of my "ratings" are reviews. If it helps someone, great, but it is there as my database and it helps me.

 

That is basically everything I would say, especially as one of the rare non-hopheads about.

I don't rate on here without a review that includes some specifics about my palate and what I experienced from a beer. I do the same thing on Untappd as well, but obviously with less detail, given the constraints. That way my reviews serve as a good reference for me later, can be interesting when I revisit a beer after some time has passed as far as whether my palate has evolved or remained constant regarding it, and have an off chance of being vaguely useful for someone browsing reviews.

Untappd ratings are entirely sans value for me save for a handful of other people who include at least some attempt at notes. My overall rDev indicates I'm also not exactly aligned with the overall tastes here either, and so the notes help.

If your goal is more ratings, cool. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, ignoring them, and scanning review notes.

For some potential constructive feedback, I'd agree that a streamlined "rate a beer" function right on the front / every page, with the option for an abbreviated single-number Overall score, would help.

 

I review each and every new beer I try usually while I am drinking it.
Sometimes people are annoyed by this, I explain to them that this is my hobby, reviewing beers, then, they always say, "that's cool!"
It doesn't take that long once you understand the styles and how to write the review.
My tastes are simple and I'm not at all nuanced to all the many different flavors in beer, I am not a great writer, but I certainly enjoy reviewing.
That being said, in my humble opinion reviewing beer is the best way to learn to truly appreciate the styles and what I am drinking. And that is why I think more people should review, it really is it's own reward as far as learning more about beer and that is the main reason I am here.
I love our hobby my BA Brethren and feel lucky to have discovered BA and to learn from all of you.
Cheers!

 

Ratings are fine. I give them a quick glance , & if it's ~universally good, or bad, will pay attention, but mostly ignore them. Use em, if you will. *shrug*

(As I've said before) . When looking at an unknown beer, I look at the reviews, then check the reviewer(s)' s other beers that I know. Of those, if any, where the reviewer's estimation of the beers in common match mine , I'm more likely to take that person's word on the untried beer. What I'm looking for is the description of the experience of the beer. Then I'll decide if I'm likely to enjoy that.
Ex :https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/252/760/
Good beer , but I won't get it again. If I had known the strength of clove flavor in it, probably would have skipped it.

 

we live in a fast paced, short attention span society (for better or worse). i know i’ve found my self in public / social situations drinking a beer i’ve never had before and wanting to rate it (without being one of those people that snaps a pic and “checks it in” - don’t even get me started). unfortunately, in those situations it’s hard to write a thoughtful review. that’s just how it is. for others, it may just be the process of articulating taste / smell/ etc sensations into words. at any rate, that doesn’t discount their rating. or it shouldn’t anyway. the way i look at it: the only ratings on this sight that matter are my own (meaning, you have to try the beer for yourself and make up your own mind about it). so whether you do that in the form of a review or simply a rating, you’re still drinking the beer in a critical and thoughtful way and that’s respecting beer.

side note: i will often find myself rating a beer and then if i do get to try it again, going back and reviewing it if i can. sometimes the inspiration (derived from the beer itself) just isn’t there. way she goes.

 

I joined this site just over a year ago; shortly after the time I finally began to branch out and try different beers beyond the mass produced fare.
I've learned a lot by reading reviews here, but am not yet comfortable doing my own reviews.
I have rated virtually every beer I've tried during this time, and for me it's been very helpful and enjoyable to track my new adventures.
Yes, I'm even the guy who consults BA when perusing a selection of beers I have yet to sample. I can typically get good info here that informs me as to whether or not to pull the trigger on a particular brew.

 

I find myself rating when it’s been more than a couple days after drinking a beer. It reminds me that I indeed tried it, and a general score whether I liked it or not.

I usually review when I have a new beer, inclination to type on my phone, and want to have a more comprehensive reminder if I were to revisit it in the future.

Stupid expensive beers always need a review. Going to drop $3+/oz and not put some words to it? That’d be stupider.

 

bonus for minimal words (less for lousy beer), bigger bonus for fuller review. Nothing for those who rate with an War & Peace length review which discourages.

 

Not even getting into the issue of the same beer being entered multiple times on UT. UT really needs to clean their list up.

 

Yes, I find it strange (and annoying) when I go to add a beer from a small local brewery where there's no way anyone has had it only to find some dude in Seattle or New York added it, presumably from searching the Internet for new beers.

Ok, I'm done. I'll probably be fine. But still....

 

I've reviewed about a third of the beers I've rated. I'm lazy in the other 2/3. But I don't feel bad about it, although I know it annoys some people. Plus, I give the same number for look, smell, taste, mouthfeel, and overall when rating or reviewing even though when I review they get their own description. It's just the way I've decided to do it. Sometimes I just don't want to think that much about what I'm drinking or take the time. Plus, the OCDish side of my is really annoyed by the .01 changes. .25 increments is enough.

 

When I check to see feedback on a beer I've not had before, I prefer to see a review rather than a simple rating. But we all get lazy. I kind of like the old format with no minimum characters or much lower minimum characters required. Maybe just a line or two should be required--regarding what you like the most.

 

The freakin' Karma thing deserves its own serious discussion thread and rethink. The idea of awarding points for criteria that is not elucidated and always changing, other than some cryptic reference to a some nebulous relationship to what is, at that time, valued by BA is, IMO, really dumb. Points come and go without explanation, apparently to humor those who control them.

 

When this happens, can we please NOT have meads and hard seltzer included? I'd hate to see the top beers list go from having Storm King when I started here to Smooj

I've been reviewing on here for about 14 years. I admit, it's not easy, and I don't know a way around it. I need to go beyond "do I like it?" to "why do I like it?". It's also hard to do on social settings (and granted, rating on Untappd is hard too, outside of when you're with a bunch of beer people).

 

Ask the bartender for a piece of paper and scribble a few quick notes? I carry a small note book, and I can get 3-4 beers notes on a page. Brewery name, beer name, ABV, type of glass. Then a few shorthand notes on the 5 aspects. Quick, easy, and I can carry on a conversation with friends while I do it.

 

Is that something actively in the works? Any guess on timeframe? (No hurry here, just curious.)