Are you a rater?

Jesus, you're a serial ratist.

 

Let's say that you and a buddy attend a lecture. While the speaker is speaking, you guys are giving small banter back and forth and not taking any notes. How much of the lecture do you think that you absorbed? Could you pass the test based on what you casually heard?

Not to make beer seem like such a chore, but if I decided to write about the beer then that means that I'm going to pay more attention to what I am tasting. Simply by assigning language to the flavor that you're experiencing makes you much more in tune to your drinking session than by casually drinking and watching the game, or chatting with the guy at the bar, or trying to see whom with which you want to go home.

And aside from the creative outlet that reviewing beer allows for me personally, this is largely why I review.

 

Here, here ^^^^

 

I rate pretty much every beer that I have the time to sit down at home and write about. If it's out at the bars or with others I probably won't.

 

Initially, I started rating the beers for my own personal tracking system. Since I was new to craft beer, I didn't feel comfortable writing reviews. Overtime, I have written reviews, but I use the reviews to help with my buying decision. The rating/reviews won't be deciding factor, but a data point which helps in the buying decision. I really appreciate the reviews all of you provide. I know that it take time and effort.

Since I have been on BA over three years, it's fun to see my drinking patterns. Also, you can tell when I went to a beer festival or a particular brewery and tried a sampler. Make the data geek in me all warm and fuzzy...

 

Yes. I have a backlog of reviews on my notes program that I'm translating into BA format and posting. Taking a bit since only some are useful, some are incomplete and some I feel like I need to re-review now with my palate changes and better ability to describe.

 

I personally do not rate, but on Sunday I will review a beer or two on NBS. In this day and age lots of folks want things quantified, however subjectively. I do not forget the beers that I try and have a very deep and memorable reference system that doesn't fail me. Sometimes I'll buy a book that I already own by mistake, but I always remember a beer that just one was good enough for future reference and purchase.

 

I'm a rater and reviewer... I do it mostly to keep track and I find it good to have everything in one place here on BA. I like what @hopsputin said in his comment and I agree rating, but for me also reviewing, helps me to pick up on more flavours and develop my pallet, think of it as training if you like.

And @utopiajane says it best when stating reviewing is time well spent. I agree it is a really nice way to express how you feel about a beer. For me Personally when I check out others findings on a beer here on BA I only bother with the reviews I like it when someone backs up a rating with some comments... and I do love NBS! Reading other experiences for me is a lot of fun and helps guide my choices when I pop to my local ale store in Belfast (25 miles is local right?) to pick up some new beers...

 

I rate mostly so that I can keep track of what I've had, and whether or not it's something I'd want to drink again, or something that I'd recommend to others. That being said, this reason:

is also a big part of why I write out full reviews, instead of just inputting a few numbers and calling it a day. Craft beer can be pricy, and if I can in any way help direct even a small number of beer fans toward the 'good stuff' and away from the overpriced/mediocre stuff, then I consider it to be a worthwhile endeavour.

 

I log brews on Untappd but haven't here yet, rate them too but logging is more fun, I'm not that into judging but know what I like and love new experiences

 

yep definitely a rater/reviewer, Why? because i'm arrogant and need to publish my opinion on everything

 

I'm a beer drinker foremost. I do sometimes rate but the whole phenomenon of lining up 20+ beer 'samples' over an evening while you frantically scribble down tasting notes fills me with dread. A completely artificial process which will teach you nothing. In two words, ticking sucks.

 

A couple years ago, someone high up in the beer world told me that in order to improve my palate, I should write notes about the beers I tasted. If I had to write notes, I would concentrate more about what I saw, smelled, and tasted. I've been doing that ever since and he was absolutely right.

 

I rate and review every beer I try. While it is a lot of work, it pays off. It is fun to see how my tastes have evolved. In the distant future there may also be a time where I forget if I liked a beer or not. I can check my BA review/account and boom done in 60 seconds. Also I try and test myself in comparison to that of others more experienced than myself. I select beers on the numerical rating and then, once I have consumed and reviewed a new beer, I compare what I tasted to that of other BA member's reviews. It is fun... at least I think so.

 

I still write a detailed review of every beer I rate on here. For those of us like me who have been on this site for many years, until a year or 2 ago or so that is how you had to do it. You couldn't just give a quick click and give a beer a single overall number. You had to give a number to each of the 5 categories and actually take the time to write a review in order to post your rating/review/ I wish it was still that way here. People should not have the option to be lazy.

Eric

 

Reviewing like crazy as always... tis the way...

With that much reviewed the Internet is a good notepad and remembering tool

 

Writing a review is great excuse to drink beer. Nuff said.

 

I started on BA for the sole purpose of keeping track of the beers I drink (no one ever believes me when I say I have tried hundreds of beers in my life). It also helps remind me if I liked a beer and should try again or if I thought it was blah and will skip. Believe me before BA I would drink a beer pour it out and a year later buy the same beer again drink it and remember that I had it previously and hated it. Rating the beers has really made me start to appreciate what makes a good beer (smell, feel and taste) and it has taught me that I like stouts more than I thought and that I don't really like farm house ales. Rating has really helped make beer a hobby instead of something I just drink on a weekend. Really want to start writing reviews now that I am getting better at rating the beers that I drink.

 

BA would be smart to appease both parties. I'll write a review on some, but mostly I want a place to keep track of what I've tried and have a rating that tells me if I liked it. Even 4-5 years ago it was a battle to find decent beers so reviews were more important. Now with the explosion of craft beer there is way too much to try. I've been on both sides of the scoring here. I much preferred the ability to quickly punch in a rating that would publish a score and allow me to keep track of what my general opinion was. I could sit at a new brewery with a flight and quickly tick off my score, now I have to go through the charade of scoring on multiple dimensions. Plus it was much better to be able to pick a precise score instead of manipulating multiple ratings.

The current scoring system is not user friendly and discourages more participation. I'd guess that most on here are interested enough in beer to give fair scoring, the 5-10% that might be misguided don't really skew the results, so why make it more difficult?

 

Logbook, but I also prefer Untappd because I keep a photolog of the bottle and the pour, side by side. Mainly to see the color.