Poll: Do you tick?

There are basically two kinds of tickers and those are divided as well. There are those who review and there are those who don't. Reviewers either review well based on enough of a taste, or don't. Those who don't review either keep a private log, or mark hads on a website.

But the worst, to me, are the ones who feel the need to advertise (read that brag, though what there is to brag about by reaching some number is beyond me) their "achievements", usually thinly disguised as a post asking "What should I drink for my XXXth review?"

 

In my opinion you can easily review a 3 ounce sample. It's not by "the book" and it's always better to have a full 12 ounces, but I've had a number of samples that I just didn't care for, but why not offer an opinion/review to give others your two cents. Sure you can argue that it's not the best way to judge a brew but it's got some validity in my book. I don't "down the hatch" these samples. Doing a review is a major priority for my beer drinking pleasure. I enjoy it and if I get a sample that will not result in a purchased pint, I relish the opportunity to record my thoughts. I'm not someone who spends 15 minutes reviewing a beer anyway. Short and sweet. What were the obvious, predominant features and was it a good beer or not so good. You don't need 12 ounces to separate the bad from the good though it does help fortify reviews that are in depth. Personally, I'm not too interested in all the weird details that reviewers often come up with, and I'm guilty of it myself. Keep it simple and 3 ounces will do in a pinch. There's no pride factor, it's just what works. Valid data for the pool is the key.

 

No, I don't consider what I do as ticking. I enjoy the beers and explore their flavors. If I can ramble a bit about my involvement on BeerAdvocate.com over the past 7+ years, please endulge me a moment:

I enjoy writing about my experiences as every beer has a story. I like to share that story through the prism of my own taste buds. Instead of "tick", I "review" beers and try to get down to the nuts-and-bolts about their flavors, their personalities, and how they adhere to a style and how they deviate; whether accidental or by trying to apply a fingerprint or or identity to their brand. It's a game that I play, a game worth playing- at least for me and my curious palate. Maybe I'm a bit of a wierdo in that the curriosity about something I've never tasted before supercedes something that's tried and true and that I know that I like. The simple act of applying enough though about the new combinations of flavors in a beer to type it out on this site sort of ingrains those impressions into my memory banks just as I retained knowledge in college. I rarely reread my notes, but merely writing them made me remember them better. The same approach now applies to beers and why I review. If anyone finds value in that, then that's fantastic. If they don't think that's valuable, then that's ok too. If that's the case, then I encourage you to simply find one of the many talented reviewers or tickers on this site to help direct you to the next pint that you may enjoy or to understand the beer better for you. But for me, Beer Advocate is not a trophy case for me to display to onlookers what I've had the privilege of enjoying, therefore I have no use for ticking.

Cheers and thanks for weathering all that,
Kevin

 

Interesting that you would attribute the negative connotations to "ticking". I'll admit that this string is the first I've heard of ticking but I also know I've been "guilty" of it on a handful of occasions. I rarely ask for samples to begin with. There are so many good beers out there now and I know what I like and stay away from many styles that just don't turn me on to begin with. So when they ask if I want a sample I usually say no, sounds good to me, just let me go all in for the 12 ounce /pint purchase. When I ask for a sample that really doesn't warrant a purchase, if the sample isn't significant enough (which I weigh pretty seriously) I won't bother with the review. But I wrestle with the issue and will definitely review a 3 or 4 ounce sample on occasion. I rarely see a problem. You can see the basics; color, head, lacing, aroma, flavor and body/feel. What more do I need to determine if I find this worthy of a recommendation or not? People taking these review so seriously is really kind of silly. I mean, have you read them. So many are out to lunch and I really don't think it has anything to do with using "samples" instead of proper pints. Some folks conjure all these meaningless nuances, and sometimes I do it myself. The moment just strikes you and you envision hemlock and mock turtle soup with nuances of liver pate and nutty esters of oak leaf reduction. I mean, please. Poetic license can go to far as I've tested for myself here and there. There are flavors and aromas being tossed about that I can't even begin to understand. Do we really need to have 12+ ounces? What is the purpose of these reviews? To pontificate and make a literary claim for immortality? Use your best judgment and review whatever you think is fair.

 

Ok, I didn't understand what you meany by "ticking" before. I guess I do tick, kinda. I count anything I have as trying to beer and I can base a review on it. I go to the local awesome beer bar, get 5 or 6 5 oz samples and taste them and review them. I don't always post my reviews here, but I review everything I drink (and take pics) and post them to my Facebook. Its more for my personal enjoyment and catalog than for anyone else. I like to keep track of everything I have had, especially if I love it (so I can get it again) or hate it (so I can make sure never to get it again).

I mean, a lot of the beers I try at 1702 (my favorite local place mentioned earlier) I will never get a chance to try again. They get all the rarities. So I order flights, get my 5 oz samples, and enjoy. If I didn't get them in 5 oz sizes, I'd die from alcohol poisoning, lol. If I can try 5-12 beer in 5 oz form, I think that's awesome and I count it as having tried the beer. And I only consume 25-60 oz of beer. Instead of trying to be dumb and trying 5-12 full beers which is 80-192 oz of beer. And most of these are 9% and up (they serve things like Fort and 120 min, which come in over 18%). So if I'm a "ticker" then boohoo. I enjoy it.

 

I don't 'tick'...I 'Untappd' But yes, I like to try new things.

 

I'm a mild ticker since I look to try a new beer when at a bar, and taking notes for a review if I have time.

 

To me ticking is drinking beer just to get as many beers under your belt as possible. I try to drink different beers as much as possible because I want to try new beers. A thin line I guess but title it whatever you want.

 

I got no issue with people who tick the ever living shit out of beers. However, for those people who sit down at a bar and 3 of the tap handles are their favorite beers of all time and the fourth tap handle is Cave Creek Chilli Beer and they order the Cave Creek just because they haven't tried it yet, well....those fuckers are crazy.

 

Agreed...beer drinking is not a 'competition' and doesn't require measurements of accomplishment. But, what do I know, ticking may become an Olympic event some day - session beers, summer ales, pale ales, etc. for the summer games, stouts, barleywines, wee heavy, etc. for the winter contest.

 

I check into Untappd when I have a beer (and I never sample so it's always a full beer) and then eventually write it down with a little symbol to denote how much I liked it. I have a master list of stuff I've tried simply so I can check it on the phone to make sure I don't accidentally buy the same beer when I'm going on a run looking for new stuff to try.

 

put me in the group that doesn't really know what ticking is.
I mean, the name implies something quick, almost like checking off a box. In that sense, I am definitely not. I keep track of the 6600 beers I've tried and have about 3K reviews for them on my laptop, but rarely go out of my way anymore just to look for stuff I haven't had. However that is probably more that I've gotten good enough at homebrewing to prefer my own.

to each their own.

cheers--
--Michael

 

I'm pretty guily of that one I'm afraid, but I entirely agree that it's crazy. I do see each new beer as a sort of a notch in my belt. But I would argue that it's not because I think it's really impressing anyone out there (get a life if you are) but more because I'm a hopeless collector. I was raised in a household full of collectors and collections and I've never stopped. If I get two of anything, I need a thousand more varieties until I tire of the whole deal. Since I started drinking beer in the 70's I haven't tired. But I will say, where time allows, I rarely leave those other three tap handles untouched.... However I will agree that I've walked away from many a beer bar somewhat unsatisfied that I didn't do the tried & true brews instead of the newbies that just didn't get it done. However, as part of the sickness, I do feel a sense of duty fulfilled in thinking that my added reviews to sites like BA will help others avoid the same mistake, or at least help others somehow or another. Crazy.

 

Well said. I agree that most flights provide plenty enough material for a meaningful review. Unless you're Michael Jackson reincarnate, 12 ounces or a pint is great but not always necessary for the discriminating reviewer. That being said, I rarely get the flight/samples because I usually feel so unsatisfied when I hit on a really good one. That's where the BA database, and others comes in handy so I can make my own call, with the occasional assistance of a free pre-sample, to endulge in a full glass with minimized risk. It's not about the review, it's about the fuil enjoyment and experience. On the other side of the coin, of course, despite the available guidance on choosing your beers, I can often still encounter some pretty disappointing brews, and laboring through a full pint when I can only tackle so many in one sitting, and still drive home, is frustrating. That's where your flight approach serves you well. Guess I'm more of a gambler, or more of an optimist...or both. Cheers.

 

Personally, I don't have the time, money, or liver to buy and drink as much beer as I'd like to. And, there are so many things out there that I want to try. So, a lot of the beers I drink are first-time experiences, but the exceptional ones I will come back to when the mood strikes me. I review as many beers as I can, but only those I feel I can dedicate a respectful amount of time and thought to. If I don't have writing utensils handy or the social situation I'm in isn't conducive to reviewing, then I won't review. If I think the beer may have been compromised by age, storage conditions, dirty tap lines, or other things like that, then I won't review. The purpose of my reviewing is informational (and I like writing and thinking about these things) so I try to review only when conditions are as close to ideal as possible.

Is this ticking? I think some people would say so, but I'm not entirely sure. If so, no I do not feel bad about it, and I'm not sure why anyone would.

 

At least you recognize that your nuts. Ha ha ha.

Just kidding. Cheers man and good luck with your "pursuit of the collection."

 

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/beer-ticking-documentary.18690/

was going to post about this documentary I watched on hulu, only to find a previous thread about it... very cool and certainly worth a watch... I have no problem with this kind of ticking (min. of 1/2 pint)... a couple of ounces doesn't seem to make much sense to me.

 

If you're over 60 and tick (beers, trains or anything else) it may be passed off as but a harmless peculiarity, your memory may be shot anyway. If you're under 40 and tick it appears more like a character defect, especially if you're basing ticks on less than eight ounces.

 

Thanks for telling us how to enjoy our hobby...