Tickers?

No, not a ticker here, I drink beers for the flavors and the experience. Variety helps me understand things about the beers and my own sensory experiences.

I use the UK definition of a ticker--someone who is out to get a sample of as many beers as possible for the count on the record and the glory of having the most ticks to their credit when they die.

 

At the moment, I'm definitely in the ticker stage. ISO anything top 250 that I haven't had. I consider it exploring the best available as judged by the masses. Being relatively new (about 5 months) to craft beer I felt it was the best way to explore what's out there and what I might like the best and then eventually narrow it down from there. Like all systems and ratings, none are "perfect" but it as close as it gets for the moment.

 

I guess I would define a ticker as someone who feels the need to try every beer and will seek out primarily beers that they've not had in the past in order to increase the number of "unique" or "distinct" beers they've tried.

In that sense, I don't consider myself I ticker. I absolutely enjoy trying new beers, but I buy a LOT more "go to" shelf beers than I do new releases or beer I haven't tried before.

 

I like to try new beers, just to try new beers. I could care less about ticking, its all about enjoyment for me.

 

I suppose I used to be a ticker. That was back in the day when you actually had a chance to try everything that was out there. That's impossible now with the 4,000 breweries in operation or in planning.

Now I am content with stumbling upon new and interesting beers, or discovering things in my travels, and I am perfectly fine with missing out on things. (I fill in the gaps with even more interesting stuff. See pic to left.) It's more fun for me to come across things at random than to invest so much time in trading or finding specific beers.

And my definition of a ticker is someone who feels compelled to try everything they can, or as many as earthly possible.

 

I am a ticker by my opinion and definition. My definition of a ticker is just keeping track. I also do not have a derogatory mindset to ticking. I like to keep track. It allows me not to try crappy stuff twice. It also allows me to find good beer that I will drink again and again. It is also not an obsession that does not allow me to enjoy the good ones over and over. I look at it as a fun way to keep score, but as in T-ball the final score doesn't matter. Everybody wins and then goes out for a beer.

 

Hi all

Can we please try to have some actual *constructive* dialogue regarding the OP's question?

If you see your post has been deleted, you probably weren't adding anything to the conversation.

 

I don't really go out of my way to have a beer solely for the purpose of adding another one to my total numbers. But if there is something that looks interesting that I've never had before sure I'll have it. But if my options are having something good that I've had before or a style I might not like that I haven't had I'll take the good beer.

 

I suppose I am a ticker, although I'd like to think my motivations are more pure?

Throughout my life, i've always operated under the "variety is the spice of life" approach - always looking for a new restaurant to try, never ordering the same thing from the menu, sampling multiple flavors of ice cream before choosing one... getting into craft beer was heaven for a variety seeker like me. I tick, because it lets me keep track of what I've had, and I derive my enjoyment of beer from the fact that there are SO MANY GOOD BEERS OUT THERE TO TRY. Yes, I will often reach for a beer I've never had rather than go for one that is tried and true. I do it for the sense of discovery.

I might stop being a ticker, too, when I get to your level. 3,590 UNIQUE BEERS? Jeebus!

 

Nope, I'm not a ticker.

I have a paltry few hundred reviews here (nevermind the thousands of tasting notes on those damned-pocket notebooks) compared to the northyorksammys and Super-tasters of the world.

Guzzler? Imbimber? Tippler? Yeah, probably, but I am also not a truck-chaser. Too busy chasing rare birds.

 

I tick like crazy. 4,200+ and still counting.

 

I do not consider myself a ticker. I do tend to accumulate beer from breweries I like. My repeat purchases are more toward the brewer than a particular beer. I will try something new when I stumble on it, or see something interesting, or even occassionally get caught up in the "hype". I've been on BA actively since 2011, and have logged in 152 beers. There's some in my spreadsheet I haven't entered yet, but maybe that gets me to 160 tops. So I keep track of what I've had and what I think, but I'm not looking for the merit badge.

A friend of mine joined UnTapped about six - eight months ago and has logged in 812 beers, 691 of them unique. To me, that is a ticker - and there is no sign of it slowing down. Even with flights and tours/tastings, that's a lot of new beers IMHO. At least they return to some "favorites", I guess.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...to each their own. I make fun of my friend for ticking, my friend makes fun of me for being a lightweight. It's all good. (But...on average, I drink better beer ).

 

I consider myself to be a ticker in the sense that I am always interested in trying new beers, especially since there are so many new quality beers being produced. I don't really understand any of the negative connotations that go along with ticking. I don't just try a new beer and then move onto the next one and the next one without ever going back to a beer I've already had and I really doubt anyone else does this either. I try to balance my consumption between beers I love and have had countless times and beers that are new and interest me.

 

I'd like to add, I buy a lot more beer that I've already had and like than new beer.

 

I think a ticker is someone who sets out to have as huge a number of beers sampled as possible and is not that interested in returning to something that they enjoyed.

Myself, I love trying new beers (or new to me beers) so I suppose there is an element of ticking involved, but having found a lot of shelf beer that I loved, I tend to keep lots of it on hand too. There are times when I feel adventurous, and then there are times when I enjoy the wonderful familiar flavor of my old standbys.

 

I often see people say, "I never drink the same beer twice in a row." While that habit alone does not necessarily make one a ticker, it is certainly the mindset that harbors one.

In my mind, a ticker is someone who will pass up on something they know they like to try something new, even if they are pretty sure they won't like the beer they're trying, just to add to their total number of beers "had."

Am I a ticker? Eh, no, I don't think so. I like trying new beers and marking it as "had" on my profile, just for my own amusement, but most nights, I drink multiples of the same beer because I like it. I often buy six packs and twelve packs rather than singles because I want several servings of that one beer, as opposed to one serving of different offerings. However, if I'm at a bar with a good tap selection, it is rare that I stick to one beer. I can't really tell you why it makes a difference when I'm at a bar; now I've got myself thinking...

 

Not a ticker here

My personal definition of ticker is someone who will not drink something tried and true, if something new is available instead (no matter the style, brewery).

I love trying new beers, but I have a stable of reliables that I drink lots of

 

I am a hybrid of liking to try new releases or established beers that I haven't had the chance to try before and also having a stable of 'go to' beers that I always keep on hand. When I try new beers, it is for the express purpose of trying to discover another beer and liking it enough that it becomes part of my 'go to' portfolio.

 

I do enjoy trying new beers, and will gravitate towards those if I see them on the menu, or if my beer-store staff have something new they will point it out to me. I won't try everything, because I don't like all styles... For example, I won't try a farmhouse/sour/wine barrel aged anything because I know I don't enjoy them...

Tick, yes to the extent that I keep track... but the object is to find and try as many new/good beers as I can for the experience, not for the score.