What does a review do for you?

I like to look at a new beer before I try it for the first time. I typically don't look at the numbers but just read what people say about the taste. To see if the flavor profile matches what I enjoy for the styles.

For example I prefer IPA's to be super hop forward with minimal malt. So I look and if I see tons of people saying it's malt forward I know it won't hit my palate so I'll likely pass on it.

 

I love reviews it tells me about a brew i never had or one that i have had , I can read what others say decide if it has what im looking for or compare to other BA reviews if i have had it to see what they are tasting to me its one of THE most important things of the site ...ratings tell me nothing about the brew other than the score pls take time to review in your words

 

I'm new to craft beer, so reviews have helped me tremendously in terms of how to decipher certain notes I would've otherwise had a hard time deciphering, if that makes sense. Basically, reviews have been my training wheels.

 

I find a few reviewers who's tastes are similar to mine and include their comments and evaluations in my decisions as to which beers to spend my money on. I don't have either the time or the money to just buy stuff off the shelf and find out for myself that I don't like a beer. I don't mind missing out on a good beer or two because of all the poor beers I don't have to drink.

Also I find that reviewing is very helpful in remembering what I did and did not like about a particular beer (I've done both rating only and reviewing) and whether or not I've had a particular beer. Helps save me making some expensive mistakes in the future.

Finally since I live in PA where until very recently most all beer was either by the case or by paying bar prices I've found that it works well enough that I've been able to buy a few cases of a beer that I'd never tasted and couldn't find in a bar before it either got sold to someone else or got older than I like. Just within the last two years I bought a case of Deschutes Obsidian Stout and a case of Boulevard Tank 7 based on the comments made by trusted reviewers. Both were good purchases even though I'd never tasted either beer before.

 

I love reviews and reviewing. I like that I can get a pretty accurate assessment of any beer I can buy. I use reviews as a way to connect with people and to share a bit of their personality. For me it's a chance to turn what could have been a lonely moment into some thing creative and that's challenging; into something festive and full of camaraderie .

 

Confirms or complicates what I think I'm tasting.

 

I review once I pour the beer and on the first few sips. First impressions are everything. Helps me remember what was good about the beer and what stuck out. If I don't drink the entire beer I don't review it.

 

I disagree with your first statement. Reviews are far down on the lists of reasons why I am here. The forums are my #1 reason.

Writing reviews, even the once I never posted, was an important part of the learning process. It helps teach what you are tasting and what makes up the particulars of a style. It is also instrumental in learning why you like (or dislike) what you like.

As far as reading reviews, I generally don't read them before trying something. I will read them afterwards to see if there is something I'm missing.
I will look for reviews if I am going somewhere with a lot of unfamiliar beers. If a brewery (or a bar) has one beer that is rated a 96 and ten that are 80s, I want to make sure I don't miss the 96.
I will also check reviews before buying something that is pricey. If something is $25+
I will sometimes take a look at the reviews before buying.

 

I use it to find out the flavor profile before buying. I have things I don't like and if it seems similar to something I've had and did t enjoy I won't pick it up. It is also nice to find beers you otherwise wouldnt try but the review shows it is right up your alley.

 

I truly understand your belief that reviews are why you're here. I would simply posit that BA is part of my intellectual life and a place of learning.

 

I will look at a score before I order or buy, but I won't read the reviews until I review the beer myself. One thing I find so fascinating about beer is the fact that any given one can elicit so many different perceptions and reactions. I don't want anyone else's opinions to influence m personal take. I do, however, take great pleasure in reading reviews after I've written my own, to see how other people's reactions both resemble, and differ from my own. I also happen to think some BA reviews are so well written, that they make for good reading material. Describing a beer can be a thing of art!

 

I love reading the Bros reviews and those of other more experienced reviewers, especially when trying to place a particular flavor or aroma.

I've just recently started writing reviews after the Bros expanded the mandatory rating system. This has totally changed the way I look at beers, especially within different style. Of course, I still suck at writing reviews....

 

Reviews ... A completely personal experience for me. I do not read reviews before buying beer, but I review every single new beer I try. It's for me. It's a rather selfish thing. Once I hit 1,000 on this website, I'm clocking out. More on that later, but at the end of the day, reviewing a beer is a way to get kind of close to it on a more personal level, you take the time to really think about it, examine what it looks like, everything that goes through your nose, what it brings to your taste buds, and how it feels. That's what I like about the review.

 

I completely agree with JuicesFlowing, and would add the importance of a review helping me to more closely examine my impression and solidify my "personal relationship" with a beer to my previous response!

 

I definitely look at them and I like the one's where people actually describe the beer to see if its one that I generally like.

 

I always check out the beer scores and read some reviews if I have the time. I tend to agree with the numbers.

 

Quite often, when I am in a bottle shop and see a beer I don't know - I'll look it up on BA to read a review or two. Sometimes the reviews will talk me into buying. Other times, the reviews will tell me to save my money.

 

Very nice thinking for sure. I just took a sip of Fullsteam's Summer Basil Farmhouse Ale and understand seasonality in a new broad view. This is a good refreshing beer that I hope you get to try!

 

These practicalities are a significant part of what motivated me to start reviewing beers.