Why did you become an Advocate?

I came for the up-to-date beer info, and stayed for the community.

I was sort of in a 'coasting' mode when I found Beer Advocate over 10 years ago. I was fairly active in the beer community during the 90s, but then we started a family and my priorities naturally changed. I also moved and didn't have the same group to hang with or homebrew club meetings to attend. I guess I didn't realize that I had gotten a bit out of the loop until I saw Arrogant Bastard mentioned in an issue of Zymurgy and said "where the hell did that come from?"

Around that time Beer Advocate happened to be mentioned on a culinary board I was participating in (Chowhound, fwiw), and so I found my way here. There has always been a wealth of knowledgeable and helpful people over here; I met some of them in person, got some great tips of where to shop in my area, was shown some great on-line beer bloggers, started participating in beer discussion again, etc. It was kind of invigorating in its own way. Naturally, when you are getting something useful out of a community, you start to pay it back yourself- and that's where the real pleasure begins.

Without a doubt! I'd also encourage newer members to start participating, too. It may look like a close-knit group at first, but it's very welcoming and will positively change how you see and interact with the rest of Beer Advocate as a whole.

 

I joined the site to learn about beer and to cut to the chase and find good beer faster.

Been a great resource and have enjoyed a lot of good beers because of it.

 

Because beer is the world's greatest beverage and I love everything about it and love sharing my passion about it with equally passionate enthusiasts.

 

got into beer through the guy i was writing my MA thesis on (charles travis). drank belgian (generally trappist) almost exclusively for about 3 years. eventually got reeled into american craft by arrogant bastard and 90minute.

why do i care about it? i love beer. i love small business as well, and people owning what they do and feeling engaged with their environment. mainly i love beer though.

also, i believe in doing the right thing all the time. it's not like it's a burden... it's just how i believe one ought to live, and it works for me. if i can give back to the beer community, i will. if some of my input makes things better for someone else in any way, i'll give it.

 

I would go to the liquor store and see all this beer that no one was buying and I was like why arent people buying it and are buying Bud Light and Corona instead. Little did I know that these people just didnt care to find the good beer and just drank what was popular or what they saw an ad for on tv. I thought it was my duty to drink this beer that people werent buying in droves and become an advocate.

 

Beer is my passion. plain and simple. This is the best place to pursue it at work

 

Bourbon drinker 1984-1994
Wine drinker 1995-2005
Beer was always something that was only tolerated when something better wasn't available. My dad drank Coors, my stepdad bud light.... Anything I could pilfer in my early years of adulthood just sucked. In 2005 I moved to north county San Diego after purchasing an avocado grove and was introduced to some local microbrews. Stone was good enough to get me looking into different styles and one day my best friends son gave me a Ménage 3 from the Bruery in Orange County. The complexity of that beer played on my wine years, the strength of it on my bourbon years... Right then beer became something that could be enjoyed immensly and I lightened up to try other styles. Said son of my best friend told me that he looked up the beer on BA first, so this is where I wanted to go first. The wife and I started visiting all the brewers in our area (like all 20) and we are both totally hooked.

Beer is an art form
Beer embodies the culture of the area in which it is brewed
BA is a media to share our art and culture
O, and beer is very very good when made with respect

 

Throughout the 20-oughts when I'd research a beer online, Google sent me here. So I finally signed up in 2010.

Then in October 2013, I decided I needed to be drunk before kickoff each Sunday (Dallas Cowboys fan) to help chill out, stop breaking stuff in the living room. That meant I needed to drink a lot more, and that sent me to look for more (and new) beer and now we're here ...

 

I'm a BA because I'm completely obsessed with beer!

I didn't really drink much of anything until college, minus the occasional Rolling Rock (dunno why I liked this) until a friend and I were at a liquor store and he suggested some Newcastle Brown.

Newcastle Brown got me into craft beer...

Basically from there I just wanted to try different stuff. There was a great craft beer store within 100 feet of where I lived in school so of course being overwhelmed by their selection (I had no money so that Rogue bomber for $2.99 I just HAD to read up on), I started looking online and eventually found Beer Advocate. I've had my account since 2005, though I never really posted until recently, just lurked, but figured it was time to obsessively comb the forums every day in search of new information.

 

Because trying new beers and having a place to post my amateur reviews sounded like fun.

 

I joined back in 2005 as it was a great resource when travelling across the US, never failed to find a good bar thanks to BA

Built some amazing friendships over the 10 years on here

 

Because I wanted to make a difference.

Actually, because beer is like music, better shared in a group experience. I have real positive connotations with the phrase "Hey, check this out," and love creating that experience for others.

 

I became an advocate because I honestly, truly, whole heartedly believe that this industry is one of the most important ones we have as a whole and I absolutely love it. There's mystery to it, there's innovation, traditions (some do traditional better than others), I'm just constantly surprised about what's going on and that's I'm no way shape or form a bad thing. Beer is amazing.

 

When the variety of available beers became as overwhelming as wine varieties, I sought professional help.

 

Easy. For years I used the reviews to help guide my purchases. I felt it was time to give back and add my own $0.02. Also I quit my job and have lot more free time.

 

I like to drink beer, and I prefer to drink good beer

 

Everybody else was doing it...

 

I was determined to like beer that my friends didn't like. I wanted to be different. Over time I have grown to appreciate beer, even more so now that i brew myself. Now that I understand beer (I know that's like saying I understand the meaning of "life") I have really pushed my friends and co-workers into branching out a bit. Thus far, I have created a small army of beer snobs. Now I am not different anymore, so I am incorporating cigars into the mix. Will see where that takes me.