Check, Please

The following is a subject I haven't paid any mention to, nor even thought about, in quite some time. The subject I speak of it Untappd check-ins and believe it or not, is quite the scandal when said check-ins are automatically posted to social media feeds.

I find (by just observing he feeds of others) that the auto-posting of these things are an annoyance. Not to me personally, but it seems as if they are to the majority of people on social media. It's mostly for this reason that I've decided to refrain from posting mine to my Twitter feed.

That's not news since I haven't posted on to the other side in months, but what might be considered as such is the decision I've made recently to stop it entirely. After all, aren't those that even care about our beer more informed/interested/intrigued by a posting of a photograph? Now, by photograph I don't mean through the Untappd posting. I mean just a straight picture with a witty remark or something.

This brewer has got A LOT better with this

Now, on to the next issue at hand and something that does bug me personally. Even if those of us have found ways to weed out those whose feeds are all Untappd check-ins some of our favorite breweries have caused our plans to blow up in our faces by retweeting those that check-in to their beers and post them to social media. Nobody wins.

A few breweries have improved through being reminded that doing it annoys some of us. Thus, some feeds have been improve to actual interesting feeds with content and not just retweets of who is drinking their beer.

I think we've made it past the stage of dealing with the posted check-ins. Now, it's time for this order of business.

An End That's Nigh

Yes we have plenty of craft beer trends that are out there. We also have such trends in social media. One of the most popular and visible out there is the boatload of Untappd check-ins that get posted to social media accounts on a daily basis.

Something I've noticed over the past few months is that more and more people are filtering them out of their feeds via certain applications that have such a feature. I brought up the point on Twitter late last week, in terms of the end of Untappd check-ins posted to Twitter feeds and got an interesting response from someone.

@burghbeersnob nope, never going to happen, sparks too many awesome beer convos for me to stop.
— Bub(@BubOhioBeer) March 8, 2013

That's actually an interesting take on the issue. If used correctly, (i.e. not posting every single check-in to Twitter without adding thoughts and opinions) posting some check-ins to your feed can encourage good beer discussion with other users.

So, I no longer think the issue is whether or not the death of Untappd check-ins is imminent. It's whether or not more people will filter them out of their timelines and create an even bigger void that your possible beer discussion is reaching.

Just Checking In

Late last week the Untappd social drinking application pushed through an update for both its IOS and Android apps. The new update enables users to see more details of each friend's beer check-ins immediately in "The Pub" tab. The five-star rating system has now been integrated to allow half-point ratings if need be.

This can make for a more enjoyable experience in terms of engaging with your friends within the app and discussing the beers you've tried as well as more accurate ratings. I most likely won't be changing my rating system to anything more than I have now. So, please don't confuse what I rate beers on Untappd with the final ratings I give them in a blog post review

The initial ratings I give on Untappd to those beers I check-in to are just a first impression. I traditionally perform each check in just a few sips into a beer that I'm trying. In some cases the check-ins can just be a small sample. Here's to some exciting check-ins in the future!

Monday Rant: Beer Trends

I think that even if you're a casual observer of news and happenings in the beer community you can still notice some of the fads and trends that come and go. There are quite a few that pop up now and then as well as those that seem to stick around for a good portion of time.

We had that STUPID shaker pint debate that lasted a mere two weeks. Excitement for national beer day Untappd badges appeared to be a something popular that lasted for about six months. The last two years, it kind of felt like brews aged in whiskey barrels seemed to be one of those things that people also flocked to. Sometimes it just seems as if some of us just get bored with what's "in" and consistently want to move to something else. Does beer lower the attention spans of some people?

It's getting to that time of the beer calendar in which some of the popular barrel-aged beers will start to appear in our local bars (if they're lucky enough to come across one of them). It might be just me, but since we began our trek through 2013 it seems as if there's been plenty of excitement in the department of beer and wine hybrids. A perfect example of this is an article on Victory Brewing's website pertaining to a new version of Golden Monkey called White Monkey.

Dogfish Head came out with the Noble Rot beer/wine hybrid not too long ago, but as far as I can recollect that brew wasn't aged in wine barrels like this Victory concoction will be.

One can only hope that this can be one of those things both craft beer and wine aficionados can share some ground on. That's if this does indeed end up being the next big trend in craft beer. There's quite a good chance that it might.

Monday Rant: An Untappd Problem

I came across a retweet in my Twitter feed just over a week ago (so long ago that I can't seem to locate the tweet to actually embed it). This particular retweet was a bit of a complaint. In essence, this tweet showed a bit of disdain for those of us in the beer community that send connect both our Twitter and Untappd accounts.

For those of you that don't understand this I'll try to explain. Some of us that check-in to our beers via Untappd can also simultaneously send that check-in to Twitter as well. Sometimes we even add our feelings toward said beer in that check-in. So, in some cases it's not just Untappd check-ins, it becomes a little more personable when we post our thoughts, too.

Drinking a Railbender Ale by @eriebrewingco — untp.it/WhAVuX
— Chris (@GoPens75) January 6, 2013

Personally, I find it interesting to bring up Twitter and see what others in the beer community are partaking in.  Seeing multiple Untappd posts in my feed has never struck me as annoying or bothersome. On the other hand, I've become weary of possible posting too many of my check-ins to my own feed. I'm not sure everyone that follows me cares when I drink every single bottle of my Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale. Thus, I try to limit how many of those check-ins make it outside of the Untappd application.

There are many social media pet peeves that people have. I never figured this particular topic would be one of them. At least not on a huge level and it's nowhere near that yet. This is pretty much the only complaint I've come across on Twitter pertaining to Untappd check-ins.

Holy coffee beans. Would go well with a bagel right now. — Drinking a Java Head Stout by @troegsbeer — untp.it/TFPyu7
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) January 2, 2013

Anyways, I sure hope this isn't the beginning of one of those massive social media movements. Odds are that the author of this tweet I saw doesn't even follow a decent amount of craft beer folk. Maybe this person has figured out how to put down the smart phone and realize that by expanding your Twitter client horizons, you can actually filter out certain texts in your feed.

Monday Rant: Bring on the Winter Warmers

I love both the summer and fall seasons when it comes to craft beer. I love having a zesty ale with strong hints of citrus, as well as a nice crisp pilsner you can only find during these same months. When the leaves begin to change color, I love enjoying buttery pumpkin ales and Marzenbiers with good caramel notes and a decent hop-kick.

We are now entering the most unexciting time of the year, at least in my eyes. Even though it still seems a little early (I'm sure many of us are getting used to our favorite seasonal beers being on the shelves earlier than usual) the winter warmers are starting to come out of the woodwork.

I've seen numerous Untappd check-ins including Full Pint Brewing's Festivus and Southern Tier's Old Man Winter. That tell's me that the warmer season is officially here.

Admittedly, the warmers aren't my favorites when it comes to beer. Many of them are very similar, to me. Loaded with spices. Some say that this season lends more opportunities to be creative for brewers. You're welcome to your own points, but I just can't differentiate when drinking many of these beers.

I will promise one thing for this season, though. I will be more willing to try winter warmers this year. I do enjoy Full Pint's Festivus and I love how it's named (I'm a huge Seinfeld fan). There is one winter beer that I'm looking forward too, though. Bell's Winter White Ale. One winter beer that's got a nice touch of spice, but is just different from many in the style.

Monday Rant: To Friend or Not to Friend

The following has been a controversy on social media since American society began wasting hours of valuable time using it. The question is whether or not to add people as friends on a social media network even though you've never met or known them in real life.

Untappd has become it's own version of social media. You can network with other fans of beer and see what your friends are drinking (that's if you have friends that actually take the time to check-in the beers they're consuming. Untappd has also become a simpler way for beer bloggers such as myself to let your Twitter followers know what you're drinking as well as what your thoughts are on said brews.

The only complaint I have about using Untappd is the same thing I've had with any social media application I've associated myself with over the years. That's the people you've never met before trying to add you and others in an attempt to compile tons of friends.

I have a stack of people on Untappd that have requested to be my friend. I've let those requests sit in there for at least two weeks. I'm not totally sure why I refuse to respond. Maybe part of it is the feeling that the entire world doesn't need to know what I'm doing. This is the same reason that I don't post every single check-in to my Twitter feed. It's just a personal preference.

I've pretty much held the same policies when it comes to other social networks such as Facebook. If I don't know you, you're not likely going to get a friend request accepted when it comes to me.

In my early days of Twitter, I'll admit I was obsessed with gaining more and more followers. Now, I barely look at who is following my account.It really doesn't matter to me. Life is far less stressful. It's all about the exchanging of information.

Monday Rant: Not Worried About #IPADay Badge

The #IPADay Badge from Untappd's blog.

When I score a new beer variety pack from a local distributor, my first thoughts of excitement include that of "Yes! Now I can get four new, unique beer check-in's on Untappd!"

I've always seen the application as a great way to show others what you were drinking and an easy way to communicate your thoughts on said beers through your social media accounts.

Every so often, we see Untappd go down due to heavy traffic. The latest example of this was this past weekend for IPA Day. Obviously a lot of India Pale Ale fans were taking to Untappd on their smart phones to show off which beers of the style they were consuming.

If not just for that reason, then it was for the badge the application was giving to users that checked into IPA beers on that very date. Untappd extended the time limit to get said badge until the next day due to the fact the application was having problems throughout IPA Day.

I just don't get the point to having the badges. I checked into an IPA and didn't receive the badge, most likely due to the traffic problems, but I didn't make a big deal out of it. I checked into the beer and most everybody that was interested in seeing what I drink saw it.

I've seen people go crazy clamoring over badges on check-in applications such as Untappd and on others like Foursquare. I even saw a few Untappd check-in's on Twitter that said people were just doing it to get the badge. I'm not sure if they were drinking the beer just for the badge or if they just randomly checked into it for the badge, but when you look at it like that doesn't it make the badges somewhat pointless?

I enjoy using Untappd when I'm trying new beers and looking to see what others are drinking, but I don't adjust my drinking schedule in accordance with what badges I can get.

Monday Rant: Untappd Profile Favorites

Behold.

I've noticed that when I venture over to my Untappd profile on the web version, that I pay particular attention to the "Your Favorites" section of my profile. I've also cruised through the profiles of other Untappd users and paid good attention to the very same section as I do on mine. I've taken into account those five beers that are shown and deducted somewhat of a sense of the beer tastes of said users.

Now, there's a few distinctive questions that I have concerning the top-five beer list on our Untappd profiles. Is it meant to communicate to other users our tastes in beer? If not, are they influenced by whether or not we own a case of a certain beer? Do some Untappd users drink a beer multiple times just to check-in to it and get it on the favorites list?

I've somewhat become compulsive about what beers show on my favorites list. I first became obsessive about it when I finished a case of Sam Adams Octoberfest last fall and slowly started to have more of a hate relationship with Sam Adams brews. Due to the fact that I had a case of it and had checked-in to the beer so many times, Octoberfest was obviously displayed on my favorites list. Thus, I began a mission to rid my Untappd favorites of Sam Adams Octoberfest.


I often wonder if other Untappd users follow a protocol similar to mine when checking-in to other beers. If I have a case of the same beer, There's a good chance that it will end up appearing on this Untappd list. I obviously don't check-in to every beer in a case as I don't want a situation where I end up with 24 check-ins of the same beer and have no way of bumping it from the favorites list. As I write this I'm grinding my teeth in anguish that i have too many check-ins for both Yuengling Traditional Lager and Blue Point Blueberry Ale.


I've been outspoken about Anchor Steam Beer being among the greatest beer in existence, and recently received a case of it as a college graduation present. I will adhere to my normal policy of not checking into all 24 beers, but I most certainly want Anchor Steam Beer appearing on my favorites for others to see. It appears to be a two-way street.

I'm really interested in seeing somewhat of a response on this issue from fellow Untappd users. I think this brings up an intriguing point. It also reminds me of how many MySpace users, back in the day, ranked their top friends on their profiles.

Lost Beers: Fat Head's Autumn Sunset

In the latter parts of 2011, an evening spent on Carson Street introduced me to one of the most intriguing brews I've ever had. It was a glass of amazing liquid that set itself far apart from other beers of its style. It was a hefeweizen, but it was far from a typical edition of the infamous hazy brew.

Autumn Sunset or "Rot Weizen" as it is to referred to at Fat Head's Saloon didn't taste nor look like your regular hefeweizen, but it made me wish every other beer of the style was made in accordance with this one.

Ironically, I'm the last person to check into this beer on Untappd.

I distinctly remember getting my witbier glass full of the lovely concoction and looking at what looked like a glass full of the Monongahela River just a few blocks away, but with some remnants of a reddish glow. The taste was amazing. It featured hints of wheat, banana and bubble gum. It was even a bit peppery on the back of the tongue, which I love in a beer.

From what I can find, this beer was only a limited-time brew. The time I came across it was one of its few times on tap. I can't find any trace of it on the Fat Head's website. It's of my opinion that one of the worst experiences a beer fan can go through is really enjoying a beer and not realize it's a limited-release until you're desperately on a mission to relocate it once more.

If anyone from Fat Head's Pittsburgh sees this, here is my plea to you to brew Autumn Sunset once more. The Lost Beer's series is young and blooming, but this is certainly the first beer that has been realized as a limited-release brew.

Yes, I'm one of only two people to check into "Autumn Sunset" as well as the last on Untappd, but there are approximately three or four different versions of the same beer from Fat Heads to select from on the app. Still figured it was comical.

Pintley Offers New Way to Keep Track of Beers You Drink

Back in the first two weeks of starting this blog I wrote about the Untappd application which enabled its users to check in to beers they were drinking just like you were able to check in to locations on Foursquare.

A new application, Pintley, doesn't exactly let you check in to particular beers, but you can still link your social networking accounts to let your friends and fellow beer snobs what you're drinking.

A few key features enable Pintley to stick out from other apps like Untappd and its iPhone counterpart, Beerby. On Pintley, the user can keep notes and ratings on each beer you try. When you first begin using the app, Pintley makes you rate 30 random beers so it gets a sense of your beer tastes.

From this data collected, Pintley now can recommend beers for you to try. The app continues to make recommendations as you continue to rate beers you've tried.

When it comes to rating the actual beers, Pintley takes more of an in-depth look than the two previous beer apps do. You can rate beers on a scale of one to five in seven categories:

• Overall Rating
• Appearance
• Aroma
• Taste
• Texture
• Drinkability
• Value

The user is also able to write any amount of taste notes and can even save these ratings and notes for you to keep track of and for other users to see. By the same method, you can also use the previously done taste notes by other users in your own beer tasting adventures.

Keep in mind that sometimes you will look for a beer and not find it. Since the beer lists are still somewhat incomplete, Pintley still gives you the option of submitting a beer to the app's creators.

Pintley doesn't give you the fun of performing check-in's like the other two apps do, but it still has it's own qualities that make it quite useful. It's especially useful if you're a beer blogger like myself and need a convenient place to keep your beer notes!

New Social Drinking App Unveiled on Smart Phones

Fellow beer snobs, how many times haver you been around the friend that has a smart phone and always brags about how he's the mayor of this place and he has to check-in when you get to each pub?

I've been there too. I'm also a participant in the Foursquare location app on my smart phone and I went through a number of stages of depression when I lost my mayorship at my favorite drinking establishment. For you beer fans out there that don't care much for letting everyone know where your are all of the time, there's a new app that enables you to check into whatever beer you're enjoying.