May
1
2015
Comments Off on Is Untappd ruining the craft beer industry?

Is Untappd ruining the craft beer industry?

How many times have you been scrolling through check-ins and seen a lack of a rating? What does this do to skew beer ratings? Is this the right approach?

I see entirely too many people checking a beer just for the sake of the number with absolutely zero thought given to the quality of the beer, the ingredients, the pedigree. This is an absolute slap to the face of the brewer. If you have the time and money to drink a craft beer, then leave a few words. Give your thoughts on the beer. The whole app is useless with out the opinions of YOU the individual.

Now, that being said, I don’t leave a full review on every beer. I’d say more often than not there are tasting notes, and if not a quick synopsis, then at least a few words on if the beer is worth seeking out / buying / drinking again.

So, where does this leave the industry? surely my opinion is on the micro level. Well, let us expand it.

There are some blatant red flags with the app and theory behind its inception. Most notably, my statistics courses that I took that cause me to wince every time I open the app due to the way data was collected and the sources. I digress.

Untappd is creating a monster. A monster that drinks $13,000,000,000 a year and outsells the red bowtie of beechwood aged mediocrity. In this current phase of craft beer too many of us are seeking out new beers, we refuse to drink the same beer twice (on most occasions) and instead seek to click a number that no one ultimately cares about.

What is this doing to the industry? it is causing brewers to shift their attention to seasonals and one off productions instead of perfecting the core lineup of beers that got us hooked on craft to begin with. We are neglecting the tried and true steadfast beers that are the reason behind this renaissance.

Shame, shame on us. Shame on us as consumers that long to try more beer. Shame on us as untappd users that buy beer to click numbers on an app that no one cares about and that has no real world implications other than dollars spent on beer.

We are abandoning amazing beer, leaving it in the kettles and fermenters. We should hang our heads in disgust with our own selves.

What do we do to right the ship? We drink core beer. We quit bitching when a new brewery comes to our state and doesn’t bring their random one-off productions. We embrace their specialty beer, not the barrel aged or soured, but the core line up that built the foundation for that brewery to expand to our state in the first place.

Surely drink new beers! Drink to expand your palate. Drink for the enjoyment of beer. However, we as consumers must stop taking for granted our beloved staples.

Use Untappd for what it is, an ease of use app that logs the opinions of craft drinkers from around the world. Leave your thoughts on a beer, namely because you never know who is looking for your opinion on their next purchase.

Never forget the core beers that your favorite brewery offers. Those are the beers that keep the lights on.

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