I came across one of Jeff Alworth’s blogposts the other day looking at how one might distinguish between ‘beer geeks’ and ‘beer nerds’. Alworth suggests that geeks are driven by consumption and collecting, while nerds are guided by a desire for deeper knowledge and understanding. This made me think about my companion in my craft beer adventure, Untappd.
I first joined Untapped in 2015 and have gone through periods of greater and lesser usage. Alworth would definitely classify Untappd as a tool for beer geeks. I would describe Untappd, a little glibly, as Facebook for booze. I have become a much more regular user of Untappd since I moved to the USA and found myself enjoying the craft beer scene.
There is a satisfaction with logging new beers, something which I did a somewhat worryingly 900+ times during 2023. Don’t worry, most of those check ins were small pours. I especially enjoy a flight (sometimes more than one) when I visit a new brewery taproom. I’ve also enjoyed the beer advent calendars which seem to become more widespread and diverse every year.
As I’ve sampled more beer and used Untappd more, I have given serious thought (yes, very sad) to the rating system. My go-to starter for ‘a decent beer that I’d happily re drink’ is a 3.5, but don’t ask why I went for that particular scoring point. If I go above a 3.5 it means the beer stands out and I’d look to drink it again. A 4 or above is a very good beer. With my teacher and examiner hat on, I know that trying to achieve consistency with scoring a real challenge.
With the sampling and scoring has come a growing awareness of my shortcomings when it comes to knowledge and understanding of beer. While I have more knowledge now than I did 1000 or so beers ago, one of my resolutions is to make sure that I definitely develop some beer neediness in 2024 to compliment the ongoing geekery. I have signed up for some tasting sessions with Greg Engert, the expert behind some of DC’s best beer spots. I also want to try and properly read some of the beer books I’ve acquired.
I’m looking forward to some more beer-related travels too. Following on brilliant expeditions to Charlotte, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Antonio, Denver, Santa Fe, Charlottesville, Richmond and Frederick (they weren’t only for beer), I’d like to see some more of America’s beer hotspots. Asheville would be nice, Kansas City is more likely.
Commonplace 