by Tony Iocono

Welcome to Tony’s Takes, this is reoccurring segment on the Jersey Beer Guys and Girl Podcast where I sit with my jar pennies and throw in my 2 cents on my beer related opinions. This week’s take is how to properly use the Untappd App. I know I have talked about this before on previous podcasts and when I was on the Two Brewthers Beer Podcast we rated beers for each brewery that we visited using Untappd, but this needs to be stated in a yearly interval. There was a post by a brewery owner on the South Jersey Brewery Madness Facebook page joking that he looked at the Untappd ratings of his beers and now he is upset. Now the brewery that this person owns is a very good brewery with a ton of different styles and a unique and never done by any other brewery flight card. Other brewery owners commented on the post and listed what their least favorite parts about Untappd and more so the people who use Untappd. Here is the way I use Untappd.

Intro to the Untappd App

Untappd is one of my favorite apps and my favorite beer tracking app. It is a part of social media and I have met new friends on Untappd so if you are looking for a way to meet new people with a similar interest in beer, that is a positive of Untappd. Untappd also has a good algorithm to help you find beers you might like based off previous beers you have checked in and gave favorable reviews towards.  Not only does it track the beers you like and might like to try, the Untappd app can also tell you where you can find beers you like or beers you might like. You can set notifications for tap list updates at your favorite bars, breweries, liquor stores, or restaurants. The user can sign up for alerts for when beers come out and if they are in your location. Untappd will even tell you about beer events in your area that you might not be aware of.

How to use Untappd

The user searches for the beer he or she is drinking on the Untappd app and then rates the beer        from a 0 being the worst beer they’ve ever had aka Bud Light Lime or a 5 being amongst the best beers the user has ever had. The user can add tasting notes of the beer or leave it blank. The user can also choose to not give the beer a rating (which we will get to in a little bit). The user gets different badges for checking in beers and different beer styles. This is not a motivation of mine, but I am sure there are plenty of people who try to get certain badges. You can invite your friends on Untappd and make new ones. You can toast a beer someone else checks in. It is another arm of social media linked through drinking beers. Drink, check in the beer, enjoy, and see how your tastes and beer styles change. I like it for tracking what beers I have had to seeing if the tasting notes are the same when I check in two of the same beers at different points of time.

How to not use Untappd

Untappd is the bane of existence for many brewers and breweries. I have not met many brewers or owners who like Untappd because how subjective it is or how the users use. Bad ratings tend to upset the brewers hard work. Untappd also seems to be the market research that the social media managers use for the breweries love to see what works and what sells. Here is how not to use Untappd. If you do not like IPAs. Don’t give an IPA a bad rating because you dislike hoppy beers. Leave it unrated. Would you go to a restaurant and order tuna fish if you don’t like tuna fish and then leave the restaurant a bad yelp review? If you like IPAs and dislike an IPA that you had then by all means give it a rating you think it deserves. But you can leave tasting note comments, say that it tasted astringent or was a little too funky for your taste. You do this so that if you come across this beer again, you can compare what you said last time about the same beer. If you do like the beer and say it was the best IPA you have ever had, give it a rating that supports your beliefs for the beer. One extra note here, if you go to a brewery and you are ordering a beer, you do not have to base your decision on what beer you are going to order by the Untappd ratings. That is some jabroni behavior and you should probably just order the beer style you like most or what the brewery is known for.

My rating system for Untappd

If you followed me on my previous podcast Two Brewthers, we had an entire show dedicated to rating beers from the brewery we just visited. I have rated about 2,400 unique beers on Untappd and adding more by the day. Here is my rating system: Any beer I rate over a 3 out of 5 and above, I would have again, Any beer I rate over 4 out of 5 and above, I would buy a 4 pack or crowler of it to have again. Any beer I rate as a 5 out of 5 I consider transcendent, a delicious creation of hops, malt, yeast, and water. I would seek that beer out to the ends to earth. Less than 1% of the beers Ive had I have rated a 5 out of 5. Anything I rate below a 3 I would not have again. I usually give my tasting notes for each beer when I check them in. You can follow me on Untappd at Tony Iocono. In summation, be respectful but honest when giving out an Untappd rating, for the brewers and brewery workers, this is their livelihood and how they support their families. These are small business owners who need your business during this time.

By Tony Iocono

Welcome to the Brew Review on Jersey Beer Guys, pause for effect, The Website. This will be a reoccurring monthly segment where I highlight the best beer I drank in a certain month. I am not going to attribute a rating of the beer within the article, but the main point is going to try to highlight the beer and the brewery that makes it.  I am going to try to keep it to the local Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area but occasionally a beer from outside our local area may be so transcendent that it makes an appearance.

(in alphabetical order by brewery)

Brewery: Ark Brewing/ Dr. Brewlittle’s Beer Co/Farm Truck Brewing

Where: Lumberton, NJ

Beer Name: Three’s A Crowd

Beer Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison

ABV: 8%

Background and Tasting Notes: Brewed at Dr. Brewlitle’s in Maple Shade, NJ as a collaboration with Ark Brewing in Lumberton and soon to open Farm Truck Brewing in Medford. This beer was another 8% banger that was classified as a Saison that was not boozy in the least bit. This was my favorite beer of the day when we did the podcast with Ark. Three’s A Crowd had a gorgeous reddish orange glow to it. This beer had a funky, barnyard smell to it in the best possible way. The taste was that of a grapefruit rind and had a nice tartness to it. The Philly Sour Yeast was used as well as three different hops from New Zealand, Riwaka, Taiheke, and Motueka. This was an interest mix of ingredients that you do not typical see together that goes from ballroom dancing to mosh pit on the customer’s pallet with each sip.

Brewery: Carton Brewing Co.

Where: Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Beer Name: Boat Beer

Beer Style: Session India Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

Background and Tasting Notes: Carton is one of the founding fathers of New Jersey Craft Beer. I think because of that, I kind of ignore Carton because it is always around. When I did the Two Brewthers podcast with my brother, one question we always asked whoever we were interviewing was what is your favorite NJ beer? The answer we received about half of the time was one of Carton’s Boat Beer or Kane’s Head High. Dan Hoover of the now defunct Atco Brewing was the biggest fan of that beer. To my discredit, I had not tried it ever until this last month. What a huge mistake on my part. Boat Beer is just a smooth, easy drinking beer for all occasions. This is New Jersey’s version of Founders All Day IPA and Boat Beer is better. It has a little more bang for your buck in the grapefruit and citrus department with enough hoppiness to keep you coming back for more.

Brewery: Vinyl Brewing

Where: Hammonton, NJ

Beer Name: The Secret Parking Lot

Beer Style: Sour

ABV: 5.5%

Background and Tasting Notes: Vinyl is known throughout the state as being one of the best breweries to crank out sours (among other styles of beer). The first thing you notice with this beer is the vibrant color. The pinkish orange with a nice head of suds on it. I had a full pour of it but drank it too fast to get a picture so you the reader must settle for the 4-ounce pour. It was made with blackberry and guava and both fruits explode on your pallet. The beer style is considered a sour, but it is not overpowering to the drinker. The tartness from the guava and blackberry and the esters from the yeast give it great depth of flavor.

Brewery: Warwick Farms Brewing

Where: Jamison, PA

Beer Name: Juicy Pils

Beer Style: Pilsner

ABV: 6%

Background and Tasting Notes: This is our first beer outside the Garden State in this segment. Warwick Farms just opened their taproom to the public and the hype is real. One of my buddies visited and brought back some cans. Juicy Pils is classified as a Pilsner but from the first taste was more IPA than Pilsner. Citra is the main player here. There is a slight bitterness but the flavors that are most pronounced are citrus and lime. The beer has a medium body and a slight floral and earthiness that gives Juicy Pils a complexity that is away from your garden variety Pilsner that tends to be crisp and light. Juicy Pils is an absolute crusher and can be enjoyed all day to the wee hours of the night. I also had one of their IPAs, Fantastic Fusion, which was very good as well.