Beer rating

Website or system evaluating beer

Beer rating is the process of assessment and evaluation of beer by use of a points-based system.[1][2][3] The process is similar to that used in beer judging competitions, such as those organised by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) in America,[4] though the participants are consumers so it may be termed a score-rated recommendation system.[5] The rating system may be a simple 5 marks, and may be organized by a beer store or pub chain such as Wetherspoon in the UK;[6] or it may be more involved, such as the systems used by beer rating websites such as BeerAdvocate and RateBeer.[7][8][9] A 2017 study considered beer ratings to be "a relatively unbiased and informative source of social information".[10]

## Websites

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### BeerAdvocate

[edit]

Beeradvocate logo

BeerAdvocate is an online beer rating site which also rates bars and beer stores.[11] It was founded in 1996,[12] by brothers Todd and Jason Alström,[13] and is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and Denver, Colorado, United States.[14]

As of November 2013, BeerAdvocate's database contained about 3,783,570 ratings of about 100,976 beers.[15][16]

As of February 2020, BeerAdvocate is owned by Next Glass, which is also the parent company of Untappd.[17]

### RateBeer

[edit]

old Ratebeer logo

RateBeer was founded in May 2000 by Bill Buchanan[18] as a forum for beer drinkers to exchange information and share opinions of beer. In June 2000, the Canadian beer writer Josh Oakes[19] joined RateBeer and eventually became editor-in-chief. In June 2001, the web-site consultant Joe Tucker joined, eventually assuming full ownership of RateBeer.[20]

In August 2006, RateBeer's annual press-release of the highest rated beers on the site caused concern when various world media reported that supplies of Westvleteren 12 were sold out due to being listed as the "Best beer in the world" on the site.[21][22][23]

RateBeer has over 4.5 million ratings (as of early 2013)[24] of more than 470,000 beers, from over 26,000 breweries.[25]

In June 2017, it was revealed that Anheuser-Busch InBev had acquired a minority stake in RateBeer via the incubator ZX Ventures. This purchase led to concerns that the company had a conflict of interest, citing that the site could present bias towards Anheuser-Busch InBev brands, that there was a lack of transparency over the role of the company's investment, and that it could potentially gain access to customer data. Several breweries attempted to demand that their listings be removed from the website. Executive director Joe Tucker stated that "Nothing about this investment changes who we are and what we provide. We will just be able to give our community of beer drinkers an even better experience".[26]

As of February 2019, RateBeer is fully owned by ZX Ventures, the global growth and innovation arm of AB InBev.[27] On December 18, 2024, it was announced that RateBeer was to cease operations on February 1, 2025. [28]

## See also

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* Untappd

## References

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1. ^ The Beer Lover's Rating Guide, Bob Klein, Robert Klein, Workman Pub., 1995, ISBN 1563056828
2. ^ "Ale University - Rating Beer". merchantduvin.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
3. ^ Wright, Chris (2007). The Beer Journal - page 107. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4303-1246-8. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
4. ^ Beer Score Sheet bjcp.com
5. ^ Smith, Michael J. (2007). Human interface and the management of information. Springer. p. 145\. ISBN 978-3-540-73344-7. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
6. ^ "Bringing you the world's biggest ale and wine festivals – Real Ale Festival". jdwetherspoon.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
7. ^ [1] Archived July 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
8. ^ "A Guide to Rating Beer - News and Features". Ratebeer. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
9. ^ Calagione, Sam (2005). Brewing up a business: adventures in entrepreneurship from the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. John Wiley and Sons. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-471-70868-1. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
10. ^ Niemelä, P.T.; Dingemanse, N.J. (2017). "Trustworthiness of online beer ratings as a source of social information". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 71 (24). Bibcode:2017BEcoS..71...24N. doi:10.1007/s00265-016-2254-4. S2CID 10749272.
11. ^ Bryson, Lew (2010). Pennsylvania Breweries. Stackpole Books. p. 333\. ISBN 9780811736411. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
12. ^ Joe Kraynak (2005). Que's Official Internet Yellow Pages. Que Publishing, 2005. p. 86\. ISBN 9780789734082. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
13. ^ "Respect Beer". beeradvocate.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
14. ^ Drew Beechum (18 April 2009). The Everything Homebrewing Book: All You Need to Brew the Best Beer at Home!. Everything Books, 2009. p. 279\. ISBN 9781605507309. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
15. ^ "Beer Ratings & Reviews". beeradvocate.com. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
16. ^ "Who's on BA? - BeerAdvocate". beeradvocate.com. Archived from the original on 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-29.
17. ^ Furnari, Chris (February 26, 2020). "Beer Advocate Assets Sold To Untappd Parent Company Next Glass". Forbes. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
18. ^ [2] Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
19. ^ "The Beer Manifesto". Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
20. ^ "RateBeer Beer - About US". ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
21. ^ Cook, Chuck (August 2005). "Westvleteren : Is The Beer All Gone?". Archived from the original on 2006-02-07.
22. ^ Castle, Stephen (August 10, 2005). "Monks who make world's best beer pray for quiet life". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
23. ^ Leanne Logan, Geert Cole, Logan, Leanne; Cole, Geert (2007). Belgium and Luxembourg - Lonely Planet guidebooks. Lonely Planet. p. 47\. ISBN 978-1741042375. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
24. ^ "The Best Beers in the World 2013". www.ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
25. ^ "The Best Beers in the World 2015". www.ratebeer.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
26. ^ Schonbrun, Zach (June 18, 2017). "Smaller Brewers Relied on RateBeer.com. Now Bud's Maker Owns a Stake". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
27. ^ French, Phoebe (February 7, 2019). "AB InBev acquires the rest of review site RateBeer". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
28. ^ T, Joe. "RateBeer to close down".