Technology continues to impact an ever-broader spectrum of how we live, work, and play. It even extends into the world of craft beer and is shaping the evolution of the market. As a beer lover, here are a couple of technologies that you should know about.
Untappd
Untappd is a social media app that allows you to look up specific beers, see how they are rated, and to check-in and track your own consumption. Started in 2010 in Santa Monica, California, Untappd now claims 10 million unique registered users, and several million annual check-ins from 180 different countries. A check-in allows users to earn badges, start a circle of beer-loving friends, and score the beers that they are drinking. This creates user-based scoring that is independent of other resources, such as BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, who incorporate the feedback of certified beer judges into their scoring systems.
Untappd continues to expand their business model, adding digital menu capabilities, as well as data services for the beer industry. Bar code reading and direct Uber integration are other, newer innovations for the app.
Digital Pour
Another entrant into beer menu technology offers a rich source of information about the beers on tap. Digital Pour offers important details and comprehensive information about a taproom’s offerings. Digital Pour is different than Untappd in that they are solely focused on providing tap rooms and bars with a menu system that provides information to customers, while giving management unique insights into how the various beverages on tap are performing.
For customers, the TV-based menu provides a huge amount of information, leaving slack-jawed customers perusing information that goes far beyond the basics. In addition to brewery and beer name, the menus provide other details, such as added flavors, hops used, the color of the beer, and even the level in each of the kegs on tap. Bars and tap rooms get critical insights into how specific beers, or beer styles are performing, giving them data to make better buying decisions for their business.
Digital Pour offers a great phone app for beer lovers, as well, allowing people to view draft lists from their phone, wherever they might be. Not as prolific as Untappd, the app is still a great tool for those of us in South County, as a number of venues use it, including all of the Board ‘n’ Brew restaurants that are popping up all over, it seems.
So, as discerning craft beer lovers strive to find and imbibe the world’s best beers, they can leverage these tools to do research and identify the places near them where these beers can be found. Cheers!
Comments