Sorry Allagash White Fan, Untappd Ratings Reflect What A Beer Actually Tastes Like

You Allagash White fucks.

I want just one of you, ONE OF YOU, to admit that Allagash White is not for everyone.

It is a niche style beer!!

Hello!? McFly!? Think, McFly, think.

Belgian Yeast and Wheat Beer in general, kinda fucking suck… well, suck to a lot of people anyway. Allagash White Fan always fails to mention this when complaining.

And then there is the disconnect of what the upper beer geek crust thinks Untappd is and what it actually is.

I mean really, how long is it going to take you Untappd haters to understand the app? It is not for rating a beer on how well it is made. Nope.

It is an app for rating how a beer tastes to a person. A human beer drinker. Not a brewer, or Beer Twitter, or Beer Instagram.

So when you understand the context, 3.76 is a very good rating for a shit style. Is there a Belgian Yeast inspired Wheat Beer ranking higher? I’m not going to take the time to figure it out but it’s HIGHLY doubtful.

I now present to you the most accurate Allagash White rating on Untappd:

Belgian Yeast is the Brussel Sprout of the beer world. Loved by some, disliked by most.

So Allagash White Dude should be happy with that rating. And maybe shut the hell up, for once.

You Can’t Really Fix Untappd’s ‘Not My Style’ Guy

Imagine your rating system having Allagash White at a 3.76/5 and you not thinking your algorithm needs a few enhancements, like weighting by style.
— Beer Cruncher 📈📢 (@beercruncher) October 22, 2021

He is talking about how if Allagash White (considered by Beer Twitter to be a perfect beer) can be rated so low by Untappd, then something is wrong with Untappd.

Yes but if you are Untappd, HOW can you weight by style?

I think everyone knows “not my style” guy is a problem in Untappd, but how in the world could you actually remove that guy’s rating? How do you fix that in reality without someone at Untappd picking through every rating and messing with it?

I don’t think you can.

One of the ticks of Untappd is it’s what the world of drinkers thinks of a beer, not just what uppity beer geeks think.

Maybe you can try, like others have, to create a more curated, “educated” beer drinker app and not let anyone rate Allagash White below a five. Good luck with your boring-ass beer app.

And also, us beer geeks aren’t perfect either:

Selection bias is always a problem, to be sure. And data always needs context. But usually the folks complaining want to be the arbitrators of "good", and bias exists just as much (or more) in those groups as well
— Aaron MJ Gore (@ale_chaser) October 22, 2021

Yeah, what that👆guy said!

I guess it would be nice to have a more accurate rating system. But I feel like you lose something if you’re tweaking things and walling off all non-snobs.

So I think Allagash White deserves that 3.76. It’s rated too low by drinkers that don’t know Belgian Wit and overly hyped by Allagash fans, making for a perfect real world rating.

BTW, Wheat beers and Belgian Witbier, like Allagash White? Well, they suck. Not my style.

A ‘Beer Sash‘ Should Totally Be A Thing

Just imagine these are Untappd badges – photo by Alamy

Nick and I were talking recently on The Perfect Pour about Untappd badges. Somehow this got us talking about analog things.

That got us to a place where we came up with… [wait for it] … BEER SASHES!

It’s like a Girl Scout/Boy Scout sash that displays all the patches/badges earned but for Untappd badges.

Yes, like my recent badge for drinking at home a hell of a fucking lot? Make that into a patch and added to the Beer Sash!

Then I go around my local taprooms and beer festivals OBVIOUSLY impressing EVERYONE with my drinking and Untappd prowess.

Someone please get on this.

Sometimes I Get Tired of Untappd

Nobody talks about Untappd more than I do. I love it. But sometimes… it tires me the hell out.

I just want to drink my damn beer and not worry about taking a perfect flipping picture and putting it on Instagram or checking it in on Untappd.

It can be exhausting. Especially when you’re drunk.

But. But but but BUT, I often DO like posting on Untappd.

I like checking-in Uniques. Writing a little review in hopes it helps someone or the brewer. Or reminds me in the future to get this beer again. Or don’t get it.

I like following other people, seeing what everyone is drinking. I love that ChewYourBeer likes to boast about being the first to drink a beer in his community:

People using Untappd in a creative way is the best. It’s pure.

Unlike Instagram, there is no game behind posting. You’re not using hashtags or whatever, to try and gain followers or ‘game’ some algorithm.

You post for you and your beer friends.

So yeah, I get too tired to use the app sometimes and miss posting a new beer. But I always sober-up and comeback. It’s my favorite beer community.