Now that the glow of 2012 has finally faded and were well into 2013,I thought Id return to taking a look at the data Ive been busily accumulating through
Untappd,or the Foursquare of beer as Ive heard it described. 2012 was the first full calendar year Id had of using the application to checkin what beers Id been drinking and the longer I use it the more data that accumulates and the more interesting that data becomes.
Before we get to that part need to (re)clarify a couple of points on how Ive been using the application
- now that thirds are generally accepted as legal measures, have started accepting thirds as the minimum amount required for a valid check-in, though free tasters are still excluded
- check-ins for the most part are still not retrospective beyond recording checkins lost to various phone issues, lack of signal, battery or in one case when the phone broke.
Unique types of beer checked-in per brewery
The first chart is basically a chart that shows the number of different beers per brewery, which highlights how large the range of beer some breweries are now producing.
Though comparisons to my previous review of Untappd checkins nearly 10months ago, arent all that valid as I was analysing all of the data at that point which included 2011 as well. There are still some obvious changes and points worth noting.
Adnams have taken over the top spot from the Bristol Beer Factory, who still manage a respectable 3rd, with 21 different beers followed swiftly on their heels by Shepherd Neame in 2nd place. Considering both top spots are taken by regional/family brewers who may be viewed as more traditional with only a few well known beer brands and not as experimental as their younger micro start ups, that seems a really surprising result. Even more so as I visited Bristol as part of my 4B's (Bristol/Bath/Bournemouth/Brighton) holiday in the summer, though curiously Bristol Beer Factory beer wasnt as available or varied as youd expect.
Total Beer check-ins
The next chart shows the total number of check-ins per beer over the year, Brewers Gold still by far the top checked in beer, nearly double that of the 2nd placed Spitfire, whose discounted beer in a bottle over the year certainly helped boost their number.
The other thing to note is how many seasonal or time limited beers enter the mix. Topaz Gold makes a respectable 3rd place and Old Ale, Flame Runner, Liberation Ale and even Norfolk Gem all make the list even though many were available for less than a month and Liberation particularly only found during the 4 days I was over in Jersey.
Mocha Moggie might also have been further up the list as I suspect a fair chunk of the Stout Cat next to it were Mocha Moggies, but highlighting that pubs arent always to be trusted in what they put up as on the beer boards.
Presumably I also ended up in some non real ale venue at somepoint during the year to explain the Tetleys checkins,which was clearly so horrid I expunged the memory :)
Total Brewery check-ins
Finally, for now at least, is the number of total check-ins expressed in brewery terms, so kind of an almagamation of the previous two sets of data.
And Adnams clearly on top almost hitting 150 check-ins, no surprises really given their lead with 21 types of beer and that they make up almost half of the beer checkin list as well.
Crouch Vale take second with the bulk provide by Brewers Gold checkins for sure, though Yakima Gold is turning into a bit of a favourite.
Shepherd Neame though takeover third spot, pretty much as Woodfordes had previously held the same spot, with one heavily checked in beer providing the bulk and a fair few number of single check ins.
But interesting to see the data kind of reflects my experience of late that Woodfordes is getting harder to track down locally which is why its falling back in the stats.
What might 2013 hold...
Well last year I predicted Id be hitting my 1000th unique beer checkin around February 2013, as it happened I passed that total back in November 2012, so I wasnt that far out, though I dont expect to break through 2000 anytime soon.
Then again with so many breweries producing one off special beers, Ive seen some are even planning on brewing over 30 different recipes this year, and with places like Adnams installing mini plants to experiment even more with their range,and hopefully bring back a few old favourites, and still a whole glut of beers from the Midlands and NW to try anythings possible.
Oh and I might start blogging more frequently too...we'll see :)
