Gadgetory

life's way too short to drink bad beer and to order the same boring Brut each time you hit up happy hour if you're guilty of this it's time to change that I'm here at the speakeasy Tap Room in San Francisco enjoying a local brew and ready to pop a cap off a few of the best apps for beer lovers whether it's st. Patty's Day or you're just enjoying a beer after work untappd is your go-to app this location-based social app lets you follow what friends are drinking find local brews and check into whatever you're sipping on it's not the only app of its kind but it is a cleanest and has a strongest community of beer lovers check out what's nearby from the home screen or check into a beer by searching for it like this Big Daddy IPA I'm drinking once you check in you'll add your location impressions a rating and even a photo if you want pretty soon you'll end up with the log of beers you've had and Apple even suggests some new beers to try that's great for when you're bar-hopping but what about those times when you're stuck choosing from a fridge full of beer that's where beer buddy comes in available for iPhone this app integrates with rate beer calm to give you full flavor profiles and ratings for the bottled stuff so just grab a beer scan the barcode and voila there's a reading and everything I need to know about this beer beyond that you can even add your own ratings and start building a log of your favorite brews beer buddy is $3.99 but for beer lovers this app will quickly pay for itself oh and by the way this isn't available for Android but there is an official reap your app that does the same thing much like wine drinkers beer drinkers seem to like talking about beer as much as they like drinking it they say things like hoppy dry caramel flavored and beyond that appearance aroma and even mouthfeel all play a part in the way they talk and write about beer to get a better idea of how popular beer types and brews are described and to sound like a pro yourself check out the BJCP styles up for iPhone and the BJCP droid app for Android both of these apps do the same thing there quick reference guides for whenever you want to look up a style description every style has a full profile with aroma flavor and so on and even beers in that category it's a nifty app good for amateurs and connoisseurs and at $0 you can't beat that phrase with these three apps you should find yourself trying new beers and inspiring friends to do the same just don't forget to rate them to help other people out and as always drink responsibly people which is exactly what I'm about to do for cnet.com I'm Sharon Vaknin Cheers