When you're buying an unfamiliar beer, one of the toughest things about the transaction is spending money on something you may not like.
Well don't worry anymore, because now there's an app for that.
Brew Gene is a free iPhone application created by a group of friends who want to eliminate beer buyers' remorse.
"We were at a cookout a couple of years ago and there were a bunch of random beers there and you were just grabbing them and you'd end up grabbing one you didn't like," said John Muggeridge of Southborough, Mass. "We thought, wouldn't it be great if there was a site that would tell you what you like, and what you will like going forward?"
That sparked the idea for Brew Gene, which began as a website, Brewgene.com [1] . Along with Muggeridge, the site was started by partners Mike Kelly, Connor Tyrrel and Justin Unger. Erik Asmussen joined the group when they decided to create the iPhone app.
"We just like beer," said Muggeridge. "I don't think we're beer geeks. I don't care if it has a hoppy aroma. I just want to know if I will like it."
Here's how the site works: Sign up on the app or on the website, which has a database of more than 40,000 beers from around the world.
Then, start ranking the various beers you have tried throughout the years, from a half star through five stars (five being the best). Based on those ratings, Brew Gene will then spew back a bunch of recommendations.
Although it is important for people to recommend the beers they enjoy the most, it's equally important to rate the beers that they don't like, Muggeridge said. That will allow the site to generate recommendations for each user. Some may surprise you.
"I'm a porter and stout guy so I end up drinking porters and stouts," said Muggeridge. "(The app) doesn't limit it just to those styles; it'll recommend other styles that you may not think about. ...That was part of the impetus -- to help you break out beyond your style."
The site has other features beyond beer recommendations. Users can sign up and have "beer buddies," and they can share recommendations. There is a Beer of the Day feature, and a list of the top 100 beers (the current top five: Guinness Draught, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Blue Moon and Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale).
The website also offers Brew Gene shirts for sale.
Another good feature: If someone looks up a beer, it will show if the person is most likely to like it and other beers that the same person may like.
For example, after putting in my preferences, I looked up Avery's Ellie's Brown Ale, and the site said most likely I would rate it an excellent, or a 4 1/2-star beer.
The other beers it predicted I would like include Lagunitas' Hairy Eyeball Ale and Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, both of which I'm a big fan of. But it also said I would most likely enjoy Grolsch Premium Lager, which I do not like.
Muggeridge said thousands of people have downloaded the app but never enter any of their information. Instead, many just log on and look up a beer, see its ratings and choose a beer that way.
In the future, Muggeridge said the company would like to include a beer-hunting tool to help people find the beers they enjoy.
And, in a few weeks, the company will launch a "very major upgrade," and also hopes to make the Brew Gene app available to Android users.
"It's been fun doing this," said Muggeridge. "One of the cool things about it is when we have our meetings, we drink beer. We sit there and taste and rate beers while developing business plans. Right now it's a hobby, but it's turning into a future business."
Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. For questions, comments, suggestions or recommendations, email nmiller@wickedlocal.com [2] or call 508-626-3823. Check out The Beer Nut blog at http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut/ [3] or follow the Beer Nut at his Twitter page at www.twitter.com/realbeernut [4] .
Links
- ^ Brewgene.com (Brewgene.com)
- ^ nmiller@wickedlocal.com (wickedlocal.com)
- ^ http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/beernut/ (blogs.wickedlocal.com)
- ^ www.twitter.com/realbeernut (www.twitter.com)
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