“I like to tell people I drink to track,” says Ricky Potts, a California resident, beer enthusiast, and one of the first five people who have checked in over 10,000 unique beers on Untappd. “I will trade and I will travel to unlock badges. I am obsessed with that app.”

But his passion isn’t rooted in some kind of one-upmanship or effort to prove his craft beer chops. His No. 1 beer for check-ins is Coors Light, and he admits that he was “young and dumb” before he started using Untappd on May 7, 2011.

“There’s no question it’s been a 100% influence on me as a drinker,” Potts adds. “I’ve literally flown to other sides of the country, which created experiences I never thought would happen visiting breweries, bars, and meeting people.”

In one instance, Potts and his girlfriend flew from Scottsdale, AZ to Chicago, partially so he could earn an Old Style Badge. They visited 17 neighborhoods to share sips of the Windy City’s heritage beer. “I will never drink Old Style again, but it was awesome,” he says. And it was all because of Untappd.

Potts is an avid ticker of just about anything quantitative in his life. Daily calories have been logged for more than five years. He wears a Fitbit to monitor his wellness, keeps tabs on sleep and steps taken each day, and uses Foursquare and its sister-app, Swarm.

“Every day I try to figure out what goes into my body and what comes out,” he says, before taking a moment to reflect on what this level of detail has given to—and maybe taken away from—his experiences with beer. “I don’t know if I could have a beer without an app in front of me. I don’t know what that feels like.”

Potts recognizes the dramatic nature of the claim, and admits he’d like to just have a pint at a bar with friends, but habits are hard to break. Still, he often points toward a digital and real-life community he’s built through online interactions, cross-country trades, and real friendships. He’s got a friend in San Diego he met because of efforts on Google Plus to track down certain beers, and went from emails to texting photos back and forth to weekly calls to talk beer. Whenever he, or his girlfriend, Sheryl, unlocks a badge on Untappd, they yell “yahtzee!” if they’re together, or send a text with the word if they’re apart. She’s at about 6,000 unique beers on Untappd.

“If the app disappeared tomorrow, I might not drink beer because it would be a totally different experience for me,” Potts says, easing into a laugh. “I’ve spent a lot of money because of that freaking app, I’ll tell you that much.”

Potts’ experience—and undoubtedly those of many other users—offers insight into the different kinds of interactions these social communities can foster. For some industry pros, however, it’s another story.