As I travel through Asia and have limited contact with craft beer, I’ll occasionally look through my checked in beers on Untappd. I do this to remember the good times, see if there is anything that I may encounter on the next leg of my trip and to see what everybody else is drinking. Lately though I have started to notice a trend.I haven’t rated beers I really like very highly.

For those that don’t know, Untappd is a handy app that allows you to review and rate beers on your phone. It’s handy to help remember if you’ve tried a beer or liked it (some sessions can get hazy).

A beer that was a regular on tap at my local pub in Sydney, The Welcome Hotel, was After Battle Pale by Ekim Brewing Co. I have checked it in on Untappd several times. I was always happy to see this on tap and would always have one. If friends were with us and unsure of what to get it was my first recommendation every time. It’s a delicious beer with decent bitterness, balanced out with tropical hop favours. I have a friend who usually drinks the worst cheapest pi$$water you can find. I have tried to get him to try some craft beers, but he hasn’t liked them. He tried the After Battle and didn’t turn back. Nobody I know doesn’t love this beer.

So what do I give this great beer on Untappd? 4 stars. Now don’t get me wrong 4 is a good score and many would be happy. But I started looking into it further. I have never given anything 5 stars. I look at some more of my favourite beers and they all hover around 4 as well. I am clearly taking the ‘you can never be perfect’ approach, but I think that is unfair. This doesn’t mean I am going to get soft, but from now on, if I try a beer and the say something profane followed by ‘that’s a good beer’, I should consider that it might be 5 star worthy.

As soon as I get back to Australia, I will have an Ekim After Battle Pale and check it in with 5 stars. All will be right with the world again.

Are you too harsh on Untappd?