Whether you want to track all of the craft beers that you’ve tried, find nearby breweries or simply learn more about a specific beer style, all the information you need is just a tap away.

Smartphone users have hundreds of beer-related apps to choose from, but not all apps are created equal. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are a few fun and user-friendly apps to start with.

Untappd

Free | untappd.com

Untappd is a fast-growing favorite in the craft beer community, and it’s easy to see why. The app has lots of beer tracking and sharing features — including Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare integration — making it the ultimate social networking tool for beer drinkers.

When an Untappd user checks in to a beer, they also have the option to upload a photo, add their location, write a review, give the beer a star rating and share the check-in on social media. Untappd also features its own in-app friends list, where users can exchange “toasts” and comment on each other’s check-ins.

In addition to the social aspect of Untappd, the app can be used to find local bars and breweries, get recommendations based on past check-ins, and see what beers are popular nearby or trending globally.

“[I] love it, and it helps me keep track of all my preferences,” said Untappd user Misti Ludwick of West Bloomfield. “I also like how it shows me nearby breweries and beers — great if you travel.”

And last but not least, Untappd check-ins help users earn colorful badges that they can show off to their friends. For instance, checking in to five different German beers will earn the “Das Boot” badge, while checking in to 10 beers from the same brewery in 30 days will earn the “Brewery Loyalist” badge. For a real challenge, there’s even an “Uber” badge for users who check in to 10,000 unique beers.

Through March 16, users can also get the lucrative Beer City USA badge.

BJCP Styles

Free | otgapps.io

Anyone who has looked through the Beer Judge Certification Program Style Guidelines online knows that it’s extremely text-heavy. With the BJCP Styles app, users can quickly jump to a specific category to look up a style description rather than sift through a 73-page document.

“The BJCP Styles app is a great resource for beer judges and beer enthusiasts alike,” said app developer Mark Rickert. “I’ve judged numerous homebrew competitions and it always makes me happy to see other judges with their iPhones or iPads out on the table using the BJCP Styles app for reference during their tastings.”

Rickert acquired the app from its previous developer in 2013 and has made several updates to it since then.

“The app has all BJCP styles organized by category and number, as well as a feature that allows you to do keyword searches of the content of each style guideline,” said Rickert. “Another nice feature is the ability to change the text size of the content.”

He noted that the app has been downloaded more than 250,000 times by people from 75 different countries, and receives, on average, 50-60 new downloads a day. The app is localized in both English and Portuguese and is open source, so anyone can view and contribute to the application. Check out the source code on github.

BreweryMap

$3.99 | brewerymap.com

Taking a road trip soon? The BreweryMap app should be at the top of every craft beer lover’s travel checklist.

BreweryMap users simply enter their current location or destination city, and the app will search for all breweries within a certain range — up to 50 miles on the app and 100 miles through the website. Then, the app drops pins for each brewery on a Google map. Clicking on a pin brings up a bubble with more information for that brewery.

“I love BreweryMap,” said MittenBrew photographer Erik Smith. “I travel a lot as a hobby and swear by it…it’s worth every penny, even for people with a limited travel range for breweries.”

Not only is BreweryMap a handy navigation tool on the road, but it can also help with trip planning beforehand. With the website’s “Road Trip” option, users just enter a starting point, ending point and distance range, and the site will search for breweries and display the best route.

App developer Pint Labs’ created BreweryMap as part its BreweryDB project, which is a master beer/brewery database at brewerydb.com. The database is 100% user-submitted, so Smith also visits the site a few times each month keep Michigan brewery details up-to-date.

“They usually verify and update the breweries within a week or so,” he said.

Michigan Micro Caps

Free | microcapsgame.com

Michigan Micro Caps is a simple yet addictive casual game that incorporates bottle caps from Michigan breweries — a perfect distraction while waiting in line for that next brewery opening or limited bottle release.

The goal is to clear the game board by tapping on — and thus eliminating — groups of identical caps. In addition, the app includes an index of Michigan breweries that’s viewable alphabetically or by location.

“It’s a great way for people to discover new breweries, even if they’re just playing the game,” said app creator Steve Lewis, a partner at Fusionary Media in Grand Rapids. “Each brewery listing includes their logo, address and links to their social accounts.”

The app has been around since 2012, and has always been free for users and breweries.

“We also offer paid advertising for breweries or others who want to increase their presence in the app,” Lewis added. “The audience for the app is 10,000-plus Michigan beer fans.”

Micro Caps games are also available for Colorado, Maine, Washington and North Carolina, with more states coming soon.