SESSION SUMMARY: Untappd is a smartphone application that allows beer enthusiasts to "check-in" beers they consume, as well as apply their own rating of 1-5 stars. Untappd has 3-million+ users and is responsible for connecting beer drinkers from around the world. In addition, they have a business membership that bars, restaurants, and breweries can join that gives these destinations access to digital beer menus, as well as lets them update their available beers and notify users of what's on tap.

While all this does have its positives for the beer community, it is not without its negatives. And in the premiere of second season of the Breaking Brew Podcast, we look at some of the mistakes that Untappd is making and share ways they can improve the platform.

Host Jason Cercone is joined by Keana McMahon, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Eleventh Hour Brewing Company in Lawrenceville, PA - just outside the city of Pittsburgh - for over an hour of back and forth conversation about one of the beer industry's most polarizing topics.

Is Untappd helping or hurting the growth of craft beer? Are consumers delivering accurate scores for the AMOUNT of beer they consume (checking in a beer and giving it a 1-star score after only tasting an ounce or two at a festival is not a true sample of that beer's quality and characteristics)? Do consumers realize their negative scores hurt the overall business operations of breweries? And is Untappd prepared to make changes to their platform to keep consumers AND the breweries and bars that support them happy?

In addition to this episode, you can check out these referenced resources on Breaking Brews:

How Untappd Culture is Negatively Impacting Craft Beer
How To Effectively Use Untappd

You can connect with Keana and Eleventh Hour Brewing below:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

MUSIC CREDIT: Theme music and music clips for the Breaking Brews Podcast - Hellfire by Adam Drake and Tom Jenkins, licensed via www.audionetwork.com