About Us

The Goal and Mission of YLB

The fact that you are here right now means that you have something in common with millions of other people on this planet: you like beer. You may even love beer. You may even be wondering how you got so deep into all this in the first place. For many of us, and possibly/probably even you, the pursuit of not just any beer, but great beer, is not just hobby, it is a passion that may take us to other cities, states, and even continents and oceans (I’m looking at you, Belgium) in the pursuit of some of the most well-crafted and delicious beers in the world. Yourlocalbeer.com (and our accompanying mobile app) was created to be an effective tool for beer lovers worldwide to use as they travel and seek out great beer wherever they may be, or wherever they are going. Please use the tools that we’ve created for you to locate great beer, breweries, events, bars, restaurants, and bottle shops all over the world. We are currently focused on the US, Canada and Europe, but as our readership expands we hope to cover everywhere that great beer is produced.

Furthermore, what every craft beer lover ultimately wishes is to have the best beer and breweries possible right in their very own backyard, and to have local breweries and a beer scene of which they can be proud and in which they can become personally involved. Studies have repeatedly shown that honest customer feedback improves quality and performance in almost every aspect of life and business, and craft beer is no different. Every brewer worth their malt wants and needs honest feedback to help them improve, and even though some may not always welcome less than positive feedback, constructive criticism from knowledgeable consumers can be extremely helpful in the long run. Just because beer is local does not mean it is good beer, and it is not fair, nor reasonable, in my humble opinion, for breweries to expect blind local support if they are not turning out good product. Brewers need to know when they’ve hit the mark, as well as when they’ve missed it so they can continue to improve their craft and deliver the kind of beer that their local community desires and appreciates, and dare I say, deserves.

If you are a craft beer CONSUMER, our mission is to provide you with a powerful tool find the best craft breweries, bars, restaurants and bottle shops wherever you are during your travels and in your search for great beer. And when you are in your hometown, please honestly rate and review craft beer brewed in your local community as well as the pubs and shops that provide it for sale. This will ultimately help improve the quantity and quality of what is available in your area. We've even provided an option to post your reviews as “anonymous” if you have something to say that is less than positive and you don’t necessarily want your brewer friends to know it was you who said it - please use that function ONLY for constructive feedback. Don’t be afraid to let your honest opinions be known, good and bad, but please be constructive with your comments. “This beer sucks!” doesn’t help anyone and is completely against the spirit of this site. (Note: we hate to use it, but we do have a banhammer if needed ;)

If you are a BREWER, you should be rewarded for your hard work and appreciated and supported by your local community. But it’s not enough to just assume you will be successful because you are the only local brewery for miles around. Chances are you won’t be the only game in town for long, and we feel that is actually a good thing for both brewers and beer lovers alike. We hope that this site allows a constructive environment in which your customers can let you know what they love about your beer, and what may not quite be hitting the mark, all in the name of helping you become the best brewer you can be and providing them with great local beer. This will help ensure your success and longevity so you can keep doing what you love to do, and it will benefit your fans as well. As Bonnie Raitt used to sing, “Give ‘em something to talk about!”

If you are a VISITOR, thank you for being a part of our community here at Yourlocalbeer.com. You are absolutely the most important part of this site. We encourage you to become an active participant by creating a free account and contributing as much information, content and rating/reviewing as many beers and places as possible, especially those in your local beer community. You will be rewarded with points and levels as you contribute, and we may even send some swag your way. We have a lot of things planned for this site that we will be rolling out as time and resources permit, but our goal will always remain the same, to help you find great beer wherever you may be, and to help your local beer become the best it can be.

Cheers!

-SvT

Founder & Beer Lover