Fear of missing out in a beer world that never sleeps?

Much like big cities such as New York and Tokyo, the beer world never sleeps. This might give rise to a feeling of missing out; on the best-rated beer bars, the most hyped new beer releases, and the coolest beer festivals. Staying in the loop can be exhausting, but here’s a tip; embrace your own beer journey.

Untappd can be one such source of stress, at least it used to be for me. This is the world’s largest platform for searching and rating beers – a bit like having your own beer tracker. It’s incredibly popular with millions of users around the world. Some of my friends have rated more than 8,000 different beers here, which is equally insane and impressive!

At one point, years ago, I started using Untappd but soon deleted it and got rid of any notion of ever being able to track all the beers I try. Having judged an absurd amount of beers blind in competitions and tasted beers in bars, at festivals and in bottle shares, my Untappd experience was bound to fail – I just couldn’t keep up! It might be a great platform, but not for me.

Travelling can also be overwhelming, and I don’t mean the travel itself but rather what not to miss at the destination. As part of my beer sommelier certification, ten years ago now, I went on a mission to build a portfolio with brewery visits around the world. The list grew longer, but I still haven’t been to some of the classics that people rave about. I have stumbled upon some wonderful places though, unplanned and random, and these are my most cherished moments.

With experience comes wisdom (if we’re lucky) and what I’ve come to realise is that there’s no point in trying to do it all – in fact, it’s impossible. You see, the beer world never sleeps. Instead of feeling bewildered by the never-ending activity and places to visit, just enjoy the journey and devour your own beery moments (that others are missing out on).