The 30 Second Beer Review Database Has Been Rebuilt (And It’s Better Than Ever)
It’s taken about five days, but the entire 30 Second Beer Review database is completely rebuilt and indexed.
Based on the number of beers I’ve logged on Untappd, I should have a few thousand reviews live — but that isn’t quite the case yet. Here’s where things stand.
A Better Way to Browse
The database is organized alphabetically, starting with numbers, but you can also filter by style — IPA, Hazy, Stout, and more. I’ve also built out a search function, so you can look up reviews by beer name or brewery. It’s a much more intuitive experience than what was previously here.
Three Types of Reviews
Reviews on the site now fall into three categories:
1. The Updated Review Layout
This is the new standard — and the most information-dense format I offer. Each review uses the Contributing Factors rating system, includes a brewery review (if the brewery is in SLO County, pulled from the SLO Beer Guide), tasting notes, an Instagram Reel review, and a final verdict on the beer.
Right now there are about 15 beers with this treatment, including several from California Coast Beer Company and Smog City Brewing Company. Going forward, every new review will get this full treatment.
2. The “Old School” Twitter Reviews (2018–2020)
These make up the bulk of the database — 45–60 second video reviews I originally posted on Twitter (back before it was X), covering the look, aroma, palate, and a quick overall score.
Fair warning: some of these are rough. But a few are genuinely clever, if I do say so myself. Check out Dirty Wookie or RU-Deep-2 if you want to see the format at its best. This style has since been replaced by Instagram Reels.
3. Notes-Only Reviews (No Video)
The final type skips video entirely but includes full tasting notes — and it’s how a lot of new content is coming online right now.
After spending 19 years working in Oakland, I got to know breweries like Ghost Town Brewing and Original Pattern Brewing pretty well — I’d guess I sampled 30–40 of their beers over the years. None of those ever made it onto Instagram, but I kept detailed notes at the time, and I’m working through them now to bring more Bay Area reviews to the site.