BeerAdvocate
BeerAdvocate is an online beer rating and review community serving beer enthusiasts and industry professionals worldwide, operating since 1996 with subscription membership, advertising, and event revenue streams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What BeerAdvocate does
BeerAdvocate is an online beer rating and review community platform founded in 1996 by Todd Alström and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The platform serves beer enthusiasts and industry professionals by aggregating user-generated beer reviews, ratings, and forum discussions, supported by a registered base of approximately 803,826 members who have produced over 7.1 million forum posts across 262,000 discussions. The core technology is a web-based database and forum system; there are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications, and the experience is delivered through the website.
The business model rests on three revenue streams: a Society membership tier priced at $6 per month, advertising served to non-members, and beer festivals (BeerAdvocate Fests) currently on hiatus. A print magazine operated from 2006 through 2019 across 132 issues before being discontinued. A peer-to-peer beer trading marketplace has been launched to extend the platform's commercial utility beyond reviews. The platform operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and reaches a global audience spanning the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
BeerAdvocate was acquired by Next Glass in February 2020 and reacquired by founder Todd Alström in July 2026, returning the company to independent founder ownership. The platform holds the registered trademark "Respect Beer" as a brand marker. There are no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or external capital partners, and the company is privately held with a community-led go-to-market motion.
BeerAdvocate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BeerAdvocate
- Legal name
- BeerAdvocate
- Website
- https://beeradvocate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BeerAdvocate is an online beer rating and review community serving beer enthusiasts and industry professionals worldwide, operating since 1996 with subscription membership, advertising, and event revenue streams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BeerAdvocate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Beer Community & Reviews
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alcohol Subscription Clubs & Membership Retail (CRANAAAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)
Keywords
Where BeerAdvocate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BeerAdvocate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Society Membership: Subscription-based membership offering perks including ad removal, exclusive user banner, profile posts, early access to features, periodic discounts, and access to forums forbidden to non-members.
- Advertising: Banner advertisements displayed to non-Society members visiting the platform, generating revenue from high traffic volumes of millions of monthly consumers.
- BeerAdvocate Fests: Revenue from hosting world-class beer festivals ranging from 1,200 to 15,000 attendees. While currently on hiatus, these festivals were historically a revenue stream supporting the beer industry.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic Society Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
BeerAdvocate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BeerAdvocate operates an online community platform where beer enthusiasts rate and review beers, participate in categorized discussion forums, browse a comprehensive beer styles directory and curated Top 250 ranking, look up breweries and beer bars worldwide through the Places travel guide, and coordinate member-to-member beer trades. The platform is supported by a premium subscription membership called the Respect Beer Society, which removes advertising and unlocks exclusive features.
Product overview
BeerAdvocate is a single, unified online community platform focused on beer enthusiasts. The core offering centers on a community-driven beer rating and review system complemented by discussion forums, a beer trading marketplace, a beer travel guide (Places), and a curated Top 250 beers ranking. The platform includes a comprehensive beer styles directory and a digital archive of past magazine issues. A premium subscription tier called Respect Beer Society provides ad-free browsing and other member benefits. No separate modules, APIs, or acquired products are offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Respect Beer Society Membership A premium subscription membership program offering perks including ad removal, exclusive user banner, username changes, profile posts, access to private forums, BeerAdvocate Karma achievements, early access to new features, and periodic discounts, priced at $6/month with lifetime options available. Payments processed by Stripe.
- BeerAdvocate Beer Trading Marketplace An online beer trading marketplace enabling members to coordinate trades of beers, with ISO (In Search Of) and For Trade listings, feedback systems, and dedicated trading forums. Hundreds of thousands of trades coordinated globally with millions of beers exchanged.
- BeerAdvocate Community Platform (Forums, Ratings & Reviews, Styles Directory, Top 250, Places) A comprehensive free online beer enthusiast community platform providing user-generated beer ratings and reviews, categorized discussion forums, a 100+ beer styles directory, a curated Top 250 beers ranking filterable by country and region, and a Places travel guide of breweries, beer bars, and bottle shops worldwide.
- BeerAdvocate Magazine Archive A digital archive of 132 issues of independent, award-winning beer journalism published from 2006 to 2019. The print magazine is discontinued but archived content remains accessible to community members.
Quantifiable outcome
- Millions of monthly consumers rely on BeerAdvocate for beer recommendations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BeerAdvocate
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BeerAdvocate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BeerAdvocate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Next Glassformer ownerNext Glass acquired BeerAdvocate in February 2020 and owned the platform for approximately six years. In July 2026, Next Glass divested BeerAdvocate back to founder Todd Alström, returning the company to independent, founder-owned and operated status. Next Glass continues to serve the beverage industry through other platforms including Untappd, Ekos, Ollie, and Oznr.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BeerAdvocate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Tavour: Craft beer delivery and curated subscription service that helps enthusiasts discover and access rare beers — a use case BeerAdvocate's trading marketplace also serves, but executed as a direct-to-consumer commerce product.
- BeerMenus: Online platform listing beers on tap at bars and restaurants across multiple U.S. cities. Overlaps with BeerAdvocate's 'Places' directory and serves a similar beer-discovery mission with a more venue-centric lens.
- Taplist.io: Digital tap list and beer menu platform for bars, restaurants, and bottle shops. While more operator-focused than consumer-focused, it competes for the same beer-discovery use case that drives BeerAdvocate's Places directory.
- Hop Culture: Digital media platform covering craft beer, breweries, and beer culture. Overlaps with BeerAdvocate's editorial and brewery-discovery role but is younger and more digitally native.
Broad incumbents
- VinePair: Large drinks-media publisher covering beer, wine, and spirits. Adjacent in audience and advertising pool, with a broader portfolio that competes for the same consumer and brand budgets BeerAdvocate monetizes.
- Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine: Established beer media brand combining a print magazine, podcast network, and educational content. Comparable to the discontinued BeerAdvocate magazine and competes for beer-enthusiast mindshare and advertising dollars.
- Drizly: Alcohol e-commerce and delivery marketplace connecting consumers with retailers. Adjacent to BeerAdvocate's 'Places' directory but execution-focused on purchase rather than discovery and community.
Others
- Brewbound: Beer industry trade publication covering business, distribution, and category trends. Targets the same beer-industry professionals BeerAdvocate serves as a secondary audience (breweries, distributors, retailers).
Direct peers
- RateBeer: Long-standing web-based beer rating and review platform with a global brewer database. Comparable to BeerAdvocate in audience, content format (user reviews across style attributes), and beer-enthusiast positioning.
- Untappd: Mobile-first beer check-in, rating, and discovery app with a global user base. It is the most direct competitor to BeerAdvocate's rating and community model, and was a sibling asset under Next Glass alongside Ekos, Ollie, and Oznr until BeerAdvocate's 2026 divestiture.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BeerAdvocate social profiles
Digital presenceBeerAdvocate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BeerAdvocate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BeerAdvocate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BeerAdvocate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BeerAdvocate
What does BeerAdvocate do?
BeerAdvocate operates an online community platform where beer enthusiasts rate and review beers, participate in categorized discussion forums, browse a comprehensive beer styles directory and curated Top 250 ranking, look up breweries and beer bars worldwide through the Places travel guide, and coordinate member-to-member beer trades. The platform is supported by a premium subscription membership called the Respect Beer Society, which removes advertising and unlocks exclusive features.
Is BeerAdvocate a public or private company?
BeerAdvocate is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BeerAdvocate founded?
BeerAdvocate was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BeerAdvocate based?
BeerAdvocate is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does BeerAdvocate make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Society Membership is the primary driver. The others are advertising and beerAdvocate Fests.
Who are BeerAdvocate's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Tavour, BeerMenus, Taplist.io and Hop Culture. Broad incumbents are VinePair, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine and Drizly. Brewbound is listed as an others. Direct peers are RateBeer and Untappd.
Does BeerAdvocate have an API?
No public API is recorded for BeerAdvocate.
What industry is BeerAdvocate in?
BeerAdvocate's product category is Online Beer Community & Reviews. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANAAAI, Alcohol Subscription Clubs & Membership Retail, with a secondary code of CRANABAF, Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail). Its SIC code is 2082.