Justin Knecht and a team of developers based in the west of Ireland have come up with an iPhone app that helps you to find a perfect pint wherever you are in the world.
“Called Perfectpints, it allows users to independently add, rate and review perfect pints and connect with their friends when out and about. Think Twitter for beer,” he said.
In 2007, Knecht relocated from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast of Ireland and completed a 30-day quest to find the perfect pint of Guinness in his home county of Sligo. So came the inspiration for Perfectpints.com.
Launched in 2010, and supported by a grant from Sligo Enterprise Board, the website has attracted thousands of visitors looking for and reporting on the perfect pint.
iPhone app always on the cards
“It was always our intention to release an iPhone application,” says Knecht, whose business card reads ‘Chief Perfectionist’. “This was always meant to be an on-the-go experience. People want to socialise and share great experiences with friends or when travelling to new destinations.”
Perfectpints.com isn’t about creating an exhaustive directory of pubs, but about being able to easily see where the ‘perfect’ spots are, he continued.
“If you can’t find your favourite pub listed, you can easily add it to the directory, or modify existing places to ensure listings stay current.”
Instead of “tweets”, users communicate the “craic”. Budding perfectionists share their personal and local knowledge of the best spots that in turn creates a global, distributed community.
The application is location aware, showing you the “perfect” spots nearest to you. You can “check in” at any pub and upload pictures of the interior, pub front or the perfectly poured beer in front of you.
This month, in recognition of Arthur’s Day, the application is free for download from the Apple Store.
Photo: The Perfectpints team: (left to right) Rick LeVert, Eddie Johnston, Aidan Finn, Justin Knecht, Dan Leydon, Libby Carton
