There are a few different places you’ll see ratings on Untappd, including drink and brand pages, and the Top Rated pages in local and global views. This guide explains what ratings are displayed where, how they are calculated, and answers common questions.
Drink
The Drink Pure Average is the rating shown on a drink’s page, in search results, lists, and similar contexts. It is calculated as the pure average of the drink’s user ratings.
Brand
The Brand Average is the rating shown on a brand’s page and map. It is calculated as a weighted average across the brand’s drinks, as displayed below.
Top Rated
Drinks
- A drink must have 150 ratings to qualify for the Top Rated list.
- Local
- This rating appears in the Local tab of the Top Rated Drinks list on the Discover page. It is calculated by a Bayesian Average of drinks checked in within the last 15 days in the selected search radius, to highlight what’s trending and available locally.
- Global
- This rating appears in the Global tab of the Top Rated Drinks list on the Discover page. It is calculated by a Bayesian Average of all drinks.
- Local
Brands
- To qualify for the Top Rated list, a brand needs:
- at least 1,000 ratings
- at least 5 drinks on its brand page
- a physical location tied to the brand page
- Local
- Appears in the Local tab of the Top Rated Brands list on the Discover page. Calculated by the weighted formula below and shows brands within the search radius.
- Global
- Appears in the Global tab of the Top Rated Brands list on the Discover page. Calculated by the weighted formula below.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I don’t understand what a Bayesian Average is even after reading the Wikipedia article. Could you explain more?
- A Bayesian Average is a useful approach for calculating review rankings. For example, you wouldn’t want items with only a handful of 5‑cap ratings to dominate, and you also wouldn’t want an item with a couple of 1‑cap ratings to be unfairly penalized. A Bayesian Average starts from a prior belief about an overall average score; each new rating nudges the item up or down relative to that prior. This is an oversimplification, but it’s easier to visualize than the full formulas.
- How many ratings does a drink need before the rating will show?
- A drink needs at least 10 ratings before the rating will show. Remember, a check‑in and a rating are not the same thing.
- Why isn’t this brand showing on the Top Rated pages?
- A brand needs at least 1,000 ratings, at least 5 drinks on the brand page, and a physical location tied to the brand page to qualify. Remember, a check‑in and a rating are not the same thing.
- Why isn’t this drink showing on the Top Rated pages?
- A drink must have 150 ratings to qualify for the Top Rated list. Remember, a check‑in and a rating are not the same thing.
- How are collaboration drinks rated?
- Just like normal drinks. Ratings apply to the parent brand entry for the collaboration. See also: Collaborations on Untappd.
- How often do Top Rated lists refresh?
- Top Rated refreshes every 24 hours.
- How often do drink or brand pages refresh?
- Drink and brand page ratings refresh every 24-48 hours.
- If I rated a drink multiple times, how is that rating determined?
- When you rate a drink more than once, your ratings are averaged together and applied as your single rating for that drink.
- What happens to my rating if I delete my check‑in?
- If it’s your only check‑in to that drink, your rating will be removed. If you have multiple check‑ins to that drink, your rating for that drink will persist but will no longer include the rating from the deleted check‑in.
- If I don’t rate a drink, does it count as a 0‑cap rating?
- No. If you leave the rating blank, it does not count toward the drink’s total.