Beer Buddy

Beer is an alcohol that often gets short shrift—but with the dozens of varieties and thousands of craft brews on offer at local grocery and specialty stores, finding the perfect beer can often be just as difficult—and expensive—as scoring the perfect bottle of wine. Staring at a shelf full of well-designed labels may not tell you much, but the Beer Buddy app can take a lot of the guesswork out of your purchase.

A scan of the barcode will pull up a flavor profile and dozens of reviews instantly, so you can tell if you’re spending your money wisely. Intrigued by a new beer on tap? Simply search the database of more than 300,000 beers and find out if it’s to your taste. You can also rate beers and get recommendations based on your ratings—and if you’ve been dying to taste a new brew, you can use the “places” feature to find out where it’s being served. The new “On-Tap” feature even allows you to save a wish list for future tasting. $3.99 in the iTunes store.