How to Build a Beer App

Interested in building a beer app?

This is a growing market that is waiting for innovators.

The global beer market is growing, and it will likely reach $816,847.7 million by 2030, up from $605,246.1 million in 2020. You can read this “Allied Market Research” report for more information on this.

Let’s see how you can mark your share in the lucrative market by building an intuitive app for beer lovers.

An Example of a Beer App

It’s worth reviewing an example of a beer app so that you can understand what you should offer. Untappd is a popular beer app, that offers the following features:

• Users can rate the beers they drink on a scale of 1 to 5.
• They can discover great beers, local bars, breweries, brewery tours, and local events, moreover, they can share them with their friends.
• They can explore different kinds of new beers in nearby bars, and earn badges on the app.
• Using a mapping integration, they find out what beers people are drinking in their areas. They can view this on a worldwide scale too.
• App users can create lists of their favorite beers.
• They also get alerts from pubs or bars that add their favorite beers to their lists.
• The app has push notifications to engage users.

Untappd is available as a web, Android, and iOS app, and the “User Interface” (UI) is an engaging one.

How to Create a Beer App

A software development project to create a beer app involves the following steps:

1. Beer app project scope definition

I recommend you build a beer app with the following features:

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• Users can view a specific beer, pubs, home brewers, and bars in their areas, as well as elsewhere.
• The app should offer social media integration.
• App users should be able to view various kinds of beers, including new entrants.
• They should get alerts when local pubs add their favorite beers to their list.
• The app needs push notifications to engage users.
• You can optionally offer in-app purchases and online payment features.

Build a web app, an iOS app, and an Android app with the above features, to launch in one geography.

2. Use the Agile SDLC

The right SDLC model for this project is agile since you are creating web and mobile apps. You will likely launch a “Minimum Viable Product” (MVP) with the above features, and enhance it in multiple iterations. You can learn more about agile SDLC in “What Is software development life cycle and what you plan for?”.

3. Zero in on a software development approach

I recommend that you use the following approach in this project:

• Use “Software Development Kits” (SDKs) / “Application Programming Interfaces” (APIs) to implement key features like searching for beers and pubs, map integration, push notifications, in-app purchase, and online payment.
• Utilize “Platform as a Service” (PaaS) and “Mobile Backend as a Service” (MBaaS) platforms, so that you can focus on development, and not on IT infrastructure management.
• Use “Integrated Development Environments” (IDEs), tools, and frameworks to expedite the development.
• Design and develop keeping in mind that you might expand into other geographies later. Use appropriate “app internationalization” guidelines, such as keeping the code separate from the content.
• You can learn about app internationalization in “The ultimate guide to mobile app internationalization”.

4. Form a “Scrum team”

Use the “Scrum” technique to manage this project, and form small, cross-functional teams where developers and testers work together. The team will work on iterations, which are called “Sprints” in Scrum parlance. You can read more about scrum in “How to build a scrum development team?”.

The team needs the following roles:

• Business analysts;
• UI designers;
• Web developers with Node.js skills;
• Android developers with experience in Kotlin;
• iOS developers with Swift expertise;
• Testers;
• A project manager (PM), who performs the “scrum master” role.

5. Use an API solution to get beer-related information

The app needs to display information regarding beers, breweries, and pubs. You need an API solution for this, and BreweryDB provides one. Their API enables you to implement the following features:

• It provides a comprehensive database for the global beer industry.
• Brewers update this database directly, and your app will reflect the changes.
• The data is crowd-sourced, however, it’s also curated by industry experts. This assures the accuracy of the data.

They offer a RESTful API, and you can access it here. You need to use their commercial plan to utilize their data in your app. Contact them for the next steps.

6. Sign-up for a mapping integration solution

The app needs to let users find nearby breweries and pubs serving their favorite beer. This requires a mapping integration, and I recommend that you use Google Maps. Note the following:

• You can read the extensive Google Maps documentation here.
• For the Android app, you can use the Google Maps Android SDK.
• Google Maps iOS SDK will help with the iOS app development.
• The documentation for the JavaScript API is available here.

Check out the Google Maps pricing information here.

7. Get a bulk SMS solution for the push notifications feature

You would want to engage the app users, therefore, you need the push notifications feature. I suggest that you use a bulk SMS solution for this. Twilio offers a robust solution, which you can use as follows:

• Sign-up for the Twilio “Programmable SMS” offering.
• You can read the relevant Twilio documentation here, moreover, you can also get more guidance here.

Twilio has published its pricing plans here.

8. Find an eCommerce solution for the in-app purchase feature

I recommend that you use an eCommerce solution to implement the in-app purchase feature. Shopify provides such a solution, and you can use it as follows:

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• Access the Shopify eCommerce API on its developer portal.
• Check out the Shopify API guides here.
• Your development team can use these tutorials if they need additional guidance.

9. Sign-up for a payment gateway API solution

The app needs the online payment feature, therefore, use a payment gateway API solution. Braintree has the right solution for this, and you can use it as follows:

• Sign-up for its “Braintree Direct” solution.
• You can read the documentation for this API solution here.
• Braintree offers guides for its API, and you can find them here.
• Programmers in your team can also check out the Braintree tutorials here.

10. Use a PaaS platform for web app development

As I had earlier explained in “10 top PaaS providers”, using a PaaS platform makes developing web apps easier, due to the following reasons:

• You can focus on development. PaaS providers manage the cloud infrastructure, networking, storage, operating system, middleware, and runtime environment.
• This means that you don’t need to hire a cloud platform architect.
• PaaS providers let you use database resources, 3^rd party APIs, and DevOps tools, and this makes development easier.
• Cloud PaaS providers offer “Application Performance Monitoring” (APM) and auto-scaling solutions, therefore, you can easily scale the web app.

For this project, I recommend that you use Heroku, a reputed PaaS platform. I have earlier explained how Heroku works, in “How to deploy your Dart app to Heroku?”.

11. Find an MBaaS platform for the mobile app backend

Using an MBaaS platform offers several advantages while developing a mobile app, as follows:

• MBaaS providers manage cloud infrastructure, persistent storage, etc.
• You don’t need to hire mobile backend developers, moreover, you free yourself up from the time-consuming task of managing the mobile backend.
• Mobile platforms and devices are many, which adds to the complexity while developing mobile apps. You can manage this easily when you use an MBaaS platform.
• You will need to implement user management, security, push notifications, and integration with 3^rd party APIs. These are easier if you use an MBaaS platform.
• MBaaS platforms make it easier to scale your mobile apps.

I have explained these advantages in “How to choose the best Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS)?”. You can use Kinvey, a well-known MBaaS platform.

12. Install IDEs

You need to use the following IDEs in this project:

• IntelliJ IDEA: You need this, and a Node.js plugin for developing the web app;
• Android Studio: For Android development.
• Xcode: To code the iOS app.

13. Sign-up for a test automation enabler

While open-source testing tools like Selenium and XCTest are helpful, web and mobile app testing requires access to a wide range of browsers and mobile devices. The testing team also needs robust test reports and analytics. I recommend that you use the following solutions from Experitest:

• Mobile device and browsers lab on the cloud: You can access a wide range of browsers and devices.
• SeeTest Reporter: This offers very helpful test reports and analytics.

14. Developing the web app

At this point, you need to proceed with developing the web app, as follows:

• Use Node.js on IntelliJ IDEA. Heroku supports this runtime, and you can find the Node.js buildpack here.
• Integrate databases on Heroku, according to your requirement. You can check here for more information.
• Integrate BreweryDB, Google Maps, Shopify, Braintree, and Twilio APIs with your code.
• Test your app, and deploy it on Heroku. You can read “Continuous delivery on Heroku”, and find out how to use DevOps resources on this platform.
• Information about APM and auto-scaling solutions from Heroku is available here, and here, respectively.

15. UI design for the mobile app

You will launch your app in a competitive market, therefore, you need a great UI that appeals to users. It must also be easy to use, therefore, consult the following resources when designing the UI:

• “Human Interface Guidelines” for the iOS app UI design;
• “Material design” guidelines, for the Android app UI design;
• “Mobile navigation menu examples”, to implement a user-friendly mobile navigation menu;
• “8 trends in mobile app color scheme”, to choose the right color scheme;
• “How to design the perfect icon for your mobile app?”, to design icons for the mobile app.

16. Android beer app development

The next step is to develop the Android app, which involves the following:

• Use Kotlin, which is a popular open-source language for Android development. Coding fast, performant apps is easy with Kotlin, moreover, developers can eliminate common coding errors. The concise syntax of the language helps programmers to achieve higher productivity.
• Code your app using Android Studio, and read “Get started with Kotlin on Android” if you need guidance.
• Integrate the SDKs/APIs for beer database, eCommerce, mapping, payment gateway, and bulk SMS.
• Test using Espresso, and Experitest mobile device lab on the cloud.
• Publish the app to Google Play using this guide.

17. Code, test, and publish the iOS beer app

You can now proceed with the iOS app development, as follows:

• Use Swift, which is the language preferred by Apple for iOS development. A developer can code fast apps with Swift. The app will have a smaller code base, moreover, the language has powerful features that help in reducing coding errors. Swift is just like English, and this helps in maintaining the app.
• You should use Xcode to code the iOS app, and it supports Swift.
• Integrate BreweryDB, Google Maps, Twilio, Shopify, and Braintree SDKs/APIs in your code.
• Test the app using XCTest, and the Experitest mobile device lab.

At this point, you can publish the iOS app to the Apple App Store, however, be sure to read these instructions.

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18. Use effective PM tools

Managing an agile project can get tricky, therefore, plan to use robust tools as follows:

• Asana is an effective tool to manage such projects, and I recommend that you use it.
• The PM will also benefit from a real-time dashboard, which helps the PM to implement data-driven processes. I have explained the benefits of using such dashboards in “How a real-time dashboard can revolutionize your eSports development process?”.

Strategizing to launch a great beer app?

Beer apps belong to the “Food & Drink” category, and the following statistics illustrate their popularity:

• According to 42matters report, this is the 7th most popular category of Android apps, as of May 2022.
• This is the 6th most popular category among iOS apps as of the 1st quarter of 2022, as another Statista reports.

If you, as a business CEO or CTO, are planning to engage in beer app development and carve your profit shares, then you are making a viable business development decision given the growing popularity of the said industry.

In this guide, I have described several platforms, tools, frameworks, SDKs, and APIs, which should ease the development of a perfect beer app. However, creating such an app for a competitive market can be complex. You might need professional help.

Read our guide “How to find the best software development company?” before you engage a development company.

If you are still looking for experienced software developers to help you build a mobile app in accordance with beer judge certification program (BJCP) styles app guidelines, that lets users skim through the beer menu, listing different beer styles from classic to craft beers; then DevTeam.Space can help you with its field-expert software developers community.

Write to us your initial beer app development requirements via this form and one of our account managers will get back to you to discuss further project details.

Frequently Asked Questions on Beer App Development