One of the more interesting “social networks” there is 97 Bottles, a network that does not ask you what Disney character you are, but all about reviewing beer. This is a good thing.
The cool thing about 97 Bottles is that it’s not an overly snobby site (nice as Beer Advocate is, it’s a bit much at time), but rather consists of short reviews with a 1-97 score, and tags to describe the brew. In other words, it’s very web 2.0, and quick and easy to use. And while the reviews aren’t as scientific as Beer Advocate (for the most part they’re not scientific at all actually) it’s a quick and easy way to find new beers to try. Current leader, for those interested, is Westvleteren Abt 12 from Brouwerij Westvleteren, a Belgian brewery.
As for the social section, it’s all pretty vanilla. You can add friends, and see people with similar tastes to you. Add favorite beers and “nasty” beers, and you can also create a “to drink” list. Simple, but that is all that is needed.
Check out 97 Bottles, it’s a great site. And you can friend me too!