I like living close enough to the Schlafly Tap Room that I can pop in whenever I like to grab a growler of beer to take home or enjoy a pint of cask ale at the bar.

What I don't like is not knowing until I get there what's on cask, whether the beer I was hoping for has run out, or whether anything new has gone on tap since my last visit. Sure, I could call and ask. But who has time to listen to the brewery's automated message, wait for a human to pick up, then have them read what's on draft?

Enter the Schlafly mobile application, a free download from iTunes that lets iPhone users see, among other things, what's being poured at Schlafly's Tap Room and Bottleworks locations.

The Schlafly app, or SchlApp, released this spring, still has some quirks — the brewery is waiting for a website redesign before it rolls out new app features, and the draft list sometimes goes days without being updated (as of Wednesday, it still didn't show that Bottleworks had Pumpkin Ale on tap, which that location has been serving since Aug. 16).

But Schlafly's and other beer apps are changing the way people stay in-the-know about their favorite suds.

"I think mobile applications are a great way to engage customers and raise brand awareness," says Troika Brodsky, communications director for the St. Louis Brewery, which makes Schlafly. "We are a local company, and community-building is a big part of who Schlafly is. Social media and mobile apps are simply tools that allow us to better serve our relationships."

Here are my reviews of a handful of beer apps, with ratings of one to four stars.

• Hoptopia (Two and a half stars) -- New York-based craft beer blogger Lee Williams says he wanted to create this mobile version of his website as an "intuitive means of sharing my beer reviews with as many people as possible." He's working on a "pro" version that he says will have "real beer-geek appeal." The current version is free via iTunes and Android Market.

Pros: Creative, colorful reviews. Users can search by beer name, style or brewery. Shaking the app generates a random review.

Cons: Because the app covers mostly small-production brews, it'd be nice to have a beer locator or a list of distribution states.

• Budweiser American Ale Finder (One and a half stars) -- This location-based app helps you find the nearest bars, restaurants and retail shops that sell American Ale. Free via iTunes and BlackBerry App World.

Pros: Tapping into GPS technology makes this app convenient and easy to use. Color-coded map pins show where the user is in relation to bars, restaurants and retailers.

Cons: Can take an awfully long time to load, especially when not connected to WiFi. Would be more useful if it helped locate more than just one beer in Anheuser-Busch InBev's substantial lineup.

• Schlafly Beer (Two and a half stars) -- Developed locally by Grey Swan Corp., the St. Louis Brewery's iPhone app features detailed descriptions of many of the 40-some beers it produces, as well as links to Schlafly's tweets and monthly newsletter. Expect an overhauled version within the next few months. Free via iTunes.

Pros: Menus of what's on tap at both Schlafly brewpub locations. Clean design. Good information on different beer styles.

Cons: Events page and draft lists get stale when not updated. Facebook link doesn't take users to Schlafly's Facebook page.

• 7,800+ Beer Brands! (Two stars) -- With its fairly comprehensive database of beers, searchable by name, style or at random, this app is a good resource for drinkers who want to have a lot of information at their fingertips. Free via iTunes and Android Market.

Pros: Tons of beers. Great details like suggested serving glasses, temperature and food pairings.

Cons: Lots of incomplete information (some beers have alcohol percentages listed; many do not). Bare-bones interface can get boring quickly.

• Metosphere Beer! (Three stars) -- This cool new app will keep getting better as more people use it. You can upload your own beer photos and reviews to compile your own review archive, or share them with the world to help enrich the mobile beer community. Free via iTunes and Android Market.

Pros: A built-in tool keeps stats on your favorite styles and average review ratings. Easy to save and e-mail your reviews to friends.

Cons: Search results are photo-heavy, which creates the need for a lot of scrolling and can slow down the app. Reviews need to be better organized.

• Nirvino Beer Ratings Guide (Three and a half stars) The only app in this group that isn't free, the just-released Beer Ratings Guide is worth the dough. It keeps track of the reviews you add and incorporates them into a sizable database. Available for $2.99 via iTunes.

Pros: Search allows you to enter food or flavors to find ideal beer pairings. Sort by ratings or price. Users can add beers to their "cellar" or "wish" lists.

Cons: The "Quick Pick" feature, which recommends highly rated beers at various supermarkets, is awesome — for users who live in California; many of the highlighted beers aren't available in Missouri.