Policies & Privacy

Drinkers always use Barrel Route free. Businesses can claim their page free, or subscribe to the paid Partner tier, which adds their logo badge, specials & events, and sponsored placement.

How sponsored placement works: when the trip planner builds a Brew Hop, Mixer, or Surprise route, Partner spots are marked in the candidate list. When two spots fit your preferences and the driving route about equally well, the planner prefers the Partner spot. Otherwise it chooses purely on fit. A Partner is never forced into a route where it doesn't belong — it's a tie-breaker, not a guarantee.

It's always labeled: every Partner stop in a planned route carries a small "Partner" tag, and the featured Partner of the Month banner is labeled as sponsored. If you see it, it was disclosed.

Partner of the Month: each month, one Partner per category and state is selected at random (a deterministic draw seeded by the month, category, and state) and featured at the top of the passport. Every active Partner in that state and category has an equal chance, with one rule: no back-to-back wins. Last month's pick sits out the next draw, unless it's the only Partner in that state and category. Once drawn, a month's pick stays the same for everyone all month.

Partner events in planned routes: Partners can post dated events (like live music on a Saturday). When you plan a trip for that day, the planner is told about the event as a plain fact. It counts only if it matches what you asked for, never adds any preference beyond the tie-breaker above, and the stop still carries the "Partner" tag. Routes that include an event are recorded in the promotions log.

Check-in rewards and stamp cards: Partners may offer rewards for checking in or for repeat visits. Each venue sets and honors its own offer and is responsible for following local alcohol laws. Rewards never require a purchase through the app and are never offered by Barrel Route itself.

State unlocks: every member picks one state free, forever — your home state or a vacation state, your choice. Extra states are $0.99 for a 7-day pass, $1.99 to unlock for good, or $9.99 to unlock every state. Every 10 check-ins also earns a free state credit. Prices are always shown before you commit; you'll never hit a surprise fee while traveling. Members who joined before state unlocks existed keep access to every state at no charge.

Proof: every route that included Partner candidates, and every monthly draw, is written to a private promotions log with the date, route, and spots involved. We don't publish this log, but we'll share the relevant records with any Partner or regulator who asks.

Barrel Route is owned and operated by E-LINK Applications LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company trading as Barrel Route (wiscopassport.app). We are the data controller for the information described here — we decide what is collected and why. Reach us through the Send feedback button in the app or at ELINKWEBAPPS@proton.me. Our Terms & Conditions and Refund Policy cover purchases.

We collect only what the app needs to work:

• Your account (email and display name) when you sign up.
• Your check-ins, badges, reviews, and the photos you choose to upload.
• Your Taproom posts, cheers, comments, and taps.
• Your location, only at the moment you check in, to confirm you're at the spot. We don't track your location otherwise.
• Basic web traffic (page views and taps) so we can see how the app is used.
• Feedback you send us through the feedback form.

• We don't sell your data to anyone, ever.
• We don't share your information with advertisers or data brokers.
• We don't track your location in the background.
• We don't collect more than what's listed above.

No background tracking. Barrel Route never tracks your location in real time or in the background. It has no background tracking and never follows your phone continuously. When the app is closed, minimized, or in another tab, it cannot and does not access your location.

Only quick, one-time checks. With your phone's permission, the app takes a single location reading only in these moments:

• When you tap "Sort by distance" — to work out how far each spot on your screen is from you.
• When you tap "Check in" — to measure the distance between your phone and that spot so your badge can be confirmed.
• While the app is open on your screen (only if you already allowed location) — a quick check to see if you're standing at a known spot, so we can ask "Are you here?" and offer a check-in.

We don't save where you are. When you check in, we save the venue's public address and map location, that the visit was GPS-confirmed, and the distance (for example, 18 meters). Your phone's own coordinates are discarded as soon as that math is done. For "Sort by distance", your last position stays only on your own phone so the list stays sorted — it is never stored in our records or used for analytics.

You can turn off location access at any time in your phone or browser settings. You can still browse, and photo check-ins remain available as a backup.

The Drinking Buddies tab in the Taproom may suggest members you might know. Suggestions are based only on activity already visible in member badge cases — spots you've both checked in at, being at the same spot on the same day — and regulars you have in common.

• We never use or share your exact GPS location or real-time whereabouts.
• Private photos are never used for suggestions or shown to anyone else.
• Suggestions only appear on the Drinking Buddies tab — never over search or maps.
• You can hide any suggestion for 30 days with one tap.
• A referral invite records who invited a new member. It becomes active only after the new member completes a genuine GPS-verified check-in, so referral credits and badges can be awarded without exposing that relationship publicly.
• When a regular taps you in a photo, your pouring name appears with that photo and you get an in-app alert.

Two ways to check in. GPS (📍) is the default: your phone confirms you're at the spot at that moment. If GPS won't work, the photo check-in (📸) is the backup — each photo counts for one check-in only. Both kinds count toward badges, the leaderboard, the Pacesetter crown, and Local Legend, but only one visit per venue per day counts.

State Pacesetters & Road Warrior. Each state has its own leaderboard. Whoever has the most check-ins in a state this calendar year (January 1 onward, Central time) wears that state's Pacesetter crown (for example, Wisconsin Pacesetter). It can change hands any time. On January 1 the top three in each state earn permanent dated state Champion awards and standings reset. The Road Warrior title goes to whoever checked into the most different states that year.

Local Legend. A venue owner can switch on a Local Legend award for their venue and choose its name, a rolling window (30, 60, or 90 days), the minimum number of visits, and an optional perk. The member with the most visit days inside that window — and at least the minimum — holds the crown. Ties go to whoever reached that total first. Older visits roll off as the window moves, so the crown can be won back. A dethroned Legend gets an in-app alert. Perks are set and honored by the venue, never by Barrel Route.

Faking check-ins (for example reusing photos or spoofing location) can cost you awards and your account.

Any signed-in member can see:

• Your pouring name and avatar, your reviews, and photos you shared publicly.
• Your Taproom posts, comments, and cheers.
• Your leaderboard totals and any crowns you hold (Pacesetter, Local Legend) — these stay visible so competitions are fair.
• Your Badge Case (badges, bar trail, awards) — unless you set it to Regulars only.

Accepted Regulars also see:

• Your Badge Case even when it's set to Regulars only.
• Your check-ins in their Taproom feed, and photos where you've been tapped.

Nobody else sees:

• Your private venue notes and private photos.
• What you search, browse, or tap in the app.
• Your email, billing, or payment details.
• Your exact GPS location — we only check distance at the moment you check in.

Regulars only setting. In Account Settings (gear icon next to your pouring name) you can make your Badge Case visible to accepted Regulars only. Other members then see a private notice with an "Add as Regular" button. The administrator can still view activity to verify check-ins, awards, and reports.

Photos you upload are private to you unless you tick "Share publicly." You can make a shared photo private again, or delete it, at any time from your Badge Case. Business owners can remove any photo from their own page instantly.

Reviews and check-ins are tied to your account and visible to other members as part of the social passport. You can permanently delete your account at any time from Settings → Delete account. Your personal details are erased; only anonymous visit counts (no name or account link) stay so venues keep accurate statistics. Photos you shared publicly may remain on venue pages labeled "Shared by a former member," and the venue owner can remove them.

Minimum age. Barrel Route is only for adults 21 or older (or the legal drinking age where you live, if higher). We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 21. If we learn a minor has created an account, we will delete it.

Content we may remove. To keep the Taproom and venue pages welcoming for everyone, the administrator of Barrel Route may remove or hide any post, review, comment, photo, or profile content — including names and images — that we consider offensive, abusive, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate, at the administrator's sole discretion. There's no need for a complaint or advance notice, and serious or repeated violations can lead to your account being suspended or closed.

New members are asked to read and agree to this policy when they create an account. We keep a private record of the date and policy version each member agreed to.

We use your details to create and run your account and provide the passport (performing our agreement with you), to keep the app secure and prevent fraud and to improve it (our legitimate interests), and to answer your messages. We only send marketing if you ask for it.

We share information with a small set of recipients:

• Hosting, database, email, and mapping providers that run the app for us.
• Paddle.com, our Merchant of Record, for selling state unlocks and Partner subscriptions, managing subscriptions, payments, invoicing, and sales tax.
• Professional advisers such as accountants or lawyers, where needed.
• Authorities, where the law requires it.

Card details go straight to Paddle at checkout — we never see or store them.

Ride and transport links (for example Uber, Lyft, or a maps search for local cabs) take you straight to that provider. We don't pass your name, email, or account details to them; what they collect once you're on their site is covered by their own privacy terms.

Sampling with care comes first. Never drink and drive — have a Designated Driver, or get a ride home.

Every spot card and spot page in the app has a Ride home button, and the safety note on the search and trip planner pages opens the same choices. It offers:

• Ride with Uber / Lyft — opens that provider with your pickup set at the spot (or your own location if none is known), falling back to their mobile site if the app isn't installed.
• Find local cabs nearby — a Google Maps search for taxi services at the spot's location, so small-town cab companies with tap-to-call numbers show up.
• Wisconsin SafeRide tip — many Wisconsin bars take part in the Tavern League SafeRide program, which provides free rides home. We always suggest asking your bartender.

These links are provided solely as an informational convenience. Barrel Route is not affiliated with, does not operate, and does not endorse or guarantee any third-party transportation provider — any booking, fare, route, or service is strictly an agreement between you and that provider, under their own terms. When you tap a link, we only pass along the public venue location, never your name, email, or account details, and we don't collect anything from the provider afterward.

Sampling with care is the whole point — and if alcohol is feeling harder to manage than you'd like, confidential help is available. These resources are listed for information only; we never see whether you open them and don't share your account details when you do.

• SAMHSA National Helpline — free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988 any time, day or night.
• Alcohol Treatment Navigator (NIAAA) — a plain-language guide to evidence-based alcohol treatment. alcoholtreatment.niaaa.nih.gov
• Wisconsin substance-use services — county-run alcohol and other drug abuse services across the state. dhs.wisconsin.gov/aodh

In the app, the Need support? link inside the Ride home sheet opens the same resources. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Data is stored on encrypted, access-controlled servers, and only the owner can reach administrative records. We keep your account information while your account is open. Delete your account and we remove your personal data or anonymise what we must keep (such as a purchase record for tax). Promotion and policy-agreement logs are kept without your name once an account is gone.

You can ask us for a copy of your data, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to a particular use — just send us a note and we'll handle it, normally within 30 days.

We use only essential cookies and local storage to keep you signed in and remember app settings, plus basic traffic counts. No advertising cookies.

Use the Send feedback button on your passport page — every message goes straight to the owner. Our Refund Policy explains how refunds work, and Paddle (paddle.net) handles every refund request directly.