The biggest difference between the two apps is that BeerQuest is just as much about the place as it is about the beer. We don't rely on third party places data like Untappd does (Foursquare). Checkins are about checking into a place and not a beer. If you're at a place and are drinking a beer, you 'drink' a beer. We also think the journal and maps aspect of the app turned out really well. Quickly map out all of the great places near you and everywhere you been.
From a technical perspective, BeerQuest was built using Objective C instead of HTML5, so it feels like a true native app because it is.
I don't think so. The showcase on PhoneGap was posted in July 2012. Additionally, it's easy to tell that the app isn't utilizing the Cocoa Touch UI framework. Look at how the views bounce, how the buttons "feel". Those are dead PhoneGap giveaways.
I've found that most people don't care about this unless you're delivering an extraordinary native experience (ala Path)
A native app is great if you've got a team who can do it well. If you can't, simple PhoneGap-ish apps will suffice. It's a sunk cost in that if you get traction, you'll eventually need to switch over to native to compete: effectively a re-write.
From a technical perspective, BeerQuest was built using Objective C instead of HTML5, so it feels like a true native app because it is.