Sure, budgets are tight. But it’s not like we’re going to stop drinking beer.
We’ll forgo cable. We’ll hit the laundromat monthly rather than weekly. We’ll cut our own hair, eat out less and pilfer toilet paper from the office.
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We’ll come up with a hundred ways to pinch our pennies. But abandon happy hour? For shame!
Of course our beer budgets shouldn’t runneth over. And the trip from the tap to the tab can be an expensive one if you’re not paying attention.
That’s where PortlandTaps.com comes in, rounding up beer specials like a beer-centric Super Saver (without the hassle of coupon cutting).
Founded last year by friends Cory Cronk, Josh Baston and Caleb O’Connell, PortlandTaps.com enables locals to browse listings by beer, bar or night of the week. Even better, browse by price.
Makes sense, considering the idea for PortlandTaps.com sprung out of Baston’s own need for budgeted beer. “Josh and Caleb were just walking in town,” said Cronk. “And Josh was saying, ‘I wish I could find Geary’s Pale for $3. Why is there not a website like that?”
Well now there is.
See where you can swig your Shipyard for half price or where to score 99-cent PBR drafts. PortlandTaps does the leg work (the keg work?) so we don’t have to.
They also run PortlandTaps Third Thursdays — a social gathering of beer fans where taps flow and the tabs stay low.
“It’s a way to advertise,” said Cronk. “All of the sudden a bar gets packed at a certain hour, people wonder, ‘What’s up with that?”‘ Third Thursdays spread the PortlandTaps gospel, but they’re also about beer-drinking community.
“It’s a way to give to the people who use our site,” Cronk continued. “Once a month we get a cheap beer for the night and they can come out and take advantage.” The gentlemen of PortlandTaps.com also like to keep the beer specials and freebies flowing with T-shirt and pint glass giveaways. Plus, the monthly events are a good time for beer drinkers to meet the people behind the brews.
“We like to have someone from the brewery at our events to answer questions and help people understand their brewery,” said O’Connell. “We try and make sure that who we feature has something more than just a great beer; we like good stories and good beer citizens.”
The next Third Thursday is tonight at Brian Boru in Portland. Shipyard is the month’s featured brewery and $3 pints of Shipyard Summer, Shipyard Export Ale and the new Shipyard Wheat Ale will flow all evening.
It also happens to be reggae night, so hit the sunlit deck, sway to live reggae and celebrate beer that adheres to a budget. Because drinking responsibly isn’t just about moderation — it’s also about frugality.
Staff Writer Shannon Bryan can be contacted at 822-4056 or at:
sbryan@mainetoday.com
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