A Call For Current Beer Lists

This probably falls under the heading of nitpicking, but I was thinking how I wish more of my favorite beer spots would have a current draft list online. When I'm traveling, a current list helps me choose where to go. When I'm at home, an updated list lets me know when something I've been wanting to try has been tapped.

Among local breweries, you can always find an online list of their year-round lineup and you can sign up for their email list to stay informed about special events and seasonal selections. A few breweries really make an effort to let people know everything that's on tap at the moment. One is Big Time, which has a current list on bartender Nat's blog, News From the Trunk. Also, Elysian Brewing has a What's on Tap section for two of their three brewpubs (the Elysian Fields location being the only one without) which seems to be current now, but sometimes doesn't reflect what they have on at the moment.

Until recently, only one major beer bar in Seattle has kept an up-to-date list and that's Über Tavern. There are signs that others may be following suit. Brouwer's recently added PDFs of their draft and bottle list to their website. Although the tap list they have up is from February, I'm hopeful that they're going to start updating it more often. Perhaps the trend will lead to beer spots like Collins Pub, Beveridge Place and Stumbling Monk having current lists online.

Recently, I came across something really cool on the micro-blogging site Twitter. A Portland beer bar, Bailey's Taproom, uses Twitter to update whenever a new beer is tapped. I think this is a great idea and wish more places would do something like it. Of course, if it was 2 pm on a Tuesday and I saw that some incredible beer was being tapped, I might be tempted to jump up from my desk and immediately catch a bus to the bar. That might not be such a good thing.