www.portlandbeer.org

[portlandbeer]

Hey Everyone!

Just looking for some input on the site I run with a few volunteers: www.portlandbeer.org It's a site for the community, by the community. Our objectives are simple: provide beer info for the city of Portland as well as visitors. We just want to be the essential Portland beer resource.

If you have a few minutes, please take a look and let me know what you think. Any input would be appreciated--good or bad. The most important question: If you're not from Portland, what is missing from the site that would help you decide on where/how to find great beer? Anyway, what have you got to lose: It's free and it's about great beer!

Cheers!
Matt
www.portlandbeer.org

[newportstorm]

Very nice concept.

A few things I may have missed in my first spin through the site:

-I believe they no longer have a storefront and are only mail order, but adding Liquid Solutions to your site would be nice.
For out of towners not able to easily transport their beer home in their luggage, having LS as a place to order their favorite Portland area beers would be nice.

http://www.liquidsolutions.biz/main/

-I didn't see a list/database of the best places to grab a pint in the city. Maybe I'm simply blind. It would be damn near impossible to keep a current draft list for each place updated, but if a beer bar offers anything that separates them from the others (vintage bottles in the cellar, cask ales, beer garden, entertainment, mug club, etc.), it would be worth noting.

-Donations. No problem with this but be up front and honest as to where this $$ goes. How much does it cost for hosting the site each month. Are users paying for your time, gas, "research", etc?
People might be more willing to support something if they know the real deal. I refuse to help charities/causes that can't/won't give me any information on where my donation goes.

I do like the ability to sort your beer list by different categories - alphabetically, by brewery, etc.

There are several sites on the web that already have tools to help navigate major cities, beer wise. What makes your site unique and better than theirs for people bound for Portland?
You're local, that's what. Get to know the brewers well. Build a rapport with them over pints. Explain what you're doing, how you're helping area breweries and beer lovers find each other and you may find you have access to information, exclusives, interviews, etc. that other people might not (and yes, I saw your news page - good start).

Good luck with the site.

Cheers!

[portlandbeer]

Newportstorm,

Thanks for taking the time to go through the site and write your comments--that's exactly what I was looking for! I'll be doing some updates over the next few weekends and I'll add your suggestions to the ever-growing to-do list.

Anyone else got feedback? Keep it coming!

Cheers!
Matt
www.portlandbeer.org