More beer for your buck: Third Thursdays with PortlandTaps.com

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 (just a few rolls. It's barely criminal).

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).

Sort by beer, bar or night of the week. See where you can swig your Geary's 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. Last Thursday I decided to see and drink for myself at the Third Thursday No. 4 at the Great Lost Bear on Forest Ave in Portland.

Folks trickled in as the workday came to a close - and by the time the GLB staff started their regular Thursday raffle, it was standing room only near the bar. Long Trail, the night's featured brewery, made people happy with $2.99 drafts of Long Trail Ale, Blackberry Wheat, Belgian White and Pale Ale. The Brewmaster Series Double IPA was also on draft.

The PortlandTaps.com founders raised a glass with the Long Trail rep. From left, Cory Cronk, Steve Kierstead (of Long Trail), Josh Baston and Caleb O'Conell

And everyone raised glasses with everyone.

Because drinking responsibly isn't just about moderation - it's also about frugality.

Mark your calendar for the next Third Thursday on May 20, 2010, though the location has yet to be decided.

And, of course, check out PortlandTaps.com and PortlandTaps on Facebook and PortlandTaps on Twitter.