As we’ve been threatening, we’re just about ready to throw the switch on an update to MNBeer.com’s layout. It probably won’t blow you away, per se, but it will allow us to organize information a little differently, and enable us add a few minor features to the site. I’m sure we’ll be fine-tuning even when the site launches, though I suppose that’s the nature of the web, eh?

We’re also in the really late stages of revamping the way we handle events on the site. There are a lot of positive things about the way it’s happening now, but it’s not perfect. We’ve been testing another system with more features for quite a while, as well though neither is perfect. Our current software doesn’t allow for recurring events, map integration and a database for event venues whereas with our best alternative events are essentially contained within their own database and don’t (without a little effort) become a part of the normal posting scheme. Most of you probably don’t care, though it begs the question: For events, do you consult the event list/calendar or do you rely on the daily postings of the blog?

You’ll probably notice some new authors on the site in the upcoming months as well. In fact, you’ve probably read stories from a few, already. Stories from 5+ new writers has made life a bit easier in MNBeer-world, though I’ve got to admit that I’m a little jealous! Look for more new features to come! We’ve got lots of irons in the fire!

Did you see MNBeerBlogs.com? We made that too. Check it out. It’s awesome to see that we’ve got lots of cohorts talking about beer in Minnesota.

We’re also turning seven in the fall. That makes us older than most of the breweries in town! I think it’s high time we celebrate once again. We’ll need a venue, we’ll need Minnesota beer, we’ll need Minnesota swag, a little rock-n-roll (if it allows) and perhaps your best toast to Minnesota beer (the concept, not the website). More on that in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you have ideas, please feel free to drop me a line – ryan AT mnbeer.com.

As always, thanks for reading. This site has always been about having great beer with great people, so know that we dig it every time one of you stops by a beer festival and says, “You’re the first site I read everyday” every time someone shoots us an email or likes what we share on Facebook. Thank you.

One of many little projects I’ve been working on behind the scenes is an aggregator for blogs that focus on beer in Minnesota. A few years ago, we had a meeting of Minnesota beer bloggers and I promised myself I’d make it an aggregator happen. I knew I could do a list, but why not something bigger and better?

Assuming I don’t break anything, we’ll be launching the mini-site within the month. The plan is to make it simple & clean and link to a handful of most recent posts titles from local beer bloggers. Judging by my list, we’ve the numbers are growing and it’s high time we give a nod to our fellow bloggers.

So this is where you can help. Aaron has a great list of Minnesota beer blogs over at Captains Chair, and I have a few more in my list of bookmarks as well. We’re looking for Minnesota blogs dealing (mostly… or heavily) with beer, be it homebrew, beer reviews, beer news or something in between. Ideally, we’d like to see sites that have been updated witin the last six months. What are we missing? Feel free to share them in the comments or shoot me an email directly at ryanATmnbeer.com.

Are you planning on joining us Saturday for the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest? Follow this link (pdf) and drool over the weekend’s beers a few days early. Note that at the time of publication, not every brewery had all of their information in, and as with any good beer fest, there are always a few surprises that should wait ’til the day-of to be revealed.

Look for us between the Fitger’s Brewhouse & Schell’s booths. Poor us, right? 🙂

We received word of this a few weeks ago, but just got confirmation today from a Minnesota Twins source:

While Anheuser-Busch remains the official beer partner of the Minnesota Twins, the Twins have expanded their selection of local craft beers. Brews from Surly, Fulton, Summit, Finnegans, and Schell’s will be available at various locations throughout Target Field.

In 573, the Twins have added beers from Fulton, Lift Bridge, Granite City and Cold Springs Brewery.