[Just to clarify, RateBeer is not down for good. They’re just having server issues. The home page is down for now (good riddance to that homepage!) but the forums appear to be up!!! Woohoo!]

The big beer news of the day is that this juggernaut has been down all day (I presume, because I started seeing ‘ratebeer down’ searches coming to this site early this morning). No, this is not a ‘Quit RateBeer’ post though. It’s one of a formidable top two sites out there right now for good reason. That said, with only two major sites like this so far, where else have you gone today while RateBeer has been down? We want to know! Spent more time on Beer Advocate? Hit up some other beer sites? If so, what can you recommend? Perhaps you have taken more time to spend with family or friends? Maybe -gasp- gone to the bar?!

Here are some alternative suggestions while RateBeer is down:

1. The Beer Spot – These guys have been working real hard on a beer reviews-centric site for the past several months. It is currently up in public beta and I estimate that the forums have been, perhaps, the 3rd most active beer-focused board behind BA and RB (not including all of the homebrewing boards out there). I expect good things in the coming months. The chatroom gets busier than the RateBeer one, too, though it’s no holds barred in there! And there are people in there tonight on a Thursday!!

2. Read a beer blog at RSBS. Jonathan from Beermapping.com and Beerinator.com, two other great sites, manages the best beer blog aggregator out there for anyone who wants access to dozens of beer blogs at once. It even has a search feature so you can see if anyone has been blogging about a particular beer.

3. Visit my beer-centric facebook page, myspace page, and twitter pages. I will be dedicating a story to ‘beer on facebook’ very soon. In the meantime, those who are members of any of these services, can feel free to add me as a friend. I encourage it! I have a ton of links to other beer things/beer people/breweries on those sites as well.

4. I know you guys are stats freaks like me. Here are a couple of suggestions. One is the Brewers Association’s Craft Brewing Industry Stats. Beer Serves America shows an interesting look at how the beer industry impacts the economy state-by-state.

5. Watch beer tv. Talley on Tap looks like it will be great. And then there’s Beer Nutz on Hulu. Sure, some think the show is terrible because of the hosts but they don’t bother me. I just think it’s great to see someone like Alan Sprints from Hair of the Dog on camera talking about his beer.

6. Visit local brewery web sites, local bar web sites, and search for local beer associations. We recommend the Stone web site. You may not get it at first but it is the ultimate library of anything Stone. I wish more breweries had a website like it!

Again, let us know if you have another good site in mind…