You could replace those "tags" or "related posts" with something that I consider to make the web a web; hyperlinks! Put them inside the post when you mention said other post, and done :)
Yeah but tags are also useful, not just for the reader but the writer(s). If you have a nerds blog writing mostly about electronics, programming and rice dishes having a special hyperlink that shows you just the posts of that category can be useful. Whether it is, depends on the content, both in kind and amount.
I am a proponent of minimal websites, but not at the cost of usability.
