The Laurelthirst is a neat and old neighborhood-type bar with an added attraction – great live music in the evening – and there’s usually either minimal or no cover charge! Entering the bar is like a walk back in time – in fact there is almost a slight scent of old second-hand smoke that lingers like a relative who over-stays his visit. ”It’s somewhere between a historical hippy dive and a cozy live venue, this place oozes earthi-ness and kitschy humor.”
There is dark wood, a lot of antique memorabilia hanging from the walls – an old rideable tractor toy, a vintage tricycle and a pitchfork with a sign saying “Be Good or Be Gone.”
Our bartender was a very nice lady named Angela, who has worked at the pub for ten years and is finishing her graduate degree at Portland State.
Angela – let us sample six of the seventeen beers on tap before we decided on Hub Crosstown Pale Ale – an organic and local beer that was superb
As described on the brewery’s website: “This beer bridges east and west with a lane dedicated to riders who aren’t afraid to get dirty. Three kinds of organic caramel malts and a 24 pound whirlpool hop bomb keep things interesting while the wheels go round and round. Cheers to narrow knobbies, kazoos, and more cowbell!”
I also had a very good Engleberg Pilsner from Upright Brewing Company in Portland.
According to Angela, their evening clientele is very mixed and interesting. One can see earthy-types of all ages, professors, students and neighborhood yuppies.
There is a small room separated from the bar by a neat corridor with two pool tables and video machines.
Adding to the nice environment were a number of sketches and paintings from various local artists adorning the wall – exhibited on a rotating basis (Janet Julian, a musician who has played at Laurelthirst, was the featured artist when we were there).
Sounds like a great spot. Reminds me of a wonderful Sellwood pub, the Muddy Rudder, on Tacoma St just on the east side of the Sellwood Bridge. Cosy, great neighborhood atmosphere, and some excellent bluegrass music. Good beer and food too.
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Thanks David. From my “research” I have learned there are a number of other bars in Sellwood besides the Yukon which I have already visited. The Leipzig and the Muddy Rudder sound like another multiple-stop option on thebeerchaser tour this spring. Keep your schedule flexible!!
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