The Beerchaser’s Spouse Enters Laurelthirst

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.”

Memorabilia Adds to the Ambiance

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

Angela – An Educated and Friendly Bartender

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.

Hub Crosstown Pale Ale

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).