Tasting Flight at Thirsty Hop

2/3/17 brush pen, colored pencils

Greg had read about a craft beer bar and bottle shop in Kirkland called Thirsty Hop that he wanted to try. Yesterday was so cold, wet and blah that it was a good time to check it out.

In addition to a bar, tables and sofas around a fireplace, the Thirsty Hop houses one entire wall of refrigerator cases filled with hundreds of types of “artisanal” beers mostly made in the Pacific Northwest. You can also choose from a couple dozen beers on tap.

Since we both like stouts, we chose five from the tap list to try as a tasting flight – 5-ounce glasses that come in a cool carrier. While he took detailed notes on the various beers, I sketched the bar and our flight carrier. My favorite was the Correspondent Foreign Extra Stout by the Wander brewery. Neither of us cared for Loowit’s Snow’s Ghost Golden Stout.

2/3/17 brush pen, white gel pen

I was a bit astounded by the prices of some of the limited-edition specialty beers that cost almost as much as champagne! It was fun comparing different stouts, though, and I especially enjoyed looking at all the beautiful labels on the bottled beers. Just like some wine labels, they are works of art. (I suppose that’s one reason for their cost!) Here are the labels from a couple of bottles we brought home.

Cool brew labels