Hello.
My name is Kelsey and I am the owner of The Penny Whip Mobile Bar! I moved to the Skagit Valley in 2015, and quickly became involved in the local brewery scene. I spent the following 6 and a half years serving beer at a local brewery and fell in love with the industry, the people, and of course, the beer. Things changed in the Summer of 2020 when I had my first child, Willy. I wanted to be home with my baby, but also have the freedom to determine my own work schedule. I began dreaming of being my own boss! The following spring of 2021, I took the plunge and bought myself an old horse trailer with the hope of turning it into a mobile bar. Although I was adamant that this would be “MY PROJECT”, it immediately became a family affair. Shout out to my husband, Josh, for being right beside me every step of the way. If it weren’t for him, the Penny Whip would not be here today. It took a lot of nap times, late evenings spent in the shop, and endless trips to Home Depot, but it has all been worth it because the Whip is everything I hoped it would be. I can’t wait to see where she goes!
-Kelsey Lott - Owner
What is a Penny Whip?
Penny Whip or “Penny Wheep” was a term used to describe weak beer that was sold for a penny a bottle in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Northern England in the late 18th century. The term may have made its earliest appearance in 1785 in a poem called, “The Holy Fair”, by Scottish poet, Robert Burns. This poem described the twice yearly Mauchline Parish Holy Fair, and the types of libations that the church-goers enjoyed. In his poem, Burns points out the hypocrisy of the church or “kirk” by describing how the Holy Fair, originally meant to prepare the righteous for communion, became more about partying than forgiveness or holy rituals.
“Be’t whisky-gill or penny wheep, Or ony stronger potion.”
-Robert Burns, The Holy Fair
Our Renovation Journey.
The day I brought her home!
We took out all of the bumpers and then used a grinder on all of the chipping paint and rust spots.
New paint!
Framing for the wood panels.
Some very basic 12 volt electrical work for the interior and exterior lights.
Willy helping Josh sand the wood panels for the walls.
Just a lil' bit of that dark green paint.
Willy "helping" after we put up the stained, plywood walls.
After painting this stripe black about 5 times to get rid of streaks, I ended up painting it white. See next picture...
All white!
I took off all of the wheels, grinded off the dirt and rust and repainted the fenders and wheels black.
Wood panels to fill in the gaps.
The bar top, kegerators and sink installed!
The small wood paneling after I redid it. Much better!
The end of the bar closed off with cedar planks.
Testing out the lights after installing the shelves.
The finished back doors.
Our first set-up for our backyard trial-run party!
Our first time setting up the bar for our trial-run party.