Year of Beer Paintings – Day 273

The featured beer painting of the day is of Schwarzbier by The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery from Farmville, North Carolina. So far, this was the only North Carolina beer I could get my hands on (thanks Rich for mailing it). Today, craft beer is sweeping the nation, and you can get a beer that was made across the country at your local store. However, before Prohibition, people drank mostly local brews. Beer made close to home tastes fresh, and some of my favorite beers have been simple pale ales I have brewed in my own kitchen. This Schwarzbier actually reminded me of my dark ale homebrew that I make frequently. Now that wintertime is around the corner, I’m ready to start brewing again. Next summer I want to have enough homebrew to throw a party once the roof goes up on my cabin. I think a dark beer is in order for that shindig.

The Duck-Rabbit Schwartzbier is a black lager that is very palatable. Rich licorice, chocolate, and coffee flavors are offset by tartness of dark roasted grain. This beer comes in at a respectable 5.8%, and is not your average session ale. It has a lingering flavor that will keep you coming back for another sip. I was very pleasantly surprised at how good this beer is. After talking with one of my favorite beer drinking buddies who consumes Obsidian Stout as his preferred brew, we came to the conclusion that dark beer tastes better in Alaska than yellow fizzy beers, which are meant to be consumed ice cold on hot days. Slightly warm dark beer is perfect when it’s cold outside, which is a common condition in Alaska.

Cheers to The Duck-Rabbit, may your beer be as versatile as the label on the bottle!

The original painting sold. You can purchase a limited-edition print, or order a Custom Beer Painting at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Year of Beer 09.30. Schwarzbier by The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 272

The featured beer painting of the day is of Red Stripe Jamaican Style Lager from Red Stripe Beer Company in Latrobe, PA (the same place where Rolling Rock was brewed until 2006). When I bought this bottle, I thought it was brewed in Jamaica by Desnoes and Geddes Limited. I love the aesthetic of a Red Stripe Lager bottle in my hand, but my concern is how authentic this beer actually is. The screen-printed bottle felt a little small in my hands, and when I read the label to find out where it was produced, I found out that it was in Latrobe, PA. Only about seven years ago I remember having a bottle that was pint-sized, and the beer was brewed in Jamaica. What happened? Guinness purchased Desnoes and Geddes in 1993, and started brewing non-imported Jamaican-style lager in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania a few years ago. Now, the only actual Jamaican Lager is only available in Jamaica, Brazil, Canada and Europe. I did like the product in this squat 11.2 oz bottle, it was very drinkable and quenched my thirst. When I opened it, I smelled Rolling Rock beer, and that’s when I read the label closer, and saw Latrobe, PA right there. I guess my palate has been improving. Not only did I recognize that this beer was a domestic product, but I could tell which brewery contract-brewed it. That being said, I won’t discourage you from buying this beer, but keep in mind, it is like having a reggae party in Alaska. You might capture a little bit of the Jamaican spirit, but it won’t be the real deal until you actually hit the sand of Jamaica.

Cheers to Red Stripe, the beer that embodies the spirit of Jamaica! May your rhythm, soul, and people stay true to your culture!

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

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Year of Beer 09.29. Red Stripe Jamaican Style Lager. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 271

The featured beer painting of the day is of Fairweather IPA by Broken Tooth Brewing Company in Anchorage, Alaska. A local favorite, this IPA has been causing trouble in Spenard for well over a decade. Named after a nearly un-climbable peak in the Alaska Mountain Range, Broken Tooth supplies beer for Bear Tooth Theatre Pub, and Moose’s Tooth Pub & Pizzeria. This brewery has been growing as fast as Anchorage’s hip population can swill down the brew.

The Fairweather IPA is a 6.2 % ABV India Pale Ale that tastes like pine and citrus, with a nice malt backbone. It is available on draft at both the Bear Tooth, and Moose’s Tooth venues, as well as at certain stores in cans. The Bear Tooth is located on Spenard Road, across the street from a lively bar known as The World Famous Chilkoot Charlie’s. “Koot’s” is a rustic Alaskan bar with quite the late night scene, and an equally tough reputation. The windmill in the painting stands in Koot’s parking lot, and is the iconic feature of the Spenard skyline. I have always liked Spenard, a section of town full of intriguing Alaskans who seem to like to walk around and visit the local watering holes. I could probably make a fortune just taking visitors on a Spenard walking tour, because it is such a unique Alaskan cultural experience.

Cheers to Broken Tooth Brewing! May the flavor of the Alaska Range be encompassed in your beers!

The original painting sold. You can purchase a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 09.28. Fairweather IPA by Broken Tooth Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 270

The featured beer painting of the day is of Brunette Nut Brown Ale by Nebraska Brewing Company, located in La Vista, Nebraska. This English-style brown ale is brewed with six different malts and a perfect hop addition schedule. The malt and hop combination produces a nutty flavor that took me by surprise. I have had beer from most states in the country, but never from Nebraska. I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the lady on the can was pretty attractive, and I already wanted to hold this beer in my hands just because the product design was alluring. I poured it into a shapely glass as I thought it complimented the whole concept of a sexy beer. I had to leave the background blank on this one, and paint it larger than life in order to show all the detail on the can. Oh yeah, I think this beer would be awesome if it came in huge cans like Fosters. Overall, the Brunette is a great session-able brew. I would give it a solid two thumbs up and recommend it to my friends. Too bad Nebraska Brewing does not distribute to Alaska. Thanks, Rich, for sending such a viable Year of Beer entry! I am so glad you are an important part of this project! Six weeks ‘till I get on a plane to the lower 48 states, and tour around breweries on the East coast! Time to start planning that trip. Too bad I can’t stop in Nebraska on this trip! “Uh, pilot, could you pull over? I want to stop for a beer.”

Cheers to Brunette Nut Brown Ale! A fantastic session ale with a perfect malt and hop balance that makes other English style brown ales crumble in comparison!

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 09.27. Brunette Nut Brown Ale by Nebraska Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 269

The featured beer painting of the day is of Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, California. I liked this beer, it was very good, but did it require a paragraph on the back of the bottle describing why I am not worthy? Maybe, but probably not. I have already been schooled by Stone Brewing Company on beer drinking, and can handle anything Stone can dish out. I was actually surprised at the mild oak flavor, I was expecting a bigger punch. I routinely drink beers from Midnight Sun Brewing Co. like Bar Fly, Arctic Devil, and oaked Monks Mistress. Evidently, the amount of oak flavor that comes from barrel aging must exceed the chips added to this beer, because, although the beer is quite palatable and also very tasty, I could hardly taste oak over this already malt- and hop-forward ale. As a home brewer and beer connoisseur, I prefer the flavor of beer aged in a foudre. Especially if it was aged in a cave! Then, maybe, Stone could tell me that I’m not worthy of this beer. Don’t get me wrong, I love all Stone beer, even the brews berated with the big marketing campaigns, but why make a big fuss over a beer that is probably best described within my beer circle as fairly normal?

Cheers to Oaked Arrogant Bastard! The beer that will make you feel worthy.

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

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Year of Beer 09.26. Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale by Stone Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 268

I can’t believe that September is almost over! We are leaving McCarthy tomorrow to return to our small urban abode on the east side of downtown Anchorage. We finished the log work on the cabin, which brings the project to a close for the season. Next year we’ll put on the roof, install windows and doors, a wood stove, and seal the whole structure from the elements and bugs. We should be able to move in by this time next year, hopefully earlier. To celebrate meeting our log-building goal, we opened this bottle of Unibroue’s Éphémére. On top of the second level of the cabin, corralled by the new log walls, and using the scaffolding platform as a countertop bar, we popped the cork on this fine brew.

This beer was brewed in Chambly, Quebec, Canada. I have always liked every beer that this brewery creates. The Éphémére is a white ale brewed with apple juice, Coriander, Orange peel, and natural flavoring. The beer tasted a bit like cider, with a decided Green apple taste, but hints of citrus popped through as well. The pop of the cork really started the celebration, and the bubbly beer reminded us of champagne. Éphémére means something transitory, or short-lived, so this beer was the perfect choice to mark another epic, but fleeting Alaskan summer. I hope every summer is as great as this one has been, and I look forward to winter with eagerness!

Cheers to Unibroue! Every beer you make is worthy of special occasions.

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

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Year of Beer 09.25. Éphémére White Ale by Unibroue. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 267

The featured beer painting is Hipster Ale by Evil Twin Brewing located in Stratford, Connecticut. Evil Twin beer is brewed by ten different breweries around the world, and the Hipster Ale happens to be brewed by Two Roads Brewing Company in Connecticut. I live in Alaska, where people don’t really ride fixie bikes, or wear thick-rimmed glasses, or sport messenger bags. Up here we tote our beer around in backpacks, ride fat-tire bikes and get Lasik eye surgery. The few hipsters that do live in Alaska drink PBR, but if they could get a hold of Hipster Ale, I’m sure they would switch. The can design is cool, and the beer is delicious and packs a punch at 5.5% ABV.

Evil Twin and Two Roads Brewing, you made an excellent beer! The hops were citrusy, with a hint of apricot. My wife agreed whole-heartedly that this American Pale Ale is amazing. Great work! I love everything about this product from the can to the contents, the foam and the flavor. Even the slight haze to the golden fluid itself is appealing!

Cheers to the Hipster Ale! If I had an Evil Twin, I would hope he would stay home and brew up some wicked ales like this one!

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 09.24. Hipster Ale by Evil Twin Brewing. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 266

The featured beer painting of the day is of Abita Amber by Abita Brewing Company, located in Abita Springs, Louisiana. This beer is a good example of an amber beer, slightly lighter and more refreshing than the Alaskan Amber. So far, this is the only beer I have ever tried from Louisiana (thank you, Rich, for sending it), but I hope to get down south one of these days, so I can eat a crawfish dinner, sample other local cuisine and try a few microbrews! This beer is a nice, hydrating, mild, Münich-style lager. A slight dosing of Perle hops along with Pale and Caramel malts make this a perfect afternoon sipper under the hot sun. It rained cats and dogs all day as I worked on building my small log home here in McCarthy, Alaska, but running a chainsaw and using a drawknife has similar effects on the body as the sun, and this beer was just perfect at the end of a long day of prepping and peeling logs. Now, if only I had some King Crab to pair with this beer, to really get the shellfish angle, Alaskan style. My Grandfather was from Arkansas, and he swore by the tasty crawdad dinner, and would often bait and catch crawdads several decades ago. I only heard about it though, as I was too young to participate in such endeavors. I look forward to heading down south to see where my Granddad grew up on the old family homestead. I think about it more and more as I continue to develop my ten-acre property here in McCarthy, Alaska.

Cheers to Abita Amber! A classic brew from a great brewery down South, way South of here, up North in Alaska!

The original oil painting sold, but you can purchase limited-edition prints, or order a Custom Beer Painting at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Year of Beer 09.23. Abita Amber by Abita Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 265

100 days remaining in the Year of Beer Paintings project! Equinox is upon us! I awoke at 3 AM to the sound of the changing of the seasons — hailstones and rain pounding the roof of my little cabin. The pattering on the metal roof was so loud, I could not fall back asleep for about an hour. Wind was howling, the rain was heavy, and the worst part is that now we get less than 12 hours of day light for six whole months! No better time to drink a beer, and to think about far away, warm places.

Today’s featured beer painting is of Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer, originating out of Bangalore, India, but brewed in Saratoga Springs, New York. The label made me want to migrate south for a while, as I imagined I was the Kingfisher humming bird. Surprisingly, I have seen two humming birds this year in McCarthy. They were way further north than their typical range. If I were a Hummingbird, I would skip nectar of flowers and go straight for the nectar of the gods — beer!

Kingfisher was a refreshing option for beer that I paired with Russian beet soup known as Borscht, and halibut tacos at a dinner party at a friend’s cabin. I thought that adding an Indian beer to the mix made the whole dinner very multicultural. The beer was somewhat malty and the grain, perhaps a type of two-row, tasted simple. The green glass gave it a sun-kissed flavor. This beer tastes much like a European Lager that was made south of Europe, kind of like Steinlager. It tasted great with the Alaskan-harvested vegetables and fish. Bright and grainy, slightly fruity, with a hint of skunk is how I would describe this type of beer from far away lands.

Cheers to the long traveling Kingfisher! Represented by the iconic Hummingbird! A great beer stemming from India!

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

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Year of Beer 09.22. Kingfisher Lager Beer. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 264

The featured beer painting of the day is of Pyramid Brewing Company’s Apricot Ale. I remember when girls were drinking this beer in college, and loving it, and the guys made fun of it for being a fruity girly beer. I was always on the fence about it, because I thought it tasted good, but comments from my male friends made me have second thoughts. They would say, “Fruity beers are for chicks,” and “Sure, it tastes good, but it will give you a mad hangover.” Any 5.1% beer will give you a hangover, if you have six of them! So I haven’t had a sip of this beer for over a decade, or so it seems. As I opened this bottled, the smell of apricot was astounding, and I mentioned to my wife about how I was hesitant to drink it earlier in life because of the comments from the men. Maria commented, “Those fraternity boys would have done well to buy some of the Apricot Ale for parties, it would have made the ladies appreciate them more.” I have to agree. I was never in a fraternity, but I did attend a few “frat” parties. The boys were drinking mostly Coors Light and handles of vodka. I guess they wanted more bang for their buck. If they had the foresight to buy a drink the ladies liked, maybe they could adapt their drinking habits to encompass a beer as delightful as the Apricot Ale. Upon first sip, I regretted not drinking this beer more often. Spiced beers are actually at the top of my favorites list. Beer brewed with fruit is delicious, and not like the hard lemonade swill that gets people drunk on chemical malt liquor. At least there isn’t any artificial flavoring in this natural product.

Cheers to Pyramid Apricot Ale! Girls know good beer, when they taste it.

You can purchase this painting, or a limited-edition print at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 09.21. Apricot Ale by Pyramid Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.