Year of Beer Paintings – Day 334

Well, today is the last day of November, which means there is only one month left in the Year of Beer Paintings. I’m confident that I’ll make it to the end without skipping a day.

The featured beer painting of the day is of Bean Dream Milk Porter Aged on Vanilla Beans by Pizza Boy Brewing Company in Enola, Pennsylvania. I wish I had gone to Al’s of Hampden (the home of Pizza Boy Brewing) when we were in Pennsylvania a couple weeks ago. That place has 99 beers on draft, three firkins, and ten bottle release offerings. Dang! I was within 25 minutes when I was at Tröegs Brewing. I should have gotten lodging in Harrisburg just to stop in at this beer/pizza spot. Instead we went to Tired Hands Brewing and Earth Bread and Brewery that day, which was really cool too. I will just have to be content knowing that I did my best with the time I had, and I’ll definitely be coming back to Pennsylvania. My friend, Rich, gave me this bottle of Bean Dream, and I brought it home to Anchorage. We opened this bottle to drink with leftover apple pie for dessert, after a delicious Cioppino dinner. This porter is very smooth, silky and delicious. If you let your glass warm up a bit, the vanilla really comes out. I’d rather pair this beer with apple pie than have ice cream on the side.

Cheers to the Bean Dream! The beer with vanilla flavor that just won’t quit.

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 11.30. Bean Dream Milk Porter Aged on Vanilla Beans by Pizza Boy Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 333

The featured beer painting of the day is of the Raspberry Wheat Ale by Sea Dog Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. This beer tastes like sweet raspberry juice, but is not pink. The bottle says that natural flavor is added, and I couldn’t find evidence in the beer, on the bottle, or on the brewery’s website about real raspberries added to this brew. So, I can’t say for sure what mysterious ingredient is responsible for the strong raspberry flavor. This is another one of those frequent occasions when I wish that breweries were required to disclose ingredients on packaging like any other food and beverage product in America. Like a shandy, this beer is refreshing, and forgiving at only 4.5% ABV. After consuming this bottle, I opened a bottle of Lindemans Framboise just to taste the difference between natural flavoring and real berries, but the comparison wasn’t fair because one is a wheat ale, and the other is a tart lambic.

My wife and I were in Portland, Maine less than two weeks ago, and have fond memories of the port town. The background scene in this painting is from a photo I took in Freeport. We drove down to the water to find a lobster shack, but it was closed for the season, so we didn’t linger by the water long, because we were too cold, and drove to a larger lobster restaurant near the outlet stores.

Cheers to the Raspberry Wheat Ale! A good beer for drinking on a boat! I hope your beer always makes people happy!

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 11.29. Raspberry Wheat Ale by Sea Dog Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 332

Happy Black Friday sales hunting, but save some money for the annual Holiday Studio Sale and Open House at the Maury home happening next Friday, Dec. 5. If you want the best selection of pottery, jewelry and my paintings and prints, I recommend showing up at opening on Friday at 11 AM. I have made seven new non-beer themed paintings, and when they are gone, I will unveil some of the newest Year of Beer originals. Then come back at 5 PM on Friday, because I will be tapping a keg of my homebrewed honey ginger beer!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! We celebrated with a total of thirty people at my brother’s house this year – a record! My wife and I didn’t stand a chance at the annual doubles ping-pong tournament. I started the party by popping the cork of this bottle of Whiteout Wit Bier with Brett brewed by Anchorage Brewing Company. The old label had a beautiful wintery spruce forest scene on it, but I like the white owl more because it makes me think of Athena, goddess of war and wisdom. Get it? Wit. The beer was the perfect table beer for our feast. My brother married into a Vietnamese family, and his mother-in-law brings the most amazing egg rolls to Thanksgiving. We also had turkey, a duck, prime beef, and a ham, so I made a meat sandwich from all the offerings and washed it down with Gabe Fletcher’s beer. Overall, a feast to remember!

Cheers to the Whiteout Wit on Black Friday! I hope your shopping basket is full of great beers this year!

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 11.28. Whiteout Wit Bier with Brett by Anchorage Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 331

Happy Thanksgiving! I am a very grateful individual this year! I am thankful for the good fortune I have had with the Year of Beer Painting project, which allows me to work as an artist full time, and for the supportive craft beer community across the country that has made this year so much fun. I am also thankful for my good health that allows me to drink a different craft beer every day. The year has been in overdrive and I don’t want this to end, as it has been one of the most epic of adventures.

The featured beer painting for Thanksgiving is Deschutes Brewery’s Jubelale Winter Ale, a tradition at my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. A favorite seasonal of both my brother’s and mine, this beer never fails to deliver. The label has been changing every year since 1988. The first seven labels were very similar with a wreath, and done by artist Ed Carson. Since 1995 a different artist has designed the label each year, and 2014 marks the 20^th artist working on the Jubelale labels! Maybe one of these years the Deschutes marketing team will let me make a painting for the label, but I think only local artists in Bend can apply for that opportunity. I love this year’s artwork from Lisa and Lori Lubbesmeyer, a picture created using fiber art in the form of quilting. It really warms my heart. This piece depicts a winter scene of two people and their dog playing in the snow, riding a sled during the twilight of the early setting sun. In my painting the label has a wrap so you can only see one character and fewer trees. I hope you take the time to notice the stitch marks on the label, and to see the whole scene as you drink this wonderful beer at your holiday meal.

The beer is known as a special and festive winter warmer. Also referred to as a strong ale or a festive ale. It doesn’t really fit into any BJCP (Beer Judge Classification Program) category. I would say that it is a delicious brew! I used to think it was more like a dark IPA, because it has a nice hop finish, but then I thought maybe it is more like a Dopplebock, because of the malty backbone. But then I noticed it has a decidedly American yeast profile, so I came back around to just thinking the Jubelale is a special brew for sure, and the only way for a person to really know what it tastes like is to simply pick a few up at the store and to enjoy them. Do it soon as the hop profile changes quickly. I swear this year’s Jubelale, like the label, is a different formula than in years past, or maybe that is my palate changing. I don’t know, but I know I like this beer, and I eagerly wait for the winter seasonal beers as they are my favorite ales and lagers of the year!

Cheers to Jubelale, both the art and the ale! Great work Lori and Lisa! I love your version of the Jubelale label, and brewers, I think you nailed it again this year! Thanks for making JUBELALE!

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 11.27. Jubelale Winter Ale by Deschutes Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 330

This year is flying by! I only have 35 beer paintings to make, and I have scheduled beers for the rest of the year! At least I haven’t been bored. You know your life is getting a little hectic when you find that sitting on the airplane is a nice break. I’m still hoping we’ll get some snow before tomorrow, but that doesn’t seem to be likely. Right now our roads are as icy as an ice arena. Now is a good time to put on your skates and take a frosty bottle down to a lake for a good ol’ fashioned sip and slide.

The featured beer painting for today is of Prairie Hop Belgian-Style Ale by Prairie Artisan Ales in Oklahoma. So far every sip of beer I’ve had from this spectacular brewery has brought joy to my palate! The first time I ran across this brewery was at the Culmination Beer Festival in Anchorage, and if a brewery is invited to this event, that’s saying a lot for the quality of its beer. I have definitely enjoyed the Cherry Funk; and the Prairie Bomb was one of the best imperial stouts I’ve ever had! Last night when I cracked open this dry-hopped saison, I was immediately impressed. The Simcoe and Citra hops are very evident, and produce a pleasant citrus aftertaste. The beer was carbonated perfectly, which made it taste refreshing. I was surprised when I saw on the bottle that the ABV is 8%, because it tastes very smooth, like a beer that could be around 5%. The last time I had a pale ale that tasted this nice was in Vermont, and I think that is saying something. I really do not know anything about the Sooner State except that the Prairie Artisan Ales are really good, so when I think of Oklahoma, I think of this brewery. Looks like I will have to add y’all to my “must visit for beer” list. Thanks, Lisa and Jim, for bringing this beer from your travels for my project!

Cheers to the best beers in Oklahoma! Great work on the Prairie Hop! I hop you keep on making such vibrant, interesting, avant-garde brews!

The original painting sold. You can purchase a limited-edition print, or order a custom beer painting at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 11.26. Prairie Hop Belgian-Style Ale by Prairie Artisan Ales. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 329

The featured beer painting for the day is of Jai Alai India Pale Ale by Cigar City Brewing Company in Tampa, Florida. Jai Alai, a.k.a. the “Merry Game” is a sport that was invented in Spain, and is a very popular quirky game. Players throw and catch hard balls with wicker mitts called xisteras at up to 188 mph, bouncing them off walls. Sounds like quite an exciting sport indeed. I was calling this beer the j•eye uh• lie, however I was quickly told that it is pronounced h•eye uh•lie. The Sunshine State is not known for Jai Alai, but Tampa used to have a court, called a fronton. I’m not sure what happened to the fronton, but Cigar City brewed this beer in memory of the Merry Game. This Florida brewery sure knows how to make a mean IPA. This beer boasts a balance of sweet malt and citrusy hops, with a floral aroma, making this IPA absurdly delicious. I received two of these cans, and I’m always grateful for Cigar City brews since the brewery doesn’t distribute to Alaska. I painted the xistera, the ball and the helmets that are necessary for this sport in the background to show how dangerous and fast the sport actually is. I doubt you could find a better-tasting IPA for consuming right after a heated Jai Alai match!

Cheers to Jai Alai IPA – a fantastic brew from a class act brewery! Keep up the great work, Cigar City! I hope to make it your way for some southern beer tasting in the next few years!

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 11.25. Jai Alai IPA by Cigar City Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 328

The featured beer painting of the day is of the Oatmeal Stout by Core Brewing Company in Springdale, Arkansas. This is the first beer I have ever tasted, and painted from Arkansas. Thank you, Lisa and Jim Lamb, fellow members of the Great Northern Brewers Club, for bringing this beer to Alaska!

Arkansas has special significance to me. My grandfather, Linus McElhaney, was born and raised on the family homestead in Arkansas. I don’t even know where, because by the time I was born, he had been a Walla Walla, Washington man for several decades. The old McElhaney family homestead would probably have been a great location for a Farmhouse brewery. Wish I had a chance to see it. Maybe my Mom or Aunt can let me know where it is, and who owns the place. When I am building my log cabin and developing the ten acres I have up here in McCarthy, Alaska (that’s right, “the outlaw town” featured in the new Discovery Channel reality show Edge of Alaska) I always think about my grandfather. I use many of his antique tools that he used as a journeyman carpenter in the 40’s and 50’s. So when I came across the Core Brewing Oatmeal Stout, I was really excited to get an Arkansas brew, not only because I need it to reach my goal of painting a beer from every state, but also because it reminds me of Papa Mac! The beer was unique. It had a robust roasted grain flavor, and was a little sour and salty. I wonder if that’s from brewing salts added, or the natural flavor from the Ozark Mountain water that Core Brewing uses. The tartness must be from the large load of dark grains in the mash.  I also appreciated the “Best Before” date of 12-15 hand-written on the bottle with a black marker, which suggests that this beer is released in small batches.  Overall, this beer is a finely crafted stout that I am pleased to add to the Year of Beer Painting project. I am sure that the brewery’s mascot, a Dachshund named Barney, would appreciate my choice in backdrop for this painting! As the bottle says, “Take pride in your wiener!”

Cheers to Core Brewing from Arkansas! I am glad to finally taste the beer from the place where my Grandfather was born.

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 11.24. Oatmeal Stout by Core Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 327

The featured beer painting is Pile -o- Dirt Porter, handcrafted by Crow Peak Brewing Company in the Black Hills in Spearfish, South Dakota. I couldn’t find a beer in Alaska from South Dakota, but am lucky enough to know people who were willing to contribute to this project by bringing this can in their luggage for me from their travels. So, this is the first beer I’ve ever painted from South Dakota, thanks to John and Carolyn! I am now only missing four states from the project: Alabama (should be arriving any day now), West Virginia, Tennessee, and Arizona. So, if you are reading this, and you can send, or bring me a beer from West Virginia, Tennessee, or Arizona, you can be a beer hero. I will send you something tasty from Alaska in return.

Pile -o- Dirt Porter is a nice, robust porter. It was foamy and friendly, and went down smoothly, like a good craft beer should. A porter is a great beer style, originally invented in England, and described as a dark bitter. True to style, although with decidedly American flourishes in the form of 2-row base malt and American hops, this beer was fresh and delicious. If I drank it anywhere in the world, I would be happy to consume it. So, maybe I will get a chance to brave the South Dakota beer-tasting environment and have a Pile -o- Dirt in its home state. I have a new goal, to visit every state and have a local beer there. So far, I’ve only been to eighteen.

Cheers to the Pile -o- Dirt! As the can says, “Peace, love, funk”.

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 11.23. Pile -o- Dirt Porter by Crow Peak Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 326

The featured beer painting of the day is of Racer 5 IPA by Bear Republic Brewing Company in Healdsburg, California. This West Coast style IPA is the brewery’s flagship beer. I found this bottle in Philadelphia, and brought it home, because I can’t buy it here in Anchorage, Alaska. Bear Republic’s Racer 5 has won a slew of awards, including the Gold medal at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. I decided to give it higher honors by putting the Borg-Warner trophy in the background of this painting. This beer is decidedly awesome at 7.5% ABV and 75 IBUs. It tasted exactly what I think a fresh IPA should be like – big piney and citrus flavors with a floral hop aroma. I hope you cherish every drop, and don’t try to win any racing awards when you consume this product. It is too tasty to waste in a chug-a-thon. All right IPA lovers, get your engines ready, make a pit stop, and keep on racing right along to the check-out-line. As the checkered flag waves, you’ll be back home watching the Indy 500 while sipping on cold Racer 5 IPA. Vroom!

Cheers to Racer 5, the beer that drives you to cheer for racing carnage! I hope you can get a hold of this particular brew. It’s mighty fine!

The original painting sold. You can purchase a limited-edition print, or order a custom beer painting at my Etsy shop.

View the complete Year of Beer Paintings gallery.

Year of Beer 11.22. Racer 5 IPA by Bear Republic Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 325

Wow! Back in Anchorage, Alaska after an epic brewery tour around the East Coast! We visited 16 breweries in 16 days. In Pennsylvania we went to Victory Brewing, Spring House Brewing, Tröegs Brewing, Tired Hands Brewing, Earth-Bread+Brewery, and Yards Brewing. As a bonus, at the Philly Museum of Art Craft Show we got to taste several offerings from new Philly breweries at a beer tasting event organized by Joe Sixpack: Evil Genius Beer Company, Neshaminy Creek Brewing, Saint Benjamin Brewing, and Broken Goblet Brewery. Thank you, Joe Sixpack, for inviting us to that event! Then we took a detour to Delaware, just to go to Dogfish Head Brewery, and then headed north to New York where we visited Brewery Ommegang. Then, on to Vermont, where we stopped by Fiddlehead Brewery, and Hill Farmstead. On our way to Maine, we visited White Birch Brewing in New Hampshire, and the following day went to Maine Beer Company. On the last day in Maine, we went to Allagash Brewing. Then we had to drive through New Hampshire again to get to Boston, so we stopped at Earth Eagle Brewings. Finally, in Boston we went to Trillium Brewing, and Cambridge Brewing. We could have added Harpoon Brewing to the list, but the off site brewery tasting room that was right at our departure gate at the Boston airport was closed at 7 AM.

We also visited some noteworthy pubs and taprooms that were superb, including McMenamins Tavern in Mt. Airy, Side Bar in West Chester, Blind Tiger Ale House in Manhattan, Tørst in Brooklyn, Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington, Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, Novare Res Bier Café in Portland, and Row 34 in Boston! Phew! I painted live in one pub and seven breweries. I learned a lot on this trip, which was a very valuable experience.

So, let’s talk about today’s featured beer painting. We went to some amazing bottle shops on this trip, and Maria picked up this bottle of Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio. This porter is legendary with flavors of smoky roasted malt, coffee, chocolate, complex hops and malt bitterness. This brew hits you on the front and back of your tongue, caressing your palate, urging you to take another small sip. The story of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is a tragic one. This steamer hauling tons and tons of iron sank in 1975. Since iron is a conductor, the ship was an electrical storm magnet. I can only imagine how fast it went down loaded with all that iron.

Cheers to the complexity of Edmund Fitgerald Porter – a beer that boasts a bold flavor, and won’t let you down. “The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down” – Gordon Lightfoot.

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 11.21. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter by Great Lakes Brewing Company. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.