Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #83, July 28, 2016, Daisy Cutter Pale Ale by Half Acre Beer Co.

Happy Thirsty Thursday!  Today I want to talk a little about video games.  I put my four favorite  classic arcade games in this composition, and the beer is placed on a table console.  Video games have always been one of the things I love, from Commodore to Playstation, I have enjoyed them all.  Arcades though charge per play, which was hardly ever allowed for me.  I could maybe play one, or two quarters when I really was lucky.  Of course I got to go to Chuck E. Cheese’s‎, where you get tokens with pizza, so that is where I played the most arcade games as a child.  In college there was a free Rampart console that we would play endlessly, it was so great!  But my classic arcade favorites are Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Golden Axe.  I remember countless hours played on all of these games.  They just scream fun!  I was thinking about Half Acre Beer Company lately, because it collaborated on a Sierra Nevada Beer Camp beer with a variety of other breweries.  Anyway, top of mind brought me to this painting here.  Arcade video games and Half Acre’s tasty beers.  I would have chosen Space as my Half Acre beer to paint, but come to think of it, Daisy Cutter would probably keep me in better game playing form.  Also, Space is not available in cans yet, which I think would be a cool release.  We stopped at the brewery during our trip to Chicago last summer, and both Space and Daisy Cutter were superb.  Actually, every beer I had at Half Acre was really good.  Cheers to some of my favorite things, BEER and VIDEO GAMES!

This original oil painting, and 52 limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #83 by Scott Clendaniel. July 28, 2016. Daisy Cutter Pale Ale by Half Acre Beer Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

Beers for Painting in the Future

~ by Maria Benner

With the booming craft brewing industry, Scott is not even close to running out of beers to paint.  The only challenge is finding ones that are worthy of the honor of being immortalized in oil paint!  So a couple months ago, we asked our social media followers which beers Scott should paint next, and got a lot of responses.  The challenge is that in order to blog about the beer and the painting of it, Scott has to drink the beer (this is not the case for commissions, since he doesn’t have to blog about those).

So, here are the beers that our followers suggested that we cannot get in Alaska, or have not tried yet.  Mailing beer is legal through FedEx and UPS, and I’m pretty sure that USPS doesn’t care, since it’s not flammable, or explosive.  If you happen to have these easily accessibly to you, consider sending them our way, and we’ll send you some tasty Alaska beers in return.

Wisconsinite Summer Weiss Beer by Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

Mistletoe by Howard Brewing in Lenoir, NC

Fantasy Factory by Karben4 Brewing in WI

Truth IPA by Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati, OH

Of course, there are many more brews on our wish list, and if you happen to have some that you think would make great paintings, just let us know.

Cheers!

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #82, July 21, 2016, Rainier BEAR

Raaaaain-Niiiier-Beeeaaar!

This week’s Thirsty Thursday beer painting was inspired by this breaking news story: Bear Downs 36 Beers, Passes Out at Campground

The funny thing is that he had options of Rainier or Busch, and the discerning palate of this thirsty bear chose the Rainier.  After sampling one Busch beer he went back for more of the Yakima hops and clean glacial water of the great Washington brew known as Rainier beer!  I’ve painted Rainier before, and when I read this story I knew it would make a great painting.  Talk about being thirsty!  But don’t be like this animal and drink yourself into a stupor.  Enjoy the brews in small doses, so you don’t get trapped by the local constabulary like this fuzzy guy.  I think I would have gone for some craft beer, but hey, when you’re camping, a good cold one right out of the chilly bin sometimes can’t be beat!

Cheers to the Rainier BEAR!  I hope he doesn’t make a habit out of this!

The original oil painting, and 52 limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #82 by Scott Clendaniel. July 21, 2016. Rainier BEAR. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

 

 

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #81, July 14, 2016, Dark Lord Imperial Russian Stout by Three Floyds Brewing Co.

May the Dark Side of the Force be with you, Dark Lord Vader.  This may not be your father’s beer, and hopefully Darth Vader isn’t you father, either.  In my imagination Darth Vader would be swilling down a Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. right after he cut his son Luke Skywalker’s hand off, and told him “I am your Father.”  Dark Lord Day is in April, and is the only day that you can buy this indescribable Russian Imperial Stout.  Understandably, people line up at the brewery for hours to buy their limited amount of bottles of this decadent black big brew.  Leading up to one hell of a music festival with a load of bands and a DJ serving up sick music all day long.  I was lucky enough to get to try this beer at Culmination Beer Fest here in Anchorage.  Here’s a picture of Gabe Fletcher serving it up in 2012.

Brewed with coffee, Mexican vanilla, and Indian sugar, this beer is ridiculous.  I wonder why it’s not barrel aged.  I got to sample the 2012 version with the red wax.  Looks like Darth Vader is also drinking the 2012, or it could be the 2004.  Since he has the entire imperial fleet at his command, he would probably have whatever vintage he wanted.  I also thought the red wax was appropriate as it matches his light saber.

Cheers to 3 Floyds, brewing up a whale of a brew with the Dark Lord, and may the Force be with you!

This original oil painting, and 52 limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #81 by Scott Clendaniel. July 14, 2016. Dark Lord Imperial Russian Stout by Three Floyds Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

 

Many Clendaniels in a Small World

~by Maria Benner

A couple years ago we did an East Coast brewery tour during the Year of Beer Paintings in 2014.  One of our stops was Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and luckily for us, there happened to be an Ancient Ales beer dinner scheduled at the pub the night that we would be there, so we purchased tickets.  Yay for planning our trip ahead of time, unlike business as usual when we just fly by the seat of our pants.  The owner of the brewery, Sam Calagione, walked around to each table, and met everyone at the dinner (the guy is classy and very charismatic)!  When he met Scott, he told him that there are other Clendaniels at this dinner and that they bought one of my paintings!  I quickly looked up on the Etsy app which painting that was, and sent Scott over to meet them.  The coincidence really blew our minds!  We traveled thousands of miles and ended up at the same beer dinner as the same Clendaniels who several months ago bought a painting on Etsy!  When we told our grandma about this, she said that there are many Clendaniels in Delaware.

Well, a couple weeks ago, I posted one of Scott’s newest landscape paintings on Twitter, and a gentleman from Delaware with the last name Clendaniel sent us an Etsy convo inquiring whether the painting was available.  So Scott asked whether he’s the same Clendaniel we met at Dogfish Head, and it turns out that we met his son!  Then we figured out that both of our families stem from Maryland!  So maybe we’re related!  Today I mailed that painting to Delaware, feeling like we had made a family connection thanks to Etsy, Twitter, and Dogfish Head Brewery!  What a small world!

The painting we sent to Mr. Clendaniel in Delaware.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #80, July 7, 2016, Kodiak Brown Ale by Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

A huge Kodiak Brown bear just grabbed a hold of my last 22 oz bottle of Midnight Sun Brewing Company’s Kodiak Brown Ale!  OmG!  I think he is going to drink it in one gulp!  Excuse me while I sprint in the other direction.  I know you are not supposed to run from a bear, but maybe he will be savoring the flavor of the beer long enough for me to outrun my fellow campers. 

Mark Staples started brewing Kodiak Brown back when he was home-brewing, before he and Barb Miller started Midnight Sun Brewing Company back in 1995.  It is a staple for the brewery, and is always available in 22 oz bottles and in 12 oz cans here in Alaska.  A good value at the Loft with a 12 oz serving for only 3 dollars, which means you can buy a round for six friends and still only chew up one 20 dollar bill.  The 12 oz cans make a great packing beer for rafting, fishing, biking, backpacking, or any outdoor adventure, because dark beer tastes great warm, straight from the can, or after being chilled in a creek.  I propose a toast to the grizz in all of us!  Drink a Kodiak Brown like you mean it!  Cheers to the long days and short nights of July!  Thanks MSBC!

This original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #80 by Scott Clendaniel. July 7, 2016.
Kodiak Brown Ale by Midnight Sun Brewing Co. 11″x14″, oil on panel.