Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #111. Hop on a Plane.

Have you ever wanted to just “Hop on a Plane”?  This pilot is a hop head, and I painted him flying over Denali.  Good thing he’s flying a Super Cub, because those planes are considered the best bush planes.  Owners of these planes make upgrades called mods.   Lots of mods means lots of STOL, or short take off and landing.  A good plane is like a good IPA, you have to have lots of late additions of good stuff.  This pilot is thinking about getting back to Talkeetna to grab a Twister Creek IPA, or even better, a Big Dipa DIPA — both good dry-hopped brews from Denali Brewing Co.  The more hops for this hop head the better.  Maybe after this remarkable flight he will be on his way to F Street Station, a pilot themed bar in Anchorage.  F Street is a great place to grab a Morning Wood IPA from Kassik’s Brewery.  I know plenty of pilots who love hoppy beer, and I love witty puns, so here is my most recent painting Hop on a Plane.

Cheers to the Alaskan in all of us!  Get out and get hoppy!

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

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #111. Hop on a Plane. By Scott Clendaniel. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

My Art Show at Crush Wine Bistro

A year and a half ago Maria (my wife and Business Manager) contacted Crush Wine Bistro about the possibility of me having a First Friday art show there.  That’s definitely the longest waiting list we’ve been on for an art show so far.  That gave us a lot of time to think about which paintings to show.  Then, about two months prior to my art show, we found out that Sacks Cafe closed, and that Crush moved into that space.  We went with the flow, and adjusted the number of paintings to hang on the walls, since the space was now totally different.  This is my first time showing at this venue, and so far I’m pleased with the exposure and sales that it has generated.  If you haven’t gone to the new Crush location yet, check it out this week.  My art is coming down on Sunday, October 29th.  You can purchase paintings and prints directly from Crush.  The best part about this venue is that the commission is only 5%!  That’s unheard of in this town.  Normally, it ranges between 20% – 50%.  That’s one reason I like having First Fridays at my studio.  Speaking of which, we’ll be hosting one in November.  Our studio is inside the 4th Avenue Market Place in Suite 4 (333 W. 4th Avenue).  Stop by between 5:30 – 7:30.  We’ll clean up the painting studio and turn it into a pop-up gallery for the evening.

My newest oil painting of a de Havilland Beaver sold to a new patron in Tacoma, WA.

My oil paintings hanging at the new Crush Wine Bistro location.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #110. Luponic Distortion Revolution IPA No. 007 by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Happy Thirsty Thursday, beer and art lovers!  This week’s new beer painting is of Luponic Distortion Revolution IPA No. 007 by Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles, CA.  I have been enjoying this hop revolving revolution IPA with Southern Hemisphere hops from Australia.  At 5.9% ABV with a fierce hop aroma, and flavor, I can hardly notice any of yesteryear’s hop bitterness.  This is truly a new form of IPA, one that hardly resembles anything that ever came out of England.  I wonder if the Brits would have called a beer that was hoppy and strong going to Australia, an Australian Pale Ale.  Brings new meaning to the acronym APA.  I have been waiting to paint this beer, and I thought I would showcase the Australia element by having a kangaroo drinking it.  I figured this character is thirsty, so I gave her a couple extras in her pouch for reserve.  Anyway, if you haven’t been enjoying the hop showcase that Luponic Distortion is offering, get down to your local beer shop and pick up a can, or 12 of this luscious nectar.  Luponic is right, these hops are working!  Cheers to the Distortion!

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

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #110. Luponic Distortion Revolution IPA No. 007 by Firestone Walker Brewing Co. By Scott Clendaniel. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #109. Wolf Pack Pilsner by Midnight Sun Brewing Co.

Happy Thirsty Thursday, beer connoisseurs!

A new, “modern” Pilsner is available from our local favorite brewery Midnight Sun Brewing Company — a brew known as Wolf Pack!  I think it may be one of the best pilsners available in the city.  It’s been my libation of choice lately when I go to Crush Wine Bistro to check on my current art show there, which will be up for the month of October.  MSBC is known for brewing bold, big beers, but this one is a bit more on the normal side.  Still a very hop forward version of Pilsner, but only 5% ABV, and compared to an IPA, not a hop bomb.  More balanced, yet still hop forward.  This beer is true to Pilsner style with more hops on the bittering end, and less in the aroma.  It drinks like an aggressive Czech, or dry-hopped German Pils.  Beers that come to mind when drinking it are Bitburger, Budvar, Pilsner Urquell, and one of my all-time favorite pilsners Berliner Pilsner.  So now when I get a hankering for the Euro flavor, but don’t want to travel halfway around the world, I’ll save the airfare and just buy a 12 pack (coming soon) of the Wolf Pack Modern Pilsner.  

Midnight Sun has a beer for just about anyone, and if you are a pilsner fan, this is a good example of a not boring version of this classic style.  Thanks MSBC for not only making huge beers like Termination Dust (I’m a fan), but making great classic session-able styles as well!  You can actually drink this beer at the brewery and still drive home safely.  

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

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #109. Wolf Pack Pilsner by Midnight Sun Brewing Co. By Scott Clendaniel. 14″x11″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #108. Weihenstephaner Vitus.

The Vitus by Weihenstephaner near München, Germany is an excellent beer!  As a home-brewer, I just bought a yeast variety from this fine brewing institution.  Today, as I brew beer, I think fondly of Bavaria and the great beer brewed there.  Bavaria brings to mind a few very distinctive styles, of which the wheat beer is the one that seems most inspiring.  Brewed to drink during the winter, this 7.7% ABV Weizenbock is a strong wheat beer for sure.  The flocculent yeast brings strong flavor, aroma, and the estery character to this beer.  When I tasted this beer at the Tap-House Munich, I was blown away at the full and delicious flavor of this brew.  It made me think of everything German I have ever tasted, and for a second I thought I could speak German too.  Anyway, this beer, as well as my last adventure in Germany was great, and I hope you get a chance to taste this winter favorite of Bavaria!  Prost to the Vitus, ein ausgezeichnetes bier!

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

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #108. Weihenstephaner Vitus. By Scott Clendaniel. 8″x10″, oil on panel.