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.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 214

The featured beer painting of the day is of Mikkeller Centennial, part of the single hop IPA series. Most breweries use hops that grow near the brewery and make the freshest, best ale they can for the dollar. Mikkeller doesn’t have a brewery; it contracts every batch of beer, which is a very cool idea that seems to be successful. Founded in 2006 in Copenhagen by Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller, the company has since expanded to Bangkok, San Francisco, and Stockholm, recently producing bottled beers that we can even buy here in Alaska. Contract-brewing is an intriguing concept whose time has come. Keep your overhead low and your concepts strong, and the sky is the limit. This beer was brewed in conjunction with De Proef Brouwerij from Lochristi-Hijfte, Belgium.

The Single Hop Project is showcasing 18 different styles of hops. All the beers are brewed with the same weight of hops for bittering, flavoring, aroma and dry hopping. The grain bills are identical, so the only variable is the hops, which are scientifically switched. The mission statement on the bottle says, ”This gives the consumer the possibility to smell and taste the unique characteristics of each variety, and will hopefully help to educate people about the wonderful world of hops.” With verbiage like that on the bottle it is obvious these guys are kings of marketing! This beer was good. Centennial hops are delicious, and I noted a bit less bitterness than in most IPAs. There are many different varieties of Centennial hops, and I wonder what the alpha rating is in this particular batch. It normally comes in between 8.5% – 11.5%, so a righteous hop for an IPA. Citrusy and piney, it’s a good hop variety for American style ales.

Cheers to Mikkeller, a brainy beer maker indeed! Keep it cerebral and keep it interesting. Good job on the 18 single hop IPA concept! I will try another please!

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 08.02. Mikkeller Centennial. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 83

Today’s Year of Beer painting is the Tröegs brothers’ winter seasonal Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber.  First off this beer is delicious!  Any hop-minded individual will find this to be the most divine brew!  I was lucky enough to get this beer sent to me all the way from Hershey, Pennsylvania!  I took it to the GNBC (Great Northern Brewers Club) meeting where it was a big hit.  Several people mentioned that it was a perfect example of what a hoppy imperial beer should be like!  I was glad to share such a special offering, as normally I serve up home-brew to my fellow club members and they try to tell me what I have done to create such weird off flavors.

The Trogner brothers named the Brewery Tröegs because it is a combination of their last name and Kroeg (Dutch for pub).  They started brewing in 1997, and recently moved from Harrisburg to Hersheys, PA, tripling the size of their operation.  I really look forward to making a trip to Pennsylvania to taste all these amazing brews!  This is the first posting of hopefully more Tröegs beers!  Stay tuned around Christmas for my interpretation of the Mad Elf winter warmer with cherries and honey added!  It is soooo GOOD!

To brews from Pennsylvania where beer hit America!  Americans may not have a 5,000 year old history of brewing, but brewing started in PA.  Tradition speaks, but Pennsylvania beer screams drink me!

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 03.24. Nugget Nectar by Tröegs Brewing Co. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.