Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #29, July 16, 2015

The Skilak Lake is a popular destination on the Kenai Peninsula. If you go, don’t forget to bring the Skilak Scottish Ale from Kenai River Brewing Co. Skilak is one of the biggest lakes on the Kenai and is easily accessible from Soldotna and Anchorage. The fact that it’s a popular destination makes sense, because there are two campgrounds and square miles of beautiful crystal blue water to enjoy. The views are nice too.

Skilak Scottish Ale pours with a robust creamy head that is more than ample. The aroma is of licorice and smoke. This is a very malt-forward beer that finishes with a hint of piney hops. The taste is robust of licorice candy and caramel dark grain. It is sweet and satisfying. A nice dark amber beer with a hint of peat. The mouth feel is a bit boozy even at only 5.3% ABV, and this beer is creamy and smooth. Overall, highly recommended for drinking during out of town adventures, preferably by a lake.

Cheers to Kenai River Brewing, a great Alaska brewery producing unique brews! Keep up the good work!

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

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #29 by Scott Clendaniel. July 16, 2015. Skilak Scottish Ale by Kenai River Brewing Co. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

Year of Beer Paintings – Day 160

Wow, 160 days already!  This year is flying by!  Maybe because I am always in the studio having a blast making beer art!  Today’s beer painting is Roughneck Stout by Kassik’s Brewery in Kenai, Alaska.  This beer is brewed in honor of all the oil industry workers who work hard so that we get enough petroleum products to run all of our lives.

Alaska’s economy can be described as a three legged stool, according to UAA economist Scott Goldsmith.  One leg is oil and gas, the second leg is military and government, and the third one is the rest of the industries combined, including mining, timber, fishing, tourism, etc.  Our economy would be very vulnerable without petroleum exploration — a three-legged stool won’t stand with two legs.

So Kassik’s is right to commemorate the hard working people who are holding up our economy.  I think the next beer should be named the Bureaucrat Barleywine, for all the government officials holding up the other leg of our economy.  No doubt, Alaska is a strange place, but to me it is home!  I am loving this beer brewed on the Kenai Peninsula!  This is a pretty strong stout at 7.2%.  I sampled it last night, and the first impression was smoked grains, probably 500L roasted barley.  Ironically, the Kenai has been getting a lot of press from that forest fire from two weeks ago, which sent smoke all over the state.  The smoke flavor of this beer, like the forest fire, was contained then faded to just righteous dark chocolate, even a little sour grains.  I am thinking chocolate malt and black patent malt.  Not highly hopped like Victory’s Storm King, but an easy swilling beer.  No wonder this one was dedicated to the Roughnecks, they will need a great beer like this one to forget how hard their last stint at work was!

Cheers to Kassik’s for another world-class brew!  Cheers to all the Roughnecks supporting Alaska’s economy!  And cheers to stout, one of my favorite styles of beer!

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 06.09. Roughneck Stout by Kassik’s Brewery. Oil on panel, 8″x10″.