Paint My Words

This painting is 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide. Figures matched by their shadows face off. The base of the painting is composed of a white layer painted over a previous work that I was never fully happy with. Tar is underneath that. I dug out the forms, through layers of paint, exposing the tar and then sealing it back in with polyurethane. The figures and background are painted on that matrix. It can be hung with either side  upwards. I prefer it with red on top.

American Watermelon Ale

• 10 lbs 2 Row Pale Ale Malt
• .5 lb Aromatic Malt
• Hop Schedule
  • @ 60 min 1oz Cascade
  • @ 30 min .5 oz cascade
  • @ flame out .5 oz cascade
• Yeast – Belgian Strong Ale Yeast
• ½ diced watermelon added to secondary

O.G. 1.050, F.G. 1.008

Notes: Fermentation smelled strongly of spicy Belgian phenols and happened very quickly. The beer has high attenuation with little to no haze left in the glass. The yeast formed tight sedimentation on the bottom of the carboy.  This is a summer session beer. The hop schedule is light and floral with citrus undertones. The malt profile is present but low. Ale flavors are present but not pronounced. The finish is all watermelon. The watermelon flavor is present but not overpowering. This is a good palate cleansing brew, like taking a bite out of a honey dew melon.  I would brew it again, perhaps using even more watermelon and definitely adjusting the hopping schedule to add a bit more complexity.

Tasting compared to 21^st Amendment’s Watermelon wheat this recipe is a bit cleaner, lacking the cloudy tartness. After trying both, I’m more partial to mine, due to the higher hop ratio and crisper flavor.

Artist: Anthony Santella

Website: http://www.santella.org/anthony/

Commentary: Wow: Take a computer science major with a longing to create and what you have is Anthony Santella’s gorgeous collection of works.  His works run the gamete from dark monocolored figurative paintings, to bright illustrative works full of emotion, to lustrously carved wooden sculptures. I’m amazed by the vibrancy of his work and the myriad directions that his mind’s eye takes him. Anthony’s world is wickedly sad with a glimmer of ironic hope. The images can best be associated with Tim Burton’s movie creations. Linear, lone, and lean figures glare out at the viewer inviting a stare.

Artist: Harry Harrington

Website: http://www.bonsai4me.com/index.htm

Commentary: Harry’s work is amazing. Put simply he is a master at his art. I’ve spent the last few days absorbing as much information as I can from his collection of work. I have an image in my head of crafting deliciously large bonsai. These will be paired atop sculptures and hand carved feather rock pots. It will be a fusion of ancient and modern art forms. It will be a fusion of pop and classical. This process unfortunately will take years, but that is what makes it so great. Trees cannot be grown in a day.

Check out Harry’s work, specifically the Articles section. You won’t be disappointed, and you may become a convert.

American Ale – SA04 Yeast

• 10 lbs 2 Row Pale Ale Malt
• .5 lb Aromatic Malt
• Hop Schedule
  • @ 60 min 1oz Cascade
  • @ 30 min .5 oz cascade
  • @ flame out .5 oz cascade
• Yeast –SA04 Dry Ale Yeast
• O.G. 1.044, F.G. 1.008
• Notes: I brewed this beer with the intention of producing a light and crisp summer ale. It has a low hoping schedule, a light to medium body and color, and a low cost grain bill. It’s been aging on the lees for a month and was kegged over the weekend. With such a low O.G., one can imagine that this is a session brew.  The light flavor make the quafability high. I have been enjoying it with lemon added as the mouth feel coupled with the dog days of summer make this beer drink like a corona.  For my tastes it lacks of noticeable hop character specifically bittering hop character.  Aroma hops are present and pleasing. The head is lacking, due to the relatively well flocculating yeast and low protein present in the grain.  I’m happy with this beer, if I brewed it again, I would adjust the recipe to add a bit more head by perhaps using a lb or so of oatmeal and I would add a higher alpha acid hop at the beginning of the boil. Again, this is probably just the Brit in me wanting to ruin a perfectly good summer session beer with more flavor.