Today’s Year of Beer painting is 333 Premium Export Beer from Saigon Beer Company in Vietnam. This export beer known as Bia Ba in Vietnamese, or “beer three” has a lot of personal importance to my family. My brother married into a Vietnamese-American family, and recently made a trip with the whole family to Vietnam to celebrate his father-in-law’s 60th birthday in Saigon with the uncle-in-law’s family who lives there. My distant uncle in-law owns a chicken fertilizer company in Saigon. The beer glass in this painting is a promotional item for his company with the business logo on it. The chickens have a dual significance. You may know that rubber chickens have a special place in beer lore. Phil Farrell, self proclaimed beer ambassador, has made rubber chickens an icon at beerfests across the nation. Some would even say that the rubber chicken is a universal beer festival mascot.

So my brother brought me home a couple of tasty beers from Vietnam including a 333, which I might add is quite refreshing, and I have painted this one as if it was poured out at a family dinner in the family’s house in Saigon. I think that chicken and noodles would pair nicely with this yellow fizzy Asian beer! Cheers to family and chicken! I hope your next bowl of pho noodles is accompanied by a Bia Ba!