My friends, I received some sad news this week. One of the greats is leaving us, the like of which will never be seen again. No, I’m not talking about Modern Times shutting down their much-hyped Portland taproom (the second brewery to vacate that building, by the way). I mean Hair of the Dog, one of the originals.
Hair of the Dog was founded in 1993, during what is known as the second wave of craft beer. Alan Sprints, the head brewer and founder, immediately set himself apart from the pack by creating bold and hearty brews when most craft breweries were making inoffensive wheat beers and amber ales. He has also distinguished himself by prizing quality over quantity. The brewery only makes 600 barrels of beer per year, a majority of which are consumed on-site in the little hole-in-the-wall tasting room in SE Portland. Despite being a major influence on craft brewers in Oregon and beyond, Alan has been content to keep the brewery small and focused. And now he’s retiring and closing the brewery.
Another unique aspect of HotD is their dedication to aging beer. They have been in the beer aging business from the beginning, experimenting with barrel-aging beers and aging finished products both since long before that was a thing. They were even the first brewery (and the only one I’ve had the opportunity to sample) to use a concrete fermenter, creating a series of beers “from the stone” that have a clean and round character with light mineral characteristics completely different from steel-fermented beers. They have also been in the habit of holding back a portion of each year’s product for later release. I’ve seen bottles available for sale from the ’90s when visiting (but didn’t have the funds to afford such a vintage)! It will be incredible to see what comes out of storage this year before the brewery closes shop for good. Knowing this is the last opportunity to buy it, I’m sure the competition will also be fierce.
While I plan to make at least one more visit to Hair of the Dog before they shut their doors for the last time, I’ll take this opportunity to pay tribute to the incredible beers I’ve tasted since my first visit in 2014.
Adam (Adambier) – recreation of a historic beer style, the first beer produced by Alan after opening Hair of the Dog (2014, 2015, 2017)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Tasting notes: Still one of my favorites. Chocolate, cherries, leather, oak, dark caramel, a hint of tobacco. So complex! (2015)
Adam from the Wood (Adambier) – Adam aged in American oak barrels (2014)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Tasting notes: OMG! (2014)
Adam from the Wood – Rye (Adambier) – Adam aged in rye whiskey barrels (2015)
Rating: 5/5 stars (2018)
Yellow Peach Adam from the Wood (Adambier) – Adam conditioned on fresh peaches (2018)
Rating: 5/5 stars
Tasting notes: Love Adam, in any style (2018)
Ruth (American Pale Ale) – made with Northwest hops (2014)
Rating: Forgot to rate! (2014)
Lila (Maibock) – balanced lager dry hopped with Saaz (2014)
Rating: Forgot to rate! (2014)
Fred (Strong Ale) – created to honor beer writer Fred Eckhardt, uses ten varieties of hops from five countries (2014, 2016, 2017)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Tasting notes: So good! (2017)
Fred from the Stone (Strong Ale) – Fred fermented in a concrete vessel (2016)
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Tasting notes: So smooth! (2016)
Fred from the Wood (Strong Ale) – Fred aged in American oak barrels for at least 6 months (2016)
Rating: 4.75/5 stars
Tasting notes: Wow! (2016)
Rose (Farmhouse ale?) – variant of Golden Rose Belgian tripel, made with hibiscus and pink peppercorns for Cheers to Belgian Beers festival (2016)
Rating: 4.25/5 stars (2016)
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A Beer a Day 