Hair of the Dog Brewing has been a Portland beer staple for 25 years

Hair of the Dog Brewing’s founder Alan Sprints joins us on this week’s show. Sprints started his brewery when there were only a handful of breweries in Portland, today there are over 100 in the metro area. Not one to follow the crowd, Hair of the Dog’s first beer release was Adam, a 10% “Hearty Old World Ale.” The beer bucked the norms of early 90s offerings, and took a lot of people by surprise. Over time, crowds warmed up to these extreme beers and lines formed for each new beer release.

Sprints has also decided to keep it small. He expanded some in the early days, with Hair of the Dog distributing to about 15 states. He decided that wasn’t what he wanted to do and pulled in the leash. Today he distributes to a “handful” of states. His brewhouse is the same one he started with, although he has added tanks to increase capacity. By staying small Sprints is able to take time to travel, drink, and brew around the world. It’s hard to argue with that philosophy.

We talk with Sprints about the early days of Portland beer, extreme brewing, the biggest challenges facing new brewers today, why he chose to keep his brewery small, his secret $800 bottle offering, and what’s in store for his upcoming 25th Anniversary. (Hint: Barrels, lots of barrels.)

We also sample a few Hair of the Dog brews as we talk including Adam and Fred Batch 99 and Pannepooch Reserva, a 5-year-old beer released for the brewery’s 20th Anniversary.

Beer Guys Radio Craft Beer Podcast #145

Hair of the Dog Brewing Co.

61 SE Yamhill Street

Portland, OR 97214

503-232-6585

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Episode Guide:

Sponsor thanks and show intro | 0:00

Beer Guys week in review | 02:40

Beers of the Week | 04:30

Beer Guys collab STREWZü preview | 06:02

Craft beer news | 6:30

– Lagunitas layoffs

– Scofflaw UK Trump controversy

– New Jersey brewery laws take a step back

Alan Sprints Interview | 12:28

Hair of the Dog Fred / Fred Eckhardt | 12:40

Brewing outside the lines | 13:50

Back it up, introducing Alan Sprints | 14:26

Life before Hair of the Dog | 14:40

Making “holiday beers” year round | 15:30

Sprints on what it takes to be a brewer | 16:10

Travel and brewing around the world | 17:18

Starting in 1990s Portland | 18:20

1990s Portland beer scene vs. today | 19:00

Georgia beer boom | 20:40

Get your Hoppy Halloween tee | 23:28

Hair of the Dog brewery equipment | 24:10

Keeping it small | 24:38

Brewing around the clock | 25:37

Brewing Adam in Germany | 26:38

An Adam from Adam with Adam | 27:10

Hair of the Dog 25th Anniversary and reflection | 27:43

Exploring creativity through brewing | 28:30

Brewing Don and the Horse Brass Pub | 28:40

Sharing your passion | 29:59

“The Godfather” on extreme beer | 31:00

Scaring a Reinheitsgebot brewer | 32:20

Sprints on the challenges for new brewers | 34:30

Changing definition of extreme beer | 35:26

Brewing in concrete fermenters (From the Stone beers) | 36:23

Brewing alternative vessels (wood barrels and amphoras | 38:25

Hair of the Dog’s most expensive beer: Dave | 40:19

Pairing cigars and beer | 42:45

Outro | 43:55

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