Americans have always been ahead of the pack when it comes to extremism, excess, and imagination. Our craft beers are no exception and our passion for those who strive to develop new and innovative brewing techniques and recipes goes unmatched. Here is a look at some beers with the spirit of ingenuity and fearless adventurousness that might not appeal to all, but will intrigue those,like us, who have an appreciation for creativity.

New Belgium Tart Lychee: Hats off to the work this Fort Collins brewery has done with their Lips of Faith series, a line-up wild yeast beers. Unfortunately, many folks think of Fat Tire from the mainstream brands of this brewery when they

Gol-ly! Just when you thought a beer festival could get no bigger and better, the Holiday Ale Fest continues to wow. Starting a day early this year, many of the real “heads” hit the tents early to get first dibs on a variety of high octane adult beverages brewed with utmost care, many of which were aged to perfection.

The lead dogs at the event Preston Weesner and Chris Crabb have been working diligently for months in preparation to give craft beer lovers a one-of-a-kind experience featuring beers that folks will never see the likes of again…well, until next year.

At Wednesday’s kick-off we were lucky enough to attend a special media tasting that included a sampling of some of the most anticipated offerings at the event. Weesner refrained from delving too far into descriptors, but hearing him speak about beer reveals a man with a true passion much like an accomplished art critic speaks of many masterful works.

Lately you’ve probably heard a lot about the late Michael Jackson, pop star. But, a new tribute brew by Portland’s Hair of the Dog Brewery slated for release on November 14, 2009 will honor the late beer scribe of the same name. Hair of the Dog brewer and founder Alan Sprints has concocted a special barrel-aged and bottle conditioned Flemish Red Ale simply named “Michael” to pay tribute to the man who Sprints calls “the most influential beer writer and critic who ever lived.” We must admit, those are hard words with which to argue.

Michael will be unveiled this Saturday at the Hair of the Dog Brewery’s annual November dock sale. Sales start at 10 a.m. and as usual, there are expected to be droves of beer geeks awaiting their turn at the Sprints’ cellarable favorites. Specialty brews sought after at the sale include Cherry Adam from the Wood, Fred from the Wood, Doggie Claws Barleywine, and the Matt, a bourbon and apple Eau de Vie barrel-aged sour originally designed to commemorate Bottleworks’ (Seattle) tenth anniversary. Expect long lines and good times once again this year.

Hair of the Dog’s big dog Alan Sprints made a special appearance at the Green Dragon in Portland to the delight of 1st Gen beer dorks and whippersnapper hophead hipsters. The highly anticipated annual favorite Doggie Claws ‘09 coined the arrival of this year’s big winter brews. In a quasi-momentus speech, Sprints nonchalantly claimed the event was his first personal tasting of this year’s batch. Also available at this HOTD festivity was Cherry Adam from the Wood and Blue Dot IPA. The only downer of the batch, a low alcohol and chlorine-esque Ruth was unleashed. We witnessed a few of these being sent back to the bar, but the plush and dark fruity wooded Adam and 11.5% floral and resinous barleywine seemed to override any insignificance.

Thank you for reading Brewpublic. Here is the 300th post with hopefully many more to come.

Yesterday, I poked my head in Hair of the Dog to see what was brewing. Blue Dot. The rich, kickin’ India Pale Ale made with rye malt and some intense hop varieties. The smell emanating from the brewhouse was reminiscent of one of my favorite cereals of all time: Grape-Nuts. Owner and brewmaster Alan Sprints was moving palates of his fine beer following the past weekend’s Earth Day sale, and his assistant Jamie was running the labeler and moving stock as well. According to Alan, having his assistant there really helps with production and he anticipates that Hair of the Dog will continue to beef up brewing this year.

Fall in love with Beervana’s craft brews all over again this Valentine’s Day.  Zwicklemaniacs from around Oregon will find most brewery’s opening their doors to folks wanting an inside peek at the behind the scenes operations.  Here’s a look at some breweries you might want to tour (And for a more comprehensive listing, visit the Oregon Brewers Guild site). All of these events are going down on Saturday February 14, 2009.

Mike Haines of Vertigo Brewing of Hillsboro has just informed us that the brewery will be open from 1-4PM  offering samples of their new to the market brews including Apricot Cream Ale, High Altitude Amber Ale, Razz Raspberry Wheat, and their flagship Friar Mike’s IPA.  Vertigo is located at 21420 NW Nicholas Ct. Suite D-7, Hillsboro.  For more info, call 503-645-6644.

It’s not very often that I start drinking in the A.M.   But when it comes to events like this and beers like these, drinking in the early morning isn’t out of bounds either.  By the time 9 o’clock rolled around, I had experienced several rare beers that I had never had before.  I spoke with Preston Weesner, an organizer of the Portland International Beerfest and the highly anticipated Holiday Ale Fest.  Weesner informed me of seemingly endless wonderful beers coming up at this event  I was feeling almost overwhelmed with craft beer…if that is at all possible.

Crowd reacts to the posted beer list

Saturday November 15, 2008

7:11AM First Light

Cherry Adam from the Wood 2008

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is set to start selling their Cherry Adam from the Wood for the first time in bottles.  Starting Saturday November 15, 2008 at 10am, dedicated beer geeks waiting in line will get to purchase the inspirational new beer.  100 cases (24 12oz. bottles) will be sold (one per customer) for $200 each.  There also be other highly sought after rare HOTD bottles available as well including the beloved Fred From the Wood.

The sale will continue with an accompanied tasting of a variety of HOTD specialties until 4PM.  Other items like wearables will be for sale as well.

Is there anyone in Portland (or the entire brewniverse) who isn’t completely hyped for this year’s Hair of the Dog November sale?  It’s a time when the production brewery opens its doors to the masses to quaff samples of special HOTD treats and purchase limited quantities of vintage ales. According to founder and brewer Alan Sprints, the 15th Anniversary Sale will feature the release of a new batch of Fred from the Wood, 2008 Doggie Claws and a small amount of Cherry Adam from the Wood.  Says Sprints: “Come join me and my family to celebrate another year. I will have shirts, hats, and some vintage Beers available as well.”

Brewed since 1994, Adam is a recreation of a historic beerstyle. Originally made in Dortmunder, Germany, it was the first beer Sprints produced when he opened Hair of the Dog. Rich in flavor, Adam is best served as a dessert beer. It is great with chocolate or cigars, or just a warm fire and good company. It has 10% alcohol by volume and 50 IBUs. Now in limited quantities, the beer aged in oak barrels with the addition of cherries promises an interesting if not wonderful new complexity.