Hair of the Dog Heads to Belgium

Hair of the Dog Brewing‘s much anticipated collaboration brew with Deschutes Brewery of Bend has been one of the most hyped beers in some time. On a recent trip to the Bend, we witnessed racks of barrels awaiting blending. The beer, the first in Deschutes’ Conflux Series is close to release, and will come out several months following Conflux #2, a White IPA brewed with Boulevard Brewing of Kansas City, MO. Conflux #1 will be a blend two of each brewery’s beers. These beers were brewed a year ago on Deschutes’ system and are nearing their release date according to Deschutes’ digital marketing manager Jason Randles.

Hair of the Dog is also set to brew and release a few other collabs in the near future. De Proef Brouwerij, who has done tag team brews with big name breweries such as Allagash, Lost Abbey, and Bells, has a special blend in the works with HOTD brewmaster Alan Sprints. According to Sprints’ facebook page, the brewmaster will be hitting Europe in March to brew a beer at DeProef with brewmaster Dirk Naudts. The result will be Flanders Fred, a “Flanders-sourced Lambic with a collaboratively-brewed version of the famous Hair of the Dog Fred.” Here is the full commercial description for the brew:

The sixth edition of the De Proef Brewmaster’s Collaboration Series is our first blended beer. Legendary brewer, Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog joins Dirk Naudts at De Proef to create this unique bottle conditioned beer. Flanders Fred is a blend of Flanders-sourced Lambic with a collaboratively-brewed version of the famous Hair of the Dog Fred.

The result is a deep golden ale topped with a creamy off-white head. The nose is complex with notes of lemon, pine, tropical fruits and spice. The palate is rich and layered with toffee, apricot and almond, balanced by some green apple, a hoppy bitterness and barnyard funk.

Please enjoy Flanders Fred with food and friends.

This beer should pair very well with many cheeses, roasted vegetables and grilled meats. We believe this bottle will continue to evolve beautifully over the next few years, adding a subtle blending of the flavors.

Cheers from Portland and Flanders!

Alan and Dirk

Following his DeProef brew adventure in Lochristi Belgium, Sprints will find his way to De Struise Brouwers in Oostvleteren, Belgium. It is not known what the beer will be that Sprints will make in conjunction with De Struise, who has done collaborative releases with the likes of Mikkeller (who hasn’t), Allagash, and 21st Amendment. Have fun in Europe, Alan, and bring us back something tasty. Cheers!