The craft beer world lost one of its true originals this month with the passing of Alan Sprints, founder and brewmaster of Hair of the Dog Brewing in Portland.

If you were lucky enough to experience Hair of the Dog at its peak, you probably remember a brewery unlike any other. While most of us were drinking our very first craft beers, Alan was producing massive barleywines, burly double IPAs, barrel-aged oddities with cherries and currants, and Adam—his dark, sweet, and slightly smoky interpretation of the long-forgotten historic German beer style, "Adambier."

Hair of the Dog beers often carried simple four-letter names like Fred, Dave,* Rose,* Ruth, and Adam, many of them quiet tributes to the people who inspired, and often at once admired, Alan. 

"Fred," was a reference to Fred Eckhardt, the San Francisco-born, Portland-based pioneer of contemporary American beer-writing. 

"Matt," a strong, smoky ale aged in apple eau de vie barrels, was created to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of a celebrated Seattle bottle shop operated by two guys named Matt.

"Ruth" was a tribute to Alan's grandmother. 

Hair of the Dog was a product of a remarkable moment in American craft beer. Founded in 1993, the brewery was part of a nascent craft beer movement rewarded curiosity. Drinkers actively sought out breweries that challenged convention, and brewers were encouraged to chase novelty over precision. Originality, eccentricity, and experimentation were celebrated in an era when breweries never dreamed of reaching everybody, hoping instead to earn the devotion of a passionate few.

As craft beer has matured, many things have improved. The average quality of American beer has never been higher. The market has developed a sophisticated understanding of many styles that barely existed in the American vocabulary during Hair of the Dog's biggest years.

But mature beer cultures also tend to settle around a relatively small collection of signature styles. Every great beer country has its staples. Every mature market eventually settles around a relatively small number of familiar styles, leaving less room for the beautifully eccentric.

That makes Hair of the Dog feel almost impossible to imagine today. Not because Alan lacked the talent to succeed today, but because the kind of brewery he wanted to build belonged to a moment when curiosity and imagination were rewarded. 

Alan Sprints never seemed particularly interested in brewing the beer that was easiest to sell. He brewed the beer that fascinated him. His audience may never have been enormous, but it was fiercely devoted because every bottle reflected a singular vision.

Perhaps no beer better captured Alan's approach than "Dave," which was brewed in honor of Dave Keene, the erstwhile proprietor of San Francisco's legendary beer bar, The Toronado. Dave began as a batch of Adam, which Alan concentrated through repeated freeze-distillation before aging it in oak for fifteen years.

The result was a still, 29% ABV beer that defied essentially every conventional definition of what a beer was. Only about one hundred gallons were ever produced, turning what began as a brewer paying tribute to a fellow craft beer icon into one of the most sought-after American beers ever brewed, with surviving bottles fetching as much as $2,000 on the secondary market.

The lesson here isn't that craft beer should return to the past. We can't, and we shouldn't.

Rather, Alan's legacy is a reminder that every thriving culture needs people willing to ignore convention entirely. The breweries that redefine beer don't begin by asking what customers expect. They begin with someone stubborn enough to do their own thing.

The Bay Area has historically celebrated those kinds of people, and we should continue to. 

So when you visit one of our member-breweries this weekend, take a leap. Order the strongest or strangest-looking thing on the menu, and when you receive your glass, raise it up for Alan Sprints—a brewer who never confused popularity with purpose.

While we remember Alan, it's fitting to tip our hats to Dave Keene as well. Their friendship and mutual admiration symbolized both sides of a spirit essential to the birth and growth of great beer on the West Coast. An idiosyncratic and uncompromising Portland brewer doing the creating, and an ever-curious and influential San Francisco publican doing the appreciating. 

---

🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries

🎉 Public Events This Week!

Friday & Saturday 7/31 & 8/1—Del Cielo Taproom Anniversary Celebration!
(Livermore, CA)
Julio Bravo kicks off the celebration on Friday, followed by The Dream Tellers on Saturday. Two nights of live music, great beer, and celebrating an amazing first year in Livermore.
Tickets & More Info –> Two Nights Of Live Music in Livermore!

Saturday 8/1—Enterprise Brewing 3rd Anniversary!
(San Francisco, CA)
One more time around the sun for and SF favorite! Celebrate with Rosamunde Sausage Grill pop-up starting at 1pm.
More Info –> 3rd Anniversary Party in San Francisco!

Saturday 8/1—Summer Skullfest at Epidemic Ales!
(Concord, CA| Noon - 10PM))
Party your skulls off at Epidemic's annual Summer Skullfest party, celebrating the release of Summer Skullfest Hazy IPA. Live Music 2–5pm.
More Info –> Skullfest In Concord!

---

📅 Save the Dates

Saturday, 8/8—Cavalcade and Backyard Grand Opening by Old Caz
(Petaluma, CA)
The grand opening of Old Caz Brewing's new "Backyard" location in Petaluma. The festivities start at 10AM with a "Cavalcade" from the brewery's SoMo Taproom in Rohnert Park to the new spot.
More Info –> Grand Opening & Bike Ride in Petaluma!

Wednesday, 8/12—Country Karaoke Night at Del Cielo
(Livermore, CA)
Country Karaoke Night is taking over DC's Livermore Taproom. Whether you’re ready to belt out a heartbreak ballad, a country classic, or your favorite sing-along hit, the mic is yours.
More Info –> Country Karaoke in Livemore!

Saturday, 8/15—Lúpulo Brew Fest: IPA Block Party at Del Cielo!
(Martinez, CA | 1PM - 5PM)
DC's 3rd Annual Lúpulo Brew Fest is back featuring an incredible lineup of IPAs from 15+ breweries, live music by Inner State 80's. Proceeds from the festival benefit Bay Area Bike Project.
Tickets & More Info –> IPA Block Party In Martinez!

Saturday, 8/15—Pitch-A-Friend at Headlands Brewing!
(Walnut Creek, CA | 8PM)
Think "Shark Tank" only your friends are pitching you!
Sign Ups & More Info –> Pitch-A-Friend In Walnut Creek!

Saturday, 8/15—Virtuoso IPA Release Party and Concert at HenHouse Brewing!
(Santa Rosa, CA | 6PM - 9:30PM)
To coincide with each new release from their Conservatory West Coast IPA Series, HenHouse is hosting a monthly musical showcase featuring 4 local bands.
More Info –> Virtuoso Showcase In Santa Rosa!

Sunday, 8/23—SUDS FRANCISCO - A Funk & Fermentation Festival hosted by Barebottle Brewing at Salesforce Park!
(San Francisco, CA | 2PM-7PM)
A summertime celebration of funk and fermentation held beneath the SoMa skyline!
Tickets and More Info –> Suds Francisco 2026!

Saturday, 9/19—It's The Malt - Craft Malt Festival at Admiral Maltings!
(Alameda, CA | 1PM-5PM)
Admiral Maltings' third annual celebration of artisan beer, American Single Malt whiskey, floor-malting, and California grown grains.
Tickets and More Info –> It's The Malt 2026!