On his own terms, a renaissance man retires. Alan Sprints announces the closure of Hair of the Dog Brewing company.

Alan Sprints, circa 2010s/Northwest Beer Guide™

Announced on Monday, February 14th, Alan Sprints announced the closure of Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, via social media. In his speech, Sprints thanked the fans and customers, who have supported his brewery and taproom, since 1993. With a current date not set beyond Summer 2022, Hair of the Dog will cease operations of both its brewery and taproom in the coming months. Included in the announcement was Alan Sprints’ plans to retire with no plans to sell his business. Like his beers, Alan’s announcement speaks for itself. 

For Alan, this marks the conclusion of a business that is nearly in its third-decade. Which, when compared with the landscape of breweries throughout Portland, Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest, remains a singularity both in age and commitment to styles. 

Started during a time when the number of breweries in the Pacific Northwest was less than 100, Alan and his partner Doug Henderson’s mission was to be the antithesis of what defined craft beer in the region. During a period when the Willamette Valley’s bars and taverns were lush with Widmer Hefeweizen, Henry’s Private Reserve, and Portland Amber Ale, Hair of the Dog challenged palates with beers like Fred and Adam. And it wasn’t just the locals that were noting Sprints and Henderson’s high gravity beers.

From famed beer scribes, Michael Jackson and Fred Eckhardt, to collectors, the name Hair of the Dog inspired salivation with every utterance. One only had to visit their first location, where eager fans and the curious would wait hours in the darkness before sunrise, just to purchase a case or a handful of Alan’s beers during his warehouse parties. 

By 2000, as the brewery topography swelled in the region, Alan would purchase the ownership rights of Hair of the Dog from his partner, Doug Henderson. Telling the Portland Business Journal after buying out Henderson while deflecting offers from external brewers, “I would love to be a small, profitable company, family-owned and run”. A decade later Sprints would grow that commitment, when he moved the brewery and his ad hoc taproom, to 61 SE Yamhill Street, just minutes from downtown Portland. 

At his new location, Alan also drew on his experience as a trained chef with the opening of a multi-seat taproom and kitchen. With a focus on rustic recipes and gastro-complementary fare, Alan and his staff provided an end-to-end sensory adventure as you sipped each of his beers. Besides hosting guests, Alan also played MC by celebrating his friend and beer writer, Fred Eckhardt’s birthday, with Fred Fest. 

Hair of the Dog’s homage famed Portland publican, Don Younger/Northwest Beer Guide™

Besides hosting themed events, thought-provoking beer and meal pairings, Alan also remained a brewer who was both sought after and sought like-minded individuals to brew collaborative beers with. If you’ve lived in or around the Pacific Northwest, you’ve enjoyed Alan’s collaborations like Matt (a beer brewed with Seattle specialty beer store, Bottleworks), Michael (a Flanders-inspired red ale and ode to famed scribe Michael Jackson), or Conflux No. 1 (a blend of Hair of the Dog’s unique beers in cooperation with Deschutes Brewery), just to name a few. 

But like so many creative thinkers whose ideas were ahead of their time, it seems his beers are no longer as relevant as they once were. Coupled with progeny that are indifferent to maintaining the legacy that is Hair of the Dog, and Alan, much as he did those many years ago, is choosing to close his business rather than allow an outside investor determine the future of his brewery and taproom. 

If you take anything from 2022, and the planned retirement of Alan Sprints and the closure of Hair of the Dog brewery and taproom, it’s that the name of the man and his beers were unique and thought-provoking. 

If you wish to savor one more glass before the doors close and the lights turned off, Alan encourages you to visit Hair of the Dog Brewing at 61 SE Yamhill St. For more information, visit http://hairofthedog.com/