Maxim Magzine published this short piece about our beer. You can read original here.
Unlike most major labels, which brew their suds in vats roughly the size of Rhode Island, Portland's Hair of the Dog Brewing Company makes small batches of "bottle-conditioned" beers that actually finish their brewing cycle inside the bottle. If stored at room temperature, these suds ferment on their own, like fine wine, for several years. Hair of the Dog calls its strongest ale Fred, in honor of great beer historian Fred Eckhardt (and they say the academic life is a dull one). It's a golden 10-hop concoction that contains a staggering 11.5 percent alcohol by volume. What's Fred's ancient Chinese secret? Time. The longer the maturing period, the longer the yeast interacts with the beer, sucking up excess sugar like your mother with, um, let's just say a Blow Pop, and cranking out more alcohol. This prolonged extraction of sugar is what changes Fred's "personality." A quick word of warning: Downing a couple of bottles will probably change your personality too. If you want to get the Fred out yourself, take a walk to www.hairofthedog.com, or call the brewery at (503) 232-6585 for all the hairy details.