Hair of the Dog Brewing Company founder Alan Sprints announced today that he plans to retire and shut down the 29-year-old, Portland, Oregon-based craft brewery later this year.
In an Instagram video, Sprints said the brewery and tasting room would close this summer after he releases “a few more beers” and “lots of beer to sell.”
“Beer has been very, very good to me,” he said. “I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend over half of my life doing something I love so much. I’m not selling the brewery, and I do look forward to the possibility of future collaborations.”
Hair of the Dog opened in 1993 and became one of the first U.S. breweries to specialize in high-alcohol, bottle-conditioned ales, as well as barrel-aged beers. One of those beers, a 19-year-old, limited-edition barleywine named Dave, sold for $2,000 a bottle in 2013, according to NPR. Dave was part of Sprints’ effort to show beer could and should be valued as much as wine.
Hair of the Dog produced around 600 barrels of beer annually, with the bulk of its output meant to be sold on draft at its tasting room and a few accounts in Oregon, according to the company’s website.
Hair of the Dog is the second legacy craft brewery to announce its closure this year. Marin Brewing Company in Larkspur, California, closed on January 31 after 33 years in business.
In December, Weeping Radish Farm Brewery founder Uli Bennewitz sold the 35-year-old Grandy, North Carolina-based craft brewery and retired from the beer industry to focus on farming.
In Portland, several legacy craft breweries have either ceased operations or closed their taprooms in recent years. Last February, FIFCO USA ceased operations of Portland Brewing Company after 34 years.
In October 2019, Lompoc Brewing shuttered after 23 years in business, while Lagunitas shuttered its outpost in the city. In February 2019, Gambrinus Company ceased operations at Bridgeport Brewing and Burnside Brewing closed. A month earlier, Craft Brew Alliance closed the Widmer Brothers pub, but the brand continued on.