Bartender...Pour Me a Fred! In our effort to bring you the latest in Fred-trends, we travel to the moss-covered Northwest where--as anyone from there will tell you--resides the world's finest micro-brewed beers. Beer may have made Milwaukee famous, but it's made Portland, Oregon, the ale-lover's Nirvana. And it is there, in a 5,000 sq. ft. former foundry near Portland's train yard, where you will find the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company. The microbrewery started by Doug Henderson and Alan Sprints in 1993 is considered small even by microbrewery standards, producing about 600 barrels (18,000 gallons) of beer per year. A big brewery probably spills more than these guys brew. The company's beers are noted for being rich, strong and, as one reviewer called them, "stubbornly iconoclastic." The Hair of the Dog is highly respected among beer enthusiasts, has been written up in The Wall Street Journal, and its brews have been rated "excellent" in The Beer Lover's Guide to the USA. But what we like about Sprints and Henderson is not only their tasty beers, but also their good taste in beer names. Their No. 1 best-selling beer is, after all, named "Fred"! Fred is a strong golden ale that uses 10 varieties of hops collected from five different countries and packs a powerful wallop at a full 20 proof (that's 10% alcohol content for you teetotalers). "I think of Fred as an individual," says Sprints. "The hops might fit into a barley wine category, but there's no caramelly flavor and no English grains." We're not sure what that means, but it does show that once again, Fred stands above the rest! Fred was named after 74 year-old Fred Eckhardt, a world-respected writer on beer and brewing, a masters swimmer who regularly places in the national top-10 of his age group, and his namesake brew's biggest fan. "It's a good beer," says Eckhardt about Fred. "They wanted a strong beer without making a barley wine, so it's golden instead of dark. And it's got a good name--there are only a few of us Freds around." (More than you think, Fred) Unless you live in Portland, you probably can't wander in to your favorite pub and order a tall, frothy pint of Fred. In fact, it's even scarce in the Portland area, due to the combination of limited quantities and growing popularity. But all is not lost: Those of you who live in Northern California can buy a magnum of your namesake at Trader Joe's stores for around $10. If you are neither an Oregonian nor a Californian, it might be a good time to befriend someone who is and have him/her score you a bottle of the delectable amber concoction. If none of the above is possible, Portland has a major international airport and one of the country's finest mass transit systems. Too far to go for a glass of Fred? Not according to Fred Eckhardt. "The beer is worth searching for, I swear," Fred says, "and not just because it bears my name. It IS delicious." For more info on Fred and the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, log on to http://www.hairofthedog.com or call 503-232-6585. And tell 'em The FRED Society sent ya.