JUN/JUL 2006 | REGIONAL | PACIFIC NW

PORTLAND, Ore. — About a hundred FOFs (Friends of Fred) gathered at Portland's Hair of the Dog Brewery on May 6 to surprise the heck out of the Dean of American Beer Writers, Fred Eckhardt, for his 80th birthday.

FredFest 2006, as the party was dubbed, featured special beers donated by Oregon breweries, including Hair of the Dog Fred (named for the venerable Mr. Eckhardt) on cask, BridgePort Old Knucklehead (honoring Eckhardt as the current Knucklehead), BJ's Portlander-Weisse, Pelican's Wee Heavy, Rogue's Integrity Ale, two brews from New Old Lompoc and the 2004 Old Yeller Barleywine from Lucky Lab.

Because Eckhardt is known for his classic and "out-there" beer pairings, fest-goers were encouraged to enjoy their beer samples with several cheeses from local cheese purveyor Curds & Whey, as well as with chocolates, ice cream and even breakfast cereal. Attendees also were treated to a souvenir silicone wristband imprinted with "WWFD?" (What Would Fred Drink?) to help guide them in their future beer explorations.

Full Disclosure: Reporter Lisa Morrison, along with Preston Weesner of the Holiday Ale Fest and Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog, was one of the FredFest organizers. But even if she wasn't, she'd still think it was a great party.

Lisa Morrison (aka the Beer Goddess) does The Time Warp and enjoys craft beer in her hometown of Portland, all across the great state of Oregon… and beyond!