I just saw a posting on the babble belt claiming that for their 2011 collaboration release De Proef will be working with none other then Portland’s own Alan Sprints from Hair of the Dog brewing. I don’t have any other info on it, or know the accuracy, so keep your eyes and ears open. Previous collaborations in this series with Dirk Naudts of De Proef includ Tomme Arthur of Pizza Port / Lost Abbey with a brett IPA of sorts, Jason Perkins of Allagash with a brett golden, and John Mallet of Bells with a sour cherry dubbel. This would mark another exciting upcoming collaboration release after the previous news of the Deschutes/Hair of the Dog collaboration announcement.

Fred Fest Tickets went on sale yesterday sometime, so as you can imagine with only 250 tickets available they are going fast. Visit the website to get your tickets today. Please note that this year the fest will be held Monday night, May 10th from 6-10pm at the new Hair of the Dog location at 61 SE Yamhill St.

For those new to Fred Fest this is one of the premier beer events in PDX, a yearly birthday tribute to a local pioneer in the craft brewing industry, Fred Eckhardt (yah, he has his own Wikipedia entry, how bad ass is that). Hosted by Alan Sprints, Lisa Morrison, and Preston Weesner, this event rounds up a selection of around 20 incredible beers to pair along with food, appetizers, and dessert. Tickets are $50 and include all of the beer, food, and a ticket for prize drawings and a souvenir glass. All proceeds from the event go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Don’t miss out on this event.               Seriously, just don’t.                Buy tickets now.

Just a heads up, there was a post on Beer Advocate about a date change for this year’s Fred Fest. It is now looking like it will be held Monday night, May 10th at the new Hair of the Dog brewery location. That’s all the info I have so far, just wanted to spread the word in-case people were making travel plans.

Keep an eye on the official website for more info.