Remembering Fred Eckhardt, Dean of American Beer Writing
It is with great sadness that we must report the passing of Fred Eckhardt. Eckhardt was effectively the dean of American writing since his very first newspaper column for the Oregonian, which was published on April 25, 1984. He penned countless other articles since then, and was a columnist for many years here at All About Beer Magazine.
When he turned 80 years old in 2006, Eckhardt reminisced on beers past through “Eighty Beers I Remember.” A veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, Eckhardt imbibed many of these beers while serving our country overseas.
He returned home and graduated from the University of Washington in 1958, then later left Seattle for Portland. It was there that he started homebrewing and penned “A Treatise on Lager Beer” in 1969.
And as breweries popped up across the country in the decades thereafter, Eckhardt was there to sample them and write about them in his trademark style.
He told us where American beer was at the time, where it was heading, and where it had already been.
And while everyone else was content to simply taste and smell their beers, Eckhardt was urging us all to “Listen to Your Beer! Now!“:
“It’s true, there’s a lot more to beer than what is usually perceived, but the sound of a beautiful head is well worth the search. Paying attention is the key here. Center yourself and just be present to your beer. Different beer types have different sounds. As the head disintegrates, it produces a clicking noise. A good cold lager will have an especially nice sound. A rather mellow clicking goes forth: slow and quite pleasant.
If you close your eyes you can really enjoy this quiet, yet impressive sound. Be there with it; it is well worth the extra effort.”
This is but a fraction of the great body of work produced by one of America’s foremost beer writers, and we’ll be sharing more of it in the coming days. But for now, we’re going to pour a beer and think fondly of our friend and former columnist, Fred Eckhardt.
And Fred, we’ll be listening.
Loved Fred. Really only had one encounter with him. Many years ago at the AHA in Oakland we met. Everyone was talking beer at a room full of beer club beers. I asked him what he was into now. I could tell he was beered out. He talked about teaching kids how to swim. I was a fourth grade teacher and could see the passion he had for working with kids. I saw a nonbeer side to him as we talked that evening. RIP Fred.
i think you should dedicate an entire issue to Fred. I never had the honor of meeting him, but God bless him for his service to America, and also to true beer lovers. I did have the opportunity to get to Hair of the Dog, all the way from St. Louis, but alas Fred was not there. Except the beer, which was great. And I’m enjoying a glass now, snifter appropriate, with a good cigar, in Fred’s memory.
Fred was a great figure in craft brewing. He was well traveled, enjoyed life and craft brewing culture. His experiences, traveling, writing, sampling beers and sake throughout the world were easily shared. He was also someone who gave back in ways unknown to the community , volunteering and working with kids as a swim instructor, he found satisfaction and health. Attributing swimming to a healthy lifestyle, he continued to be active late in life. I will miss our interactions and talks.
Cheers
Eckhardt is a true original, and that’s one reason why he’s beloved of beer fans and brewers across the country. In his early correspondence, he referred to his imaginary friend Smedly,” said Tom Dalldorf, publisher of Celebrator Beer News, a national craft-brewing magazine for which Eckhardt writes a monthly column.