Brewer's Brain Blog

Gose, the perfect Post Race Beer?

We are strong proponents of healthy life styles and believe that craft beer can be a positive part of our lives. Throughout the year Block 15 sponsors many events including the Corvallis ½ Marathon, Mountain Bike Oregon, Fall Festival run, Relay for Life, Run to Get Lucky, Corvallis Knights Baseball, Benton Brigade Hurling, and local softball & basketball teams. We also sponsor our employees’ entry into many of these events. Fifteen Block 15 and Les Caves employees, including myself, a Clydesdale, will be running/walking the Corvallis half marathon this Sunday. In addition, we have a competition going on with our friends at Flat Tail brewing. The fastest pub will receive a round on the house from the other pub, and of course bragging rights for the year. A well rounded lifestyle should include healthy and fun activities followed by responsible consumption of a well brewed local craft beer.

Once again we were asked to brew the official beer for Corvallis Half Marathon. After a few weeks of research and deliberation we settled on a German inspired Gose, “Gose-uh”. This hard to find style is brewed with wheat, lactobacillus, salt, and sometimes coriander. We implemented a sour mash for gentle acidity and then added salt & coriander in the kettle. During conditioning we added fresh juice from Meyer Lemons. The unfiltered beer pours a hazy straw color with a white head. The beer has a gentle citrus and fruit flavor with a touch of tartness. The body is light, crisp, and extremely drinkable with the mild acidity and salinity. Seriously refreshing and only 3.5%alc/vol!

There are numerous studies that have identified the health benefits of moderate beer consumption. What makes our Gose an ideal post-race brew?*

Salt=electrolyte containing sodium salts replenish the body’s water and electrolyte levels after dehydration caused by exercise.

Wheat= additional protein

Coriander= antioxidant. Also lowers levels of cholesterol.

Meyer Lemons= fiber & Vitamin C.

Brewer’s Yeast=b vitamins in yeast aid in converting carbohydrates to energy. Proteins boost energy levels, chromium reduces levels of low-density lipoprotein

Low alcohol= Alcohol raises the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) benefiting the heart and circulatory system.

Also, studies have shown that beer contains dietary silicona, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.

Whether you are running a ½ marathon, are part of a sports team, or exercising on your own, enjoy a locally brewed craft beer as your reward.

See you at the Pub and the Finish line!

*no tests have been done on our beer for to measure actual health benefits.

Pappy’s Dark 2011

This marks our third year of brewing Pappy’s Dark, a specialty bourbon barrel matured strong ale. As with Super Nebula, we tinker with the recipe and process each year in hopes of presenting a better beer to you. Pappy’s Dark is designed to display the bourbon that was once matured in the barrels. By maturing Pappy’s Dark for about 3 months, the beer picks up more of the liquor character and a small amount of the barrel.

The Barrels
20 yr old bourbon barrels from The Rip Van Winkle Distillery. Last year we matured in 10 yr old barrels. The 20 yr barrels provide the usual notes of caramel, coconut, bourbon and vanilla. One very nice additional note I detect is graham cracker, intriguing!

The Grain bill
We upped the specialty malts roughly 10% for more background depth. This provides a balanced base for the bourbon character to stand on. You will notice that this year’s version is deeper in color.

Yeast
We changed our yeast from American Ale yeast to British yeast. I felt that the American Ale yeast in the past was too attenuative, leaving it too dry to be well balanced. I like my strong ales on the drier side; many I feel are too sweet. However, the American Ale yeast was not leaving enough residual sugar to balance the alcohol in the beer.

Carbonation
We increased the carbonation in the bottle slightly. This provides more lift in the beer releasing the wonderful aromas, and balances the body.

Overall, I am very pleased with this year’s Pappy’s Dark. It has all the character of the past years versions but with a more balanced presentation. The beer is ready to drink now for nice upfront bourbon character, and will evolve gracefully allowing the characters to meld.

Release Info
On tap now at our Pub! Bottles go on sale at our pub this Saturday the 4th @ 11am. $14.95/bottle with a 4 bottle limit.

Outside of Block 15
Official PDX release Saturday February 11th at The Hop & Vine. We also will be selling bottles and draught to several beer taverns and bottle shops in Portland and Eugene. I will post the distributions list on Facebook as soon as we know where you can find it.

Cheers,
Nick and the Block 15 Team

Super Nebula 2011

Our 2011 release of Super Nebula is the third rendition of the brew. In 2009 we matured 50% of Super Nebula in 23 yr old barrels and blended back in the other 50%.

2010 was 100% matured 3 months in 10 & 11 yr. old barrels. To add more depth we matured the batch on fresh roasted cocoa nibs from Papua New Guinea. The nibs, as advertised, added complex notes of cocoa, wood, and smoky bacon. At first I absolutely loved this beer. The bourbon was evident and backed up by the huge malt complexity and nib character. Though, several glasses later, over the course of the month I found the bacon smoke element detracting from the overall experience. We also found that Super Nebula really matured and hits its stride around 5 months after we released it, making for a wonderful July beverage.
With knowledge gained from the first two batches we again fired up Super Nebula. In March of 2011 I was notified of some very rare Buffalo Trace barrels dating 1989, 1991, & 1993. I took the opportunity and had them shipped right away. Thus we brewed Super Nebula again, but several months earlier than the previous year. This extra time is just what we were looking for to give the beer an opportunity to mature. As we were happy with the previous vintages overall, we kept the grain and hop bill the same: Maris Otter Pale , Special B, 135/165, chocolate, roast, pale chocolate, black patent, and a touch of clear candi sugar.

In December we tasted each barrel and began blending. At this time I went in search of the perfect cocoa nib. For those interested, my source is Chocolate Alchemy out of Eugene. This guy is as passionate about chocolate as I am about beer. Picking the correct nib is of extreme importance to the beer. I selected Dominican Republic “Conacado” cocoa nibs for their luscious earthy, rum, and blackberry character. We receive them raw and roast them in house the day before adding the nibs to the beer.
Now bottled and kegged , our Super Nebula 2011 is ready for your enjoyment. Normally, I’m not one to talk up our beers too much as it is expected from the brewer. But I must say that in my opinion, for my taste, Super Nebula 2011 is one of the top 5 beers to ever come from our brewery, if not the top. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Where to Find: Now on Tap at our Pub! Bottles will be sold February 4th at our Pub $15.95/750 ml Corked & Caged. The only other place bottles will be sold is at our official PDX release at The Hop & Vine

Limited draught will be available outside our pub in the next couple weeks. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for a list of fine beer establishments we will sell to.

Cheers,
Nick & The Block 15 Brewing Team

Ironically, as I write this I have received word that 20yr old Pappy Van Winkle Barrels will be sent to our brewery for Super Nebula 2012!

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