Internal Brewsletter - February 18th
General
Employee Provision - Submissions Needed!
A weekly special served at the Pub, with ideas sourced from Block 15 employees.
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Sophia K ! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Chicken Salad Sandwich!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas! Remember, if your provision gets selected, you can order one for free!
-This Week’s Releases-
Animal Cookies // Hazy IPA // 7.00%
Brewed for the hop-loving animal inside of you, this can is packed with sticky, pungent hops. Unleash a swirling circus of pineapple, tangerine, mango, pine, and dank herb hop characters.
What are some highlights or changes for this beer?
The very best that hazy IPA has to offer. Balanced with plenty of structure to prevent flabbiness often associated with the style.
Tasting Notes:
Ripe Papaya • Navel Orange • unchained
Availability:
On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Series:
Perennial; Returning seasonals released around the same time each year. Available for 1-3 months.
What is a Hazy IPA?
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, which had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time, giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Charmed Life // Irish Red Ale // 5.00%
Fortune favors the bold - and this lucky Irish Red Ale proves it. With a deep ruby hue and velvety malt backbone, Charmed Life delivers a taste of Irish brewing tradition in every blessed drop.
What are some highlights or changes for this beer?
A true representation of a classic Irish Red, brewed with tradition in mind and respect for one of our favorite styles.
Tasting Notes:
Bread Crust • Burnt Sugar • Jig Inducing
Availability:
On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Series:
Perennial; Returning seasonals released around the same time each year. Available for 1-3 months.
What is an Irish Red Ale?
This classic style of amber ale has its roots in Ireland, though not under the name Irish Red Ale. That name originates from Coors and their iconic brand, Killian’s Irish Red, which is, in fact, a lager, not an ale. The tradition of making amber ales in Ireland goes back many centuries, always featuring a caramel and toffee-like malt flavor with a mild bitterness and very little hop flavor.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Amplified Diesel // West Coast IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: February 27th
Availability: On draft only + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Ocean Man // Baltic Porter
Series: Orbital
Releases: February 27th
Availability: On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer(s) is/are:
BOTH: Prophecies & Zero Lux
Beer Education
Barrel Room Roundtable - Thursdays at 4 pm
This week’s topic: Carbonation’s effect on finished beer: a sensory evaluation
BEER 101
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Clean Glassware
Clean Glassware is more important than we sometimes assume. It directly impacts the beer’s flavor, aroma, and appearance. Oils, soaps, and soil (residue from lipstick, prior drinks, etc.) interfere with the beer’s ability to make and retain foam. Flat beer with poor foam (in most styles) looks and tastes worse than it could. Sight is the first sense that a beer drinker uses when enjoying our products, and it’s critical to make a great first impression. It is absolutely the difference between an okay and a stellar experience with our beer. Not only that, but experienced beer drinkers know the signs of a dirty glass, and judge our whole operation based on one flaw.
Beyond just making it look bad, soils, oils, and soaps add off flavors to the beer that we’ve worked so hard to keep pristine until this point. They grab onto carbonation and remove it from solution, affecting the carbonation and mouthfeel, and can even make customers sick.
Lastly, clean glassware demonstrates to our customers that we are professional and that we respect their time and the fact that they chose us as the place to spend their money. I would absolutely not return to an establishment that served me two dirty glasses in a row.
It is important to me that we are serving every pint in an absolutely spotless glass. If you are having a hard time getting your dishes clean enough to be considered truly spotless, please reach out to me and your manager. A little lipstick on a glass is absolutely not an okay thing to send out, and I want us all to be keeping a sharp eye out for it. I for sure will be.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Selection Series 2026
This year’s Selection Series beers will be released on March 6th! This is a fan favorite of ours each year, as we highlight different hops in four single-hop WC IPAs.
Each fall during the hop harvest, the Block 15 Team (usually Nick, Matt, and Garrison) travels to Yakima in search of the finest hops. Through a blind process, we evaluate hops from multiple farms and regions, selecting the best representation of each variety for our programs, often challenging common assumptions about the varieties.
For 2026, we’re highlighting Citra, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Strata. We encourage folks to try these on draft side by side or take home a mixed 4-pack. Learning about how different hops present in a beer is super cool! You can really taste the difference.
This program is SUPER unique in the beer industry, too. By providing this learning experience for our guests, we’re creating new fans of beers with specific hop varieties. Outside Block 15, there are accounts across Oregon that serve all four of these beers as an event and make the same comparison.
Something new this year: We’re having folks VOTE on their favorite variety. The link is on our website and will be on table tents in the restaurant while the series is on draft.
Events
Bourbon Month
END OF BOURBON MONTH is Feb 28th! Keep up the good work, everyone, and finish the month strong. - Holly
Next Monday’s special bourbon is:
February 23rd - George Dickel Leopold Brothers Collab - Three Chamber Rye 100 Proof / 50% ABV
George Dickel has teamed up with the Leopold Bros to produce an innovative rye whisky offering. The release blends George Dickel’s column still rye produced at Cascade Hollow Distillery with Leopold Bros’ Three Chamber Rye to recreate a historic style. This union between column-distilled rye and Three Chamber distilled rye turns back the hands of time, returning to an era that saw heavy-bodied rye whisky served at bars and saloons throughout America.
Events List:
Check back in next Week!
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Pub monthly specials will launch on Wednesday 3.4!
Japanese Pork Katsu & Rice
Panko breaded and fried pork cutlet served over a bed of steamed coconut basmati rice with our Japanese curry sauce, shredded napa cabbage, and quick citrus pickled cucumbers. 17.99
Honey-Chili Shrimp Po Boy
Sweet & spicy grilled wild Gulf shrimp, shredded lettuce, sweet onion, fresh tomato & chipotle-lime remoulade on a house baked sesame baguette. 16.99
Sweet Potato & Romesco Dip
Creamy sweet potatoes, romesco, almonds & cream cheese dip served chilled with veggies and toasted bread. 11.99
Grilled Turkey Cheddar Sandwich
Roasted turkey breast, grilled onions, Tillamook Cheddar cheese and house-made honey mustard on toasted artisan bread. $15.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week !
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
As a part of the new 5S System joining us at the Pub (more from Cedar soon!) Shirley Temples and Roy Rogers will now be made by servers themselves at the soda station! Please check in with a manager if you have any questions/have never made one before and we will give you the run down :) The button for those items will no longer ring in at the bar starting this Friday!
Tap Room Updates
Check back next week !
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
Get ready for some much colder days these coming weeks! Travel safe as these evenings are going to be pretty frosty ❄️
Some exciting new additions to our beverage options now that we are getting closer to spring!
Wine:
Anne Amie Vineyard’s ‘Enchante’ Pinot Blanc
On Tap:
Great Notion’s Northleft - Hazy IPA
Block 15’s Green Truck - American Lager
Fremont Brewing’s Dark Star - Double Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Duchess de Bourgogne (COMING SOON)
We will be adding our V-Day cocktail Love and Murder to our menu for the rest of the winter season as it was a huge success! And excellent job, team! You all absolutely killed it this V-Day weekend!
From the Caves Kitchen!
This Friday potato latkes will be making a comeback to the menu! If you remember them from last year, they will be slightly different with them being served with a parmesan cream sauce rather than the cambozola sauce. They will replace the roasted beet dish.
Crispy potato & sweet onion latkes, parmesan cream sauce, fresh Oregon pear, microgreens $8
This weekend we will also be running a French Onion Pasta special that James has put together!
High Fives
No High Fives this week :(((
Make sure to give a little love to your work bestie or someone who stepped up — your words might mean more than you think.
Staff Section
Check back next week !
Charitable Programs
Check back next week !