Internal Brewsletter - February 4th, 2026
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 BLTTA!
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-
The Incredible // Triple IPA // 10.60%
Beyond belief, our triple IPA pushes boundaries with the monumental hop characters of fresh tropical fruit and sticky resin soaring above a pristine malt foundation for incredible balance.
What are some highlights or changes for this beer?
Incredibly balanced for the strength. Sweetness comes from the high ABV, and is balanced by bready malts and aromatic hops.
Tasting Notes: Pineapple • Resin • Heavy-Hitter
Availability: On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Series: Orbital
This beer will be available a month or less
What is a Tripe IPA?
Triple IPA is an unofficial beer style, meaning that it is not recognized by major organizations such as the BJCP, and style guidelines for triple IPA therefore do not exist. Usually upwards of 10% abv, they are bigger than imperial IPA in every way. More bitter, more sweet, with more body and alcohol, they are a challenge to keep in balance. When thoughtfully crafted, however, they shine in the face of those who would deny them.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Rocky Shores // American IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: February 13th
Availability: On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Punch Out & Prost // Dortmunder Export Lager
Series: Orbital
Releases: February 13th
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:
Pub: Love Potion
Beer Education
Check back next week !
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Events
Bourbon Month
Our kickoff events went really well. Thank you to everyone who helped make sure everything ran smoothly! Let’s keep the momentum going as we go through each week.
Next Monday’s special bourbon is:
Angel’s Envy Private Selection Sherry Cask Edition 116 proof / 58% ABV $21
Angel’s Envy sourced premium French oak barrels from the Bordeaux region of France which were seasoned with Oloroso Sherry in Jerez, Spain for over a year—introducing fruit notes along with the nutty, tobacco flavor profile characteristic of Oloroso Sherry. These barrels offered a distinctive richness to our five-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which finished in them for up to 16 months.
Events List:
4 Spirits Tasting 6-8 pm @ Pub + Dine Out for 4 Spirits Foundation, Wednesday, Feb 11th @ Both
Representatives from 4 Spirits Distillery in Corvallis will be on-site at the Pub from 6 - 8 pm for a special tasting to help us celebrate Bourbon Month. We’re also offering cocktails on our menu, substituted with 4 Spirits options! In addition, we’re hosting a Dine Out event all day at both locations, with a portion of the day's food sales donated to the 4 Spirits Foundation.
Bourbon Dinner - Tuesday, Feb 17th @ Caves
Bourbon 5-course pairing dinner, curated by Sarah & Aidan. We still have some tickets to sell: https://block15.com/experiences/p/bourbon-dinner-at-caves
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Check back next week !
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week !
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We’ve been picking up in business (yay!), but unfortunately we’ve also seen a pick up in some less than desirable behaviors. Please keep these things in mind:
The kitchen is an extremely small space where the most important voice is that of the Line Lead. THIS IS NOT AN AREA TO HAVE LONG/LOUD CHATS. As FOH staff, there are many better places to pass on information to one another, please respect BOH’s space and find somewhere else to have those conversations. Be aware of your volume and what is going on around you.
If you’re working in the food window and there is an issue with a ticket or you have questions (beyond adding some sauces or seasoning to fries) please bring that information to the line lead rather than talking to fry-side. There is just one leader in the kitchen - this is to simplify communication and ensure everything moves smoothly.
Phone Policy Reminder! Unless there is a special circumstance that has been cleared with a manager, the floor and our kitchens are an absolute no phone zone. Please keep your phone in your cubby and utilize your breaks for checking messages, etc.
General Congregation - It is not appropriate to congregate for conversations at B0, the host stand, or in the kitchen where heavy traffic is common. If you have a couple minutes to catch up in the middle of the rush, the only appropriate area to do this would be the back server station by the merchandise. There should only ever be one person at the host stand and one person in the food window (unless of course the situation calls for multiple staff in those areas).
Respond to safety calls and maintain professionalism! If someone calls behind you, make an effort to shrink your body and allow them to cross behind you. We are one entity and must move as such. We should all operate with as much unity as possible and practice being fluid in a restaurant as small as ours.
Summary: We are a POOLED TIP ESTABLISHMENT. Each and every dollar is earned through the constant collaboration between every staff member and is divided as such. Please make sure that you are actively earning your place in that structure DAILY.
Burger Awareness! The Maple Bourbon Bacon Burger and the Icon Burger can look VERY SIMILAR in the food window. Here are some key differences to help you identify the correct item:
Icon has orange sauce (Burger Sauce)
Maple Bourbon Bacon Burger has white sauce (Rosemary Aioli)
Employee Five-Ounce Reminder! It has come to my attention that some folks are not familiar with our “Fivers,” as we lovingly refer to them as. Every employee can order up to five, five-ounce pours of any of our draft offerings for just $0.50 - that’s only $2.50 for almost an entire pint of delicious choices! We want to encourage folks to take advantage of this benefit and use it to become more knowledgeable and passionate about our products.
Tap Room Updates
Phasing and break awareness: as we see an uptick in business at the Taproom, be diligent about making sure that both FOH and BOH are in a good place before phasing out people or taking a break. Mid dinner rush is not an OK time to take a break – breaks should only be run when there is extended downtime in the restaurant. Use your best judgement about phasing, but if you are unsure, air on the side of caution and keep that extra body on a bit longer. There need to be at least three bodies on Fridays and Saturdays for dinner. You are expected to stay on until not only the restaurant, but your team members, are in a good spot to phase you out; if you are kept on longer than expected, please keep a good attitude and respect your peers’ decision to do so. When people can feel that you don’t want to be here, it affects the morale of the entire staff. Check in with a manager– if there isn’t one working, communicate as a group what your needs are for staffing and breaks for the evening and make sure everybody is on the same page.
Closing awareness: several important things have been getting continuously missed while closing. If you are signing off on closing tasks, make sure they are actually getting done. Everybody forgets things occasionally, but the back of the closing list needs to be done and checked over 100% of the time. Doors need to be locked and armed (barring distro being there still), and all kitchen appliances need to be off, always. When BOH is done closing for the night, do a quick walkthrough with the FOH closer to confirm that everything is off, fridges are on, and that the kitchen door is locked. If you don’t know how something is supposed to look at night, ask.
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
Check back next week !
High Fives
Levi S. - for working a crazy long day and single handedly packaging all of the Super Nebula pre-orders for the next day.
ALL FOH who worked the bottle release - thank you all for coming in with a good attitude, staying positive, and rolling with the punches. We could not have gotten through it without your hard work and perseverance.
Emma, Cody, Laramee, and Lily - Thanks for helping us finish up that prep shift. I'm sure coming down to prep can feel like working a second shift since you've already finished your original job, but you all were so helpful. We really appreciated it and it and we were able to end the day on a good note instead of being super stressed.
Jon- Having great vibes always & keeping the energy up regardless of how busy/hectic it is ! 🍪
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Eddie Ceja - Brewery
Charitable Programs
Dine Out for 4 Spirits on Wednesday, February 11th
This month's charitable event will be held on February 11th at both of our locations, with a portion of our food sales that day benefiting the 4 Spirits Foundation. 4 Spirits Distillery is our neighborin Southtown, and the Foundation is something we’ve supported over the years.
More About 4 Spirits Foundation and the initiatives they support:
4 Spirits Veteran Scholarship Programs
In 2013, the first 4 Spirits Veteran Scholarship fund was started at Oregon State University to help combat veterans with college expenses. As of 2022, they have fully funded endowed scholarships at both OSU and WOU and have started awarding scholarships to veteran students-Forever!.
Social and Mental Health Programs
They scout programs across the U.S. that provide the highest impact to veterans while providing the biggest bang for the buck. They’ve worked with some of the best, including Central Oregon Veteran's Ranch, Vets Helping Vets HQ, Heroes and Horses, Veteran Advocates of Ore/Ida, Brigadoon Service Dogs, Operation Rebuild Hope and XSports4Vets to name a few. They are excited to consolidate these funds through the Foundation and provide more to the veterans out there that need our help.