Internal Brewsletter - March 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 Cody O! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Cabbage Rolls!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas! Remember, if your provision gets selected, you can order one for free!
-No New Releases This Week-
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Selection Series: Confluence
Series: Orbital
Releases: 3/27/26
Availability: On draft and cans to-go + Distributed to our network in Oregon & SW Washington
Harbinger
Series: Synergy - Collab with Xicha Brewing and Hetty Alice Beer
Releases: 3/27/26
Availability: On draft only + Distributed to select locations around Oregon
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:
Fluffhead
Beer Education
Barrel Room Roundtable - Thursdays at 4 pm
REMINDER - BRRT IS AT PUB DURING TAPROOM RENOVATION
This week’s topic: Blind tasting: three samples, you tell me what beer you’re trying based on picking the characteristics apart. Winner gets a really ***exciting*** prize.
BEER 101
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Meet the Yeast: Our tiny coworker who does a lot of the work
We all know (hopefully) that beer is essentially comprised of four key ingredients: water, hops, malted barley, and yeast. Three of those ingredients really just set the stage; yeast is the one that is actually doing something. Microscopic, single-celled organisms eat sugars brewed into the wort, and in return make alcohol, CO2, and a whole host of flavor compounds that define the beer they produce. Without yeast, we would make sweet, hoppy tea. With yeast, we make an IPA, a Belgian tripel, a sour, or a lager. The difference between which style is produced is often heavily influenced by which yeast does the job, what conditions it’s given, and how happy/healthy it is.
Yeast has personality. Different strains produce different flavor profiles. Belgian yeasts generally produce fruity esters that might make a hefeweizen smell like banana or clove. American Ale yeast usually produces a clean and neutral beer, letting grain and/or hops take the spotlight. If we stress our yeast by giving it too little oxygen at the start of fermentation, or hold it at the wrong temperature, it will likely produce off-flavors that are easy to notice. When we treat it right, it hums along beautifully and does exactly what we expect.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes styles so different when they look very much the same, the answer is often the yeast strain used. When we pick a yeast strain, it’s like picking a collaborator.
Our most used yeast strains at Block 15 are American Ale and Juice. American ale makes a diverse lineup and is our workhorse. Beers from Sticky Hands to Nebula and Ridgeback Red all use American Ale. Juice produces anything hazy that we brew. In those beers, the hops and malt do most of the talking.
Beers coming up with non-standard yeast strains are Illuminated (Gnome yeast), College Cream Ale (Dieter yeast), Spark Spontaneous Refresher (blend of Lager yeast and wild yeast), and Caves Saison (Solera method wild yeast).
Keep an eye out for these, and experience something different!
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Events List:
Check back next week
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
April pub specials coming ‘atcha Wednesday, April 1st!
Pina-Pepper Burger-NW beef patty*, caramelized pineapple, melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce, sweet onion, gochujang mayo and jalapeno chimichurri on a toasted Bread Stop brioche pub bun $21.99
Potato & Green Chili Flautas-Creamy, spicy potato and green chili wrapped in flour tortillas and fried crispy. Served with salsa borracha, sour cream, queso fresco & fresh radishes $13.99
Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich-Huli Huli marinated and grilled chicken thigh, creamy jalapeno-mango slaw & sriracha mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $17.99
Roasted Asparagus & Chevre Salad-Roasted asparagus, Pickled red onion, julienned radish, citrus-parmesan vinaigrette, lightly fried herb & chevre fritter. $14.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week !
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Ever have a table give you an awesome piece of feedback for the Brewery Staff? Please direct them to the QR Code at the bottom of their drink menus! This links to a Google Form that goes directly to our Head Brewer himself! We should be encouraging/reminding folks to leave their ideas, questions, and thoughts right there :)
Please check over your lists carefully for the next couple of weeks. Kelly and Kira have been working on some updates to go along with Cedar’s new 5S System! We know these lists are something that a lot of you have memorized, so please read carefully as things are being updated!
DAIRY RESTOCKING REMINDER: While completing the re-stock in the mornings, please remember that we move through dairy (half-and-half, milk, and heavy whipping cream) extremelyyyyy slowlyyyyy. Do not upstock on these products - if there is one in the fridge, DO NOT add another! ALSO remember to DATE any dairy as you open them!
New Cocktail comin’ atcha! Sunbeam Splash by Sophia K.
In a shaker tin, combine:
+ 1 Scoop of Ice
+ 2oz Orange Juice
+ 1oz Pineapple Juice
+ 0.5oz Super Lime
+ 0.25oz Coconut Simple Syrup
Shake and strain over ice into a rocks glass
Top with Coconut Cold Foam float (about 2 inches)
Garnish with dehydrated pineapple wedge
To add a shot of liquor to any of our NA cocktails, look under “Liquor Mods” and make a selection for a $2.00 upcharge!
And finally… NAPKIN AWARENESS. If you’re running a table’s food or dessert and you realize that they already have a stack of untouched napkins, please don’t leave any more! They can always ask their server if they end up needing more, but we’ve been seeing a lot of napkin waste lately.
Thanks Team!
Tap Room Updates
Check back next week !
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
Check back next week !
High Fives
Prep crew and line helpers - Thank you for taking on such a big walk-in project. That was a ton of work but very necessary.
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
Check back next week
Charitable Programs
Check back next week for April’s People’s Pint information.