Internal Brewsletter - June 26th, 2024
General
Beer tasting with the brewery this Thursday, 4 pm @ the Pub
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beach Clean Up this Sunday, 6/30, from 11 am - 1 pm
More information can be found at the end of this Brewsletter.
Please RSVP to let us (Kelsea & Shelby) know you’re coming by Friday, 6/28!
Corvallis Knights Meet the Team! Sunday, 6/30
Stop by the Pub on June 30th at 7 pm to meet the Knights Team! We will be hanging out in the Corral and your first beer will be on us (beer for staff only).
Fresh Flow Hangout - Monday, 7/1, from 1 - 4 pm
Come hang out by the river between 1 - 4 pm! We’ll have tunes, snacks, and some games. The marketing team needs some Fresh Flow content and would love staff support and hang-out time. Bring water toys, floaties, or whatever you’d like to enjoy the river.
We will meet approximately here (view in google maps). When you get to Crystal Lake, walk down the wood chip path, and there should be a little hangout area by the river to your left! We will contact those who have RSVP’d via Sling or phone before the hangout.
Please RSVP to let us (Kelsea & Holly) know you’re coming by Saturday, 6/29!
Block 15 Hosting Trivia Night 7/2 @ Common Fields
Come show off your vast amounts of useless knowledge on Tuesday, July 2nd, from 6 pm-8 pm! Block 15 will be the brewery featured for Common Field’s summer trivia series, which will feature a different brewery each week. We are fielding at least one team of up to 6, but there is no limit to how many teams we can have, so it would be great to have at least a couple of teams from Block 15! There will be special prizes from Block 15 to any team that can beat our featured brewery team's score. It will be very laid back and lots of fun. We hope to see you there!
4th of July Holiday Hours
Pub: Last seating at 7 pm; Tap Room: Last seating at 4 pm; Caves: Open standard hours
Employee Provision
A weekly special served at the Pub, the idea of which comes primarily from Block 15 employees.
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Simon. Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Green Chili Meatloaf.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Cans
Releasing Friday 6/28
Tipping Point //
Description: Freshly foraged, these sticky spruce tips pair with layers of cryogenic, super-critical hop extracts. This West Coast IPA collides dank and fruity notes layered with a lingering, resinous finish. // 6.50%
Key Takeaway: We added 2.5 pounds of hand-foraged spruce tips per barrel for this very special west-coast IPA.
Tasting Notes: Pineapple. Blue Raspberry. Coniferous.
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: West Coast IPA with Spruce Tips
COMING UP ON DRAFT
Releasing Friday 6/28
Tipping Point // West Coast IPA with Spruce Tips
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 is: Joy
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands: Tropical Slam // Hop Experience Ale
Series: Sticky Hands
Releases: July 5th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Tropical Slam is back! Brewed with copious amounts of Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado, and Nectaron, Tropical Slam delivers a bushel of citrus and tropical fruit to your day.
Green Truck // American Light Lager
Series: Emerging
Releases: July 5th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Our take on the classic American Light Lager, brewed always with the best Pacific Northwest grain, hops, and water. Work hard, drink easy, this beer is crafted for the crew.
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room every week for an educational session where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
4:00 Pm Every other Thursday @ the Pub
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend. The next tasting is this Thursday, June 27th at 4 pm!
Beer 101: Tipping Point and Spruce Tip Brewing
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Spruce tips have been used in brewing beer for almost as long as beer has been brewed. Ancient indigenous peoples from North America infused spruce in tinctures for vitamin C to fight scurvy, and Viking brewers made spruce beer to be used in fertility rites and to increase strength in battle. Whatever the reason, spruce has stood the test of time as an ingredient in beer, and we proudly continue that tradition here at Block 15!
We’ve made a few different spruce beers through the years. The two that always come to mind for me are Holiday Friends, a sour collaboration with Fort George, and Tipping Point, our spruce tip IPA that we brew right after the tips mature.
Every Spring, our brew team (and friends) head to the coast range outside of Newport to a plot of timber owned by our friends at Starker Forestry and harvest a pickup full of soft, bright green spruce tips. The spruce trees aren’t negatively affected, and it helps Starker control the growth of the trees so that they can remain in the forest and don’t need to be thinned as often. It’s a great day for our team. We get to spend it together outside and with a little much-needed spring sunshine and fresh air.
Tipping Point is a graduated DAB Lab recipe we made as a stand-alone brand two years ago. It is a bright, fruity, piney West Coast that offers some character you may not be familiar with in an IPA. Spruce tips have a famously unique flavor and aroma that is an amazing mix of blue raspberry candy and pine resin. Not to ignore our favorite brewing ingredient, Tipping Point also has an impressive and complimentary hopping schedule that includes CTZ, HBC-586, Idaho 7, Citra CO2 extract, Ekuanot Incognito, Citra, Bru-1, and Mosiac hops. If you’ve never tried a beer flavored with spruce tips, I encourage you to seek this one out and give it a try. It’s a complex and individual beer that is a great addition to an early summer meal or a break while on the trail. Throw one in your backpack, and let me know what you think. If you get a shot of one while out and about, tag us on socials, and we’ll get it reposted!
From the Executive Chef
July Monthly Specials start July 3rd.
PUB UPDATES
Blueberry-Lavender Lemonade will be switching to Passionfruit this week once we 86 Blueberry. This will also 86 Don’t Panic, but we will add a Passionfruit Margarita to the menu for a chunk of the summer.
We will be closing at 7pm on July 4th, so anyone looking for an earlier dinner or to get beer to-go can do so up until then.
Make sure we are keeping the doors closed to the dining room and prep kitchen (rather than propping doors open for extended periods of time). Leaving the doors open encourages flies and critters to come hangout.
Pub Focus Points
ALL: Breakroom Cleanliness!! Reminder to keep our breakroom clean so we can all enjoy it! This includes making sure personal belongings are organized/in cubbies and also making sure all dishes are bussed when finished with a meal.
FOH: Tempo Awareness!! When we are in the weeds, let's slow down while at tables/seating to give the kitchen and restaurant more time to stay caught up. While we do want butts in seats, we want to all keep communication high and at the correct tempo so we can ensure that the whole business is running smoothly as a cohesive unit.
BOH: Line: Floor Cleaning Awareness!! Let's make sure we are sweeping under refrigerator units, moving fryers and cleaning under them. Dishwashers, make sure we are sweeping underneath the ice machine at close.
BOH: Prep: Appliance Cleanliness!! Please make sure appliances are clean before they are put away – boomstick, robot coupe, burners, etc.
Pub Company Direction Objectives
Consistently promote and encourage teamwork and strengthen the ties within our team–we are our most successful when we work together and support/understand each other.
Promote ongoing education on all things Block 15 through monthly "Deep Dives" on items from the kitchen, and from the brewery/bar. Each month (roughly) Sarah and myself will send out our information on respective Deep Dives on menu items. Food & Beverage Discovery 5/15/24
Demonstrate to every guest that we are happy they have joined us. Make connections and show genuine interest and excitement!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Heads up! We will only be open for lunch on the 4th of July until 4pm. Folks can come in and order food/drinks and get beer to-go all the way up until 4pm.
The first Tunes N Brews Wednesday is next week! Get excited, spread the word, and come enjoy some awesome BBQ and live music if you aren’t working!
Please make sure we are looking for and picking up debris both inside and outside throughout the day! Napkins, food, trash, chalk, etc.
ALL Folks that work at the TR: Please try to keep common/shared spaces clean and organized. (Breakroom, walk-in, barrel room, dining room, offices, etc.) There are a lot of different departments/people that use spaces in the TR so please be respectful of your coworkers and tidy up after yourself/keep those spaces clean!
Tap Room Focus Points
FOH: Order Accuracy! Let's make sure we are still focusing on ringing in correct/accurate items in toast. Ring things in right away so they don't get forgotten about. If something is being comped or discounted, please still ring it in and use the proper discount buttons and waste discount items when necessary as well to ensure proper tracking!
ALL: Menu Changes! The ZAT will be replacing the curry cauliflower grilled cheese this Friday, make sure you know all about it. Thank you to everyone for keeping up and staying informed with all the menu changes over the past few weeks!
Upcoming Events
Beer School Thursday, June 27th, 5 - 7 pm *SOLD OUT*
Join us for our Beer Education Class hosted every other month by our Brewery Team at our South Town Production Facility and Taproom! Each class will explore a beer style’s history, our brewing techniques to create a Block 15 beer and finish with a tasting flight. In this educational experience, we will cover a staple style to any PNW brewery, the India Pale Ale. Come with questions and a note book, and get ready for beer school!
Tunes, Brews & BBQ!
First 4 Wednesdays of July! Live music and bomb.com BBQ specials! The first one is Wednesday, July 3rd 6 - 9 pm
BBQ Special: Memphis Style Baby Back Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Jalapeno cornbread & Honey Butter, watermelon
Popsicle: Strawberry Watermelon
Band: Summer of Love
2024 Objectives
Elevate engagement through impactful community-centered opportunities and events
Enhance the visibility of the Block 15 Bakery and unique Taproom menu items
Amplify the customer convenience factor
Bakery Highlight: Bier Bread Pretzel
The bier pretzel recipe comes to us from our fearless leader Nick Arzner! He researched pretzel recipes and made test batches at home before handing it off to our fledgling little bakery back in the early days. Blocktoberfest 2009 spurred the idea, and the resulting product was kept on the menu at Caves when she originally opened in 2011. To quote the recipe, in regards to shaping the dough, "Every pretzel should have a smile".
Pretzels have a rich history in the beer world, originating in south Germany in the 6th or 7th century. Here is a good article about the history of the beer pretzel!
When the taproom opened in 2015, since we moved our bakery operations from the pub to the new space, we thought the pretzel would be a wonderful addition to the menu as a quick fire taproom item and as a way to really highlight the bakery! And then it quickly hopped onto the menu at the pub!
Pretzel is a fantastic vegetarian option, but it does contain butter so it is not a vegan offering.
Try to highlight and/or suggest this item to 3 different customers per shift you work!
Caves Updates
2024 Caves Direction Objectives:
Deliver elevated consistency through the Caves experience
Hit our service and food standards every single time! Show our guests why we should be their regular spot and what sets us apart with our elevated experience.
Keep eyes up and out and move through the restaurant rather than just behind the bar when making loops. Offer to grab another beverage, refill waters, or pre-bus tables, even if they aren’t yours.
Amplify education and enthusiasm within our food and beverage programs
Through elevated and thorough education on new menu items and revisiting tried and true classics, or beverages with more history and information.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Brew Team - The whole brew team has been kicking ass. They’ve been working hard to put out a lot of great beer.
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Check back next week
SAFETY TIPS
Follow work procedures - A company creates work procedures to help comply with safety protocols and best practices, so if you follow work procedures, safety standards are likely met. It is important to follow procedures even if you think performing a task differently might save time.
Office Hours *Starting in July*
Monday: Pub 10 am - 1 pm
Wednesday: Tap Room 1-4 pm
Thursday: Tap Room 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Pub 1-4 pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The People’s Pint - Month of June
For the month of June, we will be hosting a People’s Pint Tap! What is a People’s Pint Tap you ask? For the whole month, we dedicate a portion of proceeds from a beer (or tap space) that goes directly toward an organization! This includes packaged and draft sales from the beer of choice.
People’s Pint Tap beer: Gloria!
Organization: Ocean Blue Project
A grassroots 501c3 nonprofit organization with a compelling mission – to rehabilitate and conserve the world’s oceans, beaches, and rivers. We work to keep pollutants from entering ecosystems through the recovery of plastics from ocean, beach, and river clean-ups, solutions, collaborative community-driven service learning projects, and youth education. Our commitment to a cleaner, healthier ecosystem drives our work, and we empower individuals and communities to join us in this vital mission.
Beach Clean-Up!
Join us on June 30th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for our annual beach clean-up in Newport (Nye Beach) in celebration of World Ocean Month with our chosen People’s Pint Program nonprofit, Ocean Blue Project! This is a fun way to hang out with co-workers and the community while doing our part in cleaning the beach… and it’s just fun in general :)
We will be at the Historic Nye Beach "Turn Around" parking lot on NW Beach Drive with the Block 15 Tent. For directions, head HERE. Please come prepared for the elements (we've had sun the past few years, but you never know with Oregon!) and please carpool! Invite your friends and family, everyone is welcome.
Please bring:
Water bottle + Water
Jacket/raincoat
Snacks (we will provide a few)
gardening gloves or gloves to pick up trash with
anything to help pick up trash (magnets, sand sifter, etc.)
WHAT’S UP ON INSTA??
FEEDBACK
Hey friends! If you find yourself sitting at home, or out and about and something pops into your mind that you would like to pass along to the team, feel free to use this form! Please be mindful of keeping feedback or suggestions constructive and positively worded!