Internal Brewsletter - August 28th, 2024
General
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 Travis! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Pork & Apple Burger!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Cans
Releasing Friday 8/30
Rocky Shores //
Description: As rugged and unique as the rocky shorelands of the Oregon Coast, this bright and flavorful IPA showcases both southern hemisphere and PNW hops with a blend of citrus, stonefruit, and herbaceous notes. // 6.80%
Key Takeaway: We used biscuit malt in this brew, creating a dynamic combination of malts and hops. Enigma, Simcoe, Chinook, and Nelson Sauvin showcase the very best of both the Pacific Northwest and the Southern Hemisphere, making this IPA a focus on balanced hop and malt aromas.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Peel • Spring Pine • Squall
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: American IPA
The classic IPA style originating in America has evolved less than other substyles. Moderate to heavy malt presence with a balance of citrus, herbal, pine, and floral hop flavors and aromas most commonly. It is fuller-bodied than West Coast IPAs and has an assertive bitterness that balances malt sweetness. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
Releasing Friday 8/30
Rocky Shores // American IPA
Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant
Description: Sticky Hands all dressed up for the big show. This version of Sticky Hands had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Citra and Mosaic with just a touch of CTZ on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Sticky Hands will surely be a crowd-pleaser. // 8.10%
Format: Draft at the Tap Room only
Series: Sticky Hands
Beer Style: Hop Experience Ale
Deep Seek: Beer Pageant
Description: Deep Seek all dressed up for the big show. This version of Deep Seek had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Citra, Nectaron, and Chinook added on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Deep Seek will surely be a crowd-pleaser. // 6.50%
Format: Draft at the Tap Room only
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
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 beers are: Kumo and Animal Cookies
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Static Shatter // Fresh Hop American IPA
Series: Fresh Hop
Releases: September 6th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed with fresh-picked Strata Hops from Alluvial Hop Farms, we used a "shattering" method to extend the fresh hop notes of passionfruit and fresh-cut alfalfa to every sip.
Event Horizon // Chocolate Porter
Series: Perennial
Releases: September 6th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: This porter combines deep, roasty malt character with cocoa and dark fruit notes. We conditioned this brew on chocolate for a balance of rich flavors with a dry finish.
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 Thursday, September 5th, at 4 pm!
Beer 101: Beer Pageants
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Every year, there are thousands of brewing competitions that take place throughout the country and the world. Among these are two that are much more prestigious: The Great American Brewing Festival and The World Beer Cup.
These are the two award ceremonies that can gain breweries' international attention. They seal your place among the best of the best. They offer incredible marketing opportunities and can be a huge step forward for a brewery. For this reason, some brewers are willing to do anything within their power to win one. One trick that brewers have used, and continue to use, is to brew batches specifically for these competitions or bump up the ingredients like dry hops in existing beers for entry in order to gain an advantage. These doctored or one-off batches have become, unfortunately, so prevalent that they make up the majority of winners in the more prestigious beer award ceremonies, and they have for years.
We at Block 15 have never felt that this practice was honest or in the spirit of the best sportsmanship of competition. However, as the spirit of the competitions has changed, we have also changed our tactics. In response to the new school values of beer competitions, we proudly present Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant and Deep Seek: Beer Pageant. These are the beers you know and love, but with dry hop levels pushed up to amounts that will keep us competitive. We are entering them alongside their OG counterparts and hope that they serve as not only our entries to the awards but a commentary on the meaning of competition and our stance on doctoring beers. We aim to have the best beer available to our customers on the shelf at the grocery store, which is why we focus more on delivering our product to their glass fresher than anyone else and less on shiny necklaces.
As always, the most important thing for me when entering beer competitions is the opportunity for clear, unbiased feedback from industry professionals. The reviews we get from judges are more valuable to me than any medal.
Try Sticky Hands and Deep Seek’s Beer Pageants, and let me know which you like better, the original or the one we gussied up. Your feedback is the most important, after all.
From the Executive Chef
September monthly specials go live next Wednesday 9/4! Here is the final list and links to the procedures and added information! Please give it a look over and know your stuff before next week! XO
PUB SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
Shrimp & Red Curry Noodles-Spicy & creamy coconut red curry sauce, tender yakisoba, red bell peppers, zucchini, sweet onion & snap peas topped with wild caught gulf shrimp, crushed peanuts & cilantro $15.99 PROCEDURE
Jalapeno Popper Dip-Spicy jalapeno & cream cheese dip, topped with cheddar jack cheese & parmesan breadcrumbs. Served with house fried kettle style potato chips. $10.99 PROCEDURE
Melon & Prosciutto Salad- Fresh greens,local cantaloupe, prosciutto, smoked gouda, balsamic glaze, citrus-parmesan vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh basil microgreens $15.99 PROCEDURE
TR SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
El Padrino-Pepper Tree Sausage House chorizo, aleppo-lime roasted sweet potatoes, cilantro-jalapeno mayo, mixed greens and jalapeno kettle chips on house baked ciabatta bread. $15.99 PROCEDURE
-Filet O’ Block-House Pacific lingcod & bay shrimp patty, breaded and fried to perfection, tartar sauce, dill pickles, shredded lettuce & American cheese on a toasted brioche bun. $15.99 PROCEDURE
Along with these monthly specials, we will be making some minor changes to the static menu on the same day. Due to drops in sales we will be omitting the Tuscan bean dip AND replacing the Nashville chicken with the apricot chicken sandwich that is currently an August monthly!
PUB UPDATES
Pub Focus Points
ALL: Soup & Beer Cheese Consistency Awareness!! Soups and beer cheese should “pour, not plop” meaning that we should be watering down soup as the liquid cooks out, and tasting for proper seasoning after. Beer cheese should be the same, but should also not be watery. We are looking for a velvety sauce that coats the pretzel as you dunk it. Often throughout shifts, we should all be checking for this and making adjustments as needed.
FOH: Pre-Bussing Awareness!! Let's set ourselves and those around us up for success by pulling plates when guests are done and giving them a little extra room to enjoy the end of their experience with us.
LINE: Efficiency Awareness!! In slow moments be sure to anticipate the busy by working to get ahead. Working ahead will get us in a better position for when we are busy!
PREP: Dishwasher Awareness!! Let's avoid dish piles at close by keeping the dishwasher running & backing cold things out sooner rather than later. If you drop off dishes and there are enough dishes for a full load, push it through. If you walk by clean dishes, put them away.
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
Let's start a “Waste Log” Tab daily, and make sure to be using it as needed. Use the discount button to “waste” products off this tab, end of night.
The Gloria faucet should be taken off nightly and soaked in a pitcher of soda water. It comes apart in 2 places, please remove it only from the one closest to the tap box. Do NOT unscrew the part that contains the screen please. Put a blue scrubby in the opening in the tap box at night. Please reach out to me (Elise) if this doesn’t make sense and I will walk you through it in person 🙂
Make sure to put fly traps away in the small plastic container (labeled fly traps) to the left of the register every morning so the closer doesn’t have to look for them at night!
Tap Room Focus Points
ALL: Let's focus this week on timeliness. Whether it be clocking in for your shift, length of breaktime or getting off the clock in a timely fashion this is all important! Paid breaks are an awesome privilege that we get to enjoy, please remember it is your responsibility to manage your break time properly.
Here is a link to BOLI laws concerning paid vs. unpaid breaks. Please feel free to reach out to a manager with any questions. There will also be a breakdown posted in the breakroom.FOH: Floor cleanliness- with such a large space, floors at night can be an exhausting project. Help yourself out by spot sweeping throughout the night ( we should always be spot sweeping after a messy table anyways). Please pull out chairs and move tables to get under the feet and base. Be thorough!
BOH: The Fryers, chef base and backsplash were deep cleaned this week. Please make an extra effort to keep this level of cleanliness up as this equipment gets grease/ debris build up quickly. Wipe down when slow/ shift changes, not just at close.
Upcoming Events
Tour ‘N Taste - September 26th, 5:30 - 7 pm
Join us for our first Tour 'N Taste event this Thursday, September 26th, from 5:30 - 7 pm. Get a free tour of our production brewery operation at our Southtown Tap Room location from Director of Brewery Operations Matt Williams and Head Brewer Garrison Schmidt. On the tour, you'll taste a beer and enjoy a complimentary curated small-bite food pairing from our Executive Chef, Sarah.
Tours start at 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 pm. 21+ only.
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
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.
Events
Corvallis Beer Week - August 29th - September 7th
Corvallis Beer Week will run from August 29th - September 7th this year. We’ll be hosting and participating in a few events this year:
Thursday, August 29th Kickoff Celebration at Caves: Starting location for the Kickoff March & Pub Crawl. From 4-5 pm, we’ve invited folks to hang out and enjoy a special Gather Hour menu + pairing: Try 2018 Peche n' Brett from Logsdon Farmhouse Ales with Cheese Croquettes, a new dish created just for this evening, which consists of fried cheese croquettes served with a rosemary-peach compote.
Tuesday, September 3rd Flight & Pretzel Bites at the Pub: From 5-7 pm, we’re hosting a Flight & Pretzel Bites event and getting people excited about Bloktoberfest by giving out a free half-liter mug to the first 30 who purchase the pairing.
Friday, September 6th at Treebeerd’s: They’ll be celebrating their 5th Anniversary with Block 15 and Dirt Road beers pouring from 4-8 pm.
Saturday, September 7th at Avery Park: We’ll be pouring a few beers at Septembeerfest to close out the week’s celebrations.
Bloktoberfest - October 11th - 12th
Starting September 5th, folks can pre-order Stein Packages. We have two options, one for half-liter steins and one for full-liter steins, which include entry into the event, a mug, and a commemorative Bloktoberfest 2024 pin.
The website HUB has all the details about the event and is where pre-order links can be found. Please point customers here if they have any questions.
HIGH FIVEs
Patience Womack - Shoutout to Patience! You’re just the best. You are always uplifting to every single team member.
Goody! - Goody is such a good general manager. I really appreciate how she always takes the time to listen and is accommodating to people’s life both inside and outside of work. She’s always willing to help even if it means she takes on a little extra!
Prep crew - Everyone has really been putting in the effort to try new projects, hit goal times, and keep the energy up. Thanks everyone!
Ian Harrington - Has been doing a great job training in the brewery. We're excited to have you on the team and training so well.
Ian Hutchings - Does a lot around here and still has time to be an empathetic leader. Thanks for picking up the slack and remaining a good dude.
Brew Crew - The brewery has experienced a lot of change and adjustments over the past month and they have really dialed in and worked hard to continue producing beer to our standards and keep things on track!
Tyler Lenz - Always there with an extra eye on things. Jumps in to help when he sees something to keep things rolling, even if it isn't in his department. Plus just a great dude to be around!
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
Do you know what to do if there is broken glass? If you’re unsure on the proper way to clean up broken glass please check in with a manager or coworker who can show you the proper glass clean up procedure!
Office Hours
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
Dine Out For Sick Town Roller Derby - September 17th
Dine Out! for Sick Town Roller Derby. We're so happy to partner with them to donate a portion of food sales from both Block 15 locations on September 17th. Folks from Sick Town will be on-site at our Southtown Tap Room from 5-7 pm, providing more information about their organization. Stop by and say hello!
Sick Town Derby Dames is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located in Corvallis, Oregon and is a skater-owned and operated flat-track roller derby league based in Linn and Benton counties. Sick Town provides a fun athletic outlet for members of the community in addition to a positive, inclusive social environment.
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!