Internal Brewsletter - August 7th, 2024
General
Did you know Block 15 has a softball team?
That team just won two games in the playoffs on Tuesday night, meaning they have a shot at winning the league title over the next two Tuesday nights. The next game in their championship run is Tuesday 8/13 at 7:30pm at Pioneer Park!
Company Pic Nic - RSVP
You’re invited to the Block 15 Brewing Company BBQ! We want to thank you and your families for being a part of the Block 15 family and helping to make our dream a reality every day. This invitation is extended to your immediate family members or a significant other.
As in past years, this summer celebration is a family-friendly event. BBQ dinner, drinks, and good company provided.
Please RSVP using the Wufoo form no later than August 15th so we can have the appropriate amount of food from our BBQ caterer.
Date: Sunday, August 25th
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Park Walnut Barn
https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/parksrec/page/walnut-barn
Time: 4-8 pm. BBQ will be served at 6 pm.
Chris King Visit - August 16th
This August, we will be releasing a collaboration beer with a company located in PDX called Chris King Precision Components. They manufacture bike components in PDX that are serviceable and last for years. This collaboration encompasses the craft of two very different products from companies who share the same audience and company vision of craft, sustainability and community.
Learn more about them: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
We hosted their team on the brew day of the beer two weeks ago, called Buzzworks NW Pilsner. They wanted to invite us to their location to get a tour from their team as well. We will be visiting on 8/16. Please reach out to me at kelsea@block15.com, if you have any questions or want to join!
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 Alex S.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Cold Summer Noodles!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Cans
Releasing Friday 8/9
Eminent Point //
Description: We're reaching for new heights with this luxurious take on an American classic. Featuring notes of pine resin, dank herb and sweet citrus, it all balances with a soft and enticing malt backbone. // 6.80%
Key Takeaway: The evolution of IPA styles in craft beer continues to reinvent what was just recently out of date. This American IPA features zero caramel malt, but still balances a pleasant malt base with an assertive mix of Simcoe, Waimea and cashmere hops.
Tasting Notes: Pine Resin. Blue Raspberry. Elevated Perspective.
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 8/9
Eminent Point // American IPA
Alluvial //
Description: Brewed in collaboration with the original breeder of the Amarillo hop, Virgil Gamache Farms. Alluvial Pale Ale will first appear at the Hop Research Council's annual meet-up hosted by Coleman Agriculture at Alluvial Hop Farm in Independence, Oregon. // 6.00%
Key Takeaway: The Hop Research Council includes all facets of the hop industry - growers/processors/brewers. Virgil Gamache invited us to collaborate on this beer for a celebratory dinner held at Coleman's Alluvial Farms, part of the HRC's annual Summer Meeting hosted at OSU from August 5th to 7th. The Amarillo hops used in this beer were grown at Virgil Gamache Farms in Toppenish, Washington, where Amarillo was first developed.
Tasting Notes: Mandarin Orange • Honeysuckle • Homage
Format: Draft Only
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: Pale Ale
With a lower ABV than most of our IPAs and an easy-drinking body, these pale ales have a brighter, more pronounced hop presence than other pale ales. Look forward to a lighter drinking experience all around with the fruity, explosive hop experience that you’ve come to expect from anything branded West Coast. Bright, light, and expressive, these are a perfect alternative to big, bold IPAs.
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: Summer Knights & Fresh Flow
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Wandelpad // Belgian Blonde Ale
Series: Pub Life
Releases: August 16th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Inspired by the Trappist beers of Belgium, this blonde ale is crisp, complex, and refreshing. Paring traditional malts and yeast with PNW-grown hops, it balances fruity esters, rustic flavor, and a zesty hop 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, August 8th, at 4 pm!
Beer 101: Eminent Point and the Reimagining of American IPA
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
American IPA is the style that made many of us fall in love with craft brewing. In the early days, it was enormous. Full of caramel malt sweetness attempting to balance totally unreasonable hop loads, it was an exercise in excess, and we loved it. We drank beers that bragged about high IBU, high ABV, high everything. More. More. MORE!!!
Then came the East Coast ‘Hazy’ craze, where malt sweetness and hop bitterness overloads were traded for pillowy mouthfeels and tropical aromatics. Honestly, it was just another exercise in excess, and we loved it again.
While Hazy’s may not be my favorite style to drink, brewing during their heyday taught us a lot about striving for balance over hype and producing excellent beer no matter what the popular fad of the season demands. We learned new processes, experimented with new products, and learned a lot about producing interesting and delicious beer all around.
Now it’s time for us to reimagine our old friend, American IPA, with the tools that we’ve acquired in the decade or so since it fell out of fast fashion. American IPA, at its core, really is a beautiful and delicious beer. There is a reason it was so popular, but we now know that we can make it better. We built Eminent Point around this idea, that American IPA can be aromatic, hoppy, and bright without being overly bitter or sickeningly sweet. We used Simcoe, Waimea, Talus, Nugget Salvo, and Cashmere hops, adding a diversity of aroma with hops from the PNW and New Zealand together. We also cut all caramel malt, leaving us with an understated but pleasant malt base with notes of pine resin, blue raspberry, sweet citrus, and dank herb. It’s the new version of an old favorite, and we’re really excited to brew it again. Try it yourself, and suggest a taste to fans of the new school and old heads alike.
From the Executive Chef
August monthly specials will go live today, Wednesday August 7th!
PUB
Pepper & Onions Sausage Hoagie - Grilled Pepper Tree Sausage House festival sausage, grilled peppers & onions, caper aioli and melted provolone served on a warm Bread Stop Bakery brioche roll. $16.99
Apricot & Shrimp Salad - Fresh chopped romaine, chilled lime marinated gulf shrimp, Riverland Family Farms’ grape tomatoes, red onion, Peoria Road Farm Markets’ fresh apricots and jalapeno-coconut dressing. Topped with fried wonton strips and cilantro. $14.99
Herb Fried Zucchini - House breaded zucchini spears, fried golden, topped with parmesan and served with caper aioli $8.99
TAPROOM
Apricot Chicken Sandwich - Crispy fried chicken tenders, jalapeno-apricot glaze, cilantro mayo, melted Swiss, greens and fresh tomato served on a buttery Bread Stop brioche bun. $16.99
Elotes Hot Dog - All beef hot dog in a warm brioche bun, topped with roasted street corn salad, cilantro, tajin & queso fresco. $15.99
PUB UPDATES
Just a quick note on proper pour sizes and how those look in our glasses: as long as it is feasible for the style, each beer should have about a 1/2in of head–or about the size of a nickel–and should be topped off before being run to a table. Certain styles will not retain the head (sours, high ABV barrel aged beers) so those glasses are expected and acceptable to be “short” with that 1/2in space between the wash line of the beer and the lip of the glass. Ciders and root beer fall into the same category. Filling any of our glasses to the brim is actually over-pouring (Pints are 17oz to the brim, Tulips 13.25oz, Belgians 16oz). The exceptions to the 1/2in space are 10oz glasses that can have a smaller amount of head/foam, and 5oz glasses which are 5oz to the brim.
On Mondays and Fridays we often get deliveries that land in the Server Restock Area, and it is the expectation that as part of server shift change in the afternoon, these deliveries are put away or otherwise organized.
On Mondays, the AM serving crew is responsible for moving paper goods to the breakroom where they belong, and unpacking the bulk liquor order that gets dropped in the Restock Area (the large bottles of Altos Tequila).
While some wines are delivered on Thursdays, all wine and the second delivery of paper goods should be moved and stocked into their proper place on Friday afternoons.
If you are unsure of where something lives, please ask a manager (FOH, Line, or Prep) but please do not leave this task for someone else to do! Managers will be confirming this is done midday on Mondays and Fridays.
We are no longer saving flats for the Garden Sale that happened back in June–please recycle extra flats rather than store them in the Bomb Shelter.
Pub Focus Points
ALL: Continuation of Food Feedback Awareness!! We have some new items rolling out on Wednesday– Make sure you know your procedures and that we are gathering specific feedback from the FOH side when someone orders a new item.
FOH: Beer Tasting Awareness! Everyone has done a great job learning all of the new beers from the information on the brewsletter lately! If you are over 21, when a new beer releases, ask the bartender for a sample so you can get a better understanding of the notes and how you can personally describe the beer to customers!
Line: Up-stock/Re-stock Awareness! When up-stocking/re-stocking, ensure items are going into the correct table and correct door. If you are unsure where something should go please ask a kitchen manager, lead cook, or more experienced cook for confirmation.
Prep: New Specials!Make sure to read through the procedures fully before starting, and check in with the lead if you have questions.
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
We have a new flavor of kombucha from Happy Mountain which is Hopped Huckleberry
Hopped Huckleberry
filtered water, organic white peony tea leaves, organic kombucha culture, organic cane sugar, Simcoe hops, organic hibiscus flowers, huckleberry flavor
If you didn’t read Alex’s points about the proper pour size above, please do!
With Madie moving on, we are knee deep in the search for a GM. We have candidates to interview this week, and should hopefully have someone in place before too long. In the meantime, Ian Hutchings (COO) will be covering managerial duties and begin delegating tasks once we have someone hired. Please reach out to him if you have any questions or TR specific needs.
Tap Room Focus Points
ALL: New monthly specials went live on Wednesday. Please learn and suggest these! Feel free to ask questions if needed!
FOH: Teamwork and communication! While we are in a GM transition please bring issues or topics up to Mak, Levi or Ian so we can work on solutions quickly. Support one another while on the floor as a team!
BOH: Monthly special procedures. Please read up on the new menu item recipes and procedures. Feel free to ask questions if needed!
Upcoming Events
Beer School: Exploring Hops
August 22nd 5:30-7
Topic: Hops!
For this month's class, we're covering one of our favorite beer ingredients: hops! On the cusp of fresh hop harvest season, we'll go over our experiences with hop selection, introduce you to the concepts behind our upcoming fresh hop beers, and discuss other significant aspects of working with hops and hop products.
Cost: $10
Tickets can be purchased on our website under Store > Experiences or through the Event Listing. All the updated info is on these pages if you’d like to read more about the event.
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.
HIGH FIVEs
Shoutout to Helen and Paige who killed it training while we were super busy Tuesday night. Greatly appreciated both your attention to detail while also showing our newest team members how to maintain a good hustle! You two rock!!!
Shoutout to Maggie and Elias for training through a busier night than expected, and keeping incredibly positive and confident. So happy to have you join the team!!!
Siarra Edwards - Thanks for staying to close dish and also putting away the two late orders... That was super helpful.
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Andrew Dillon (Brewery)
SAFETY TIPS
If you see something, say something: Spills, damage to workplace materials, unsafe walking conditions… These are all important situations to bring to the attention of your lead or manager. Never assume that someone else will notice an unsafe situation and take care of it… the next person who encounters the condition may slip, trip, fall or otherwise injure themselves. It’s always better to take care of an unsafe condition as soon as it happens.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10 am - 1 pm
Wednesday: Tap Room 10 am - 1 pm
Thursday: Tap Room 9:30 am-12:30 pm, Pub 1-4 pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Check back next week!
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!