Internal Brewsletter - December 4th, 2024
General
New Dessert
The Peppermint Bells are coming out today. Please see the SOP for plating instructions. At service, they get a sprinkle of peppermint candy!
Let’s try to push the last few pumpkin bells this week and tell customers to get them before they're gone!
Holiday Party
Please use this form to RSVP for the Block 15 Holiday Party! This year, we will be holding it at our South town Tap Room. We've got lots of fun activities planned such as:
Kegeritas
Pinatas
White Elephant Gift Exchange
Holiday Baking Competition with fabulous prizes
DJ Scottie with a community playlist
Photobooth
Food catered by Grindz Hawaiian from Albany
Afterparty at Squirrels 9pm - 12am!
This party is for adults only, and each employee is allowed a plus 1. If the plus 1 is a former employee, please include their name in the spot below!
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 David! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Hawaiin Burger!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, December 6th
Vital Vibe //
Description: We’ve harmonized Citra and Mosaic with Krush, the new king of aura. Experience the bass of citrus and stone fruits amplified by the highs of tropical fruits. Pour up and discover your Vital Vibe and that B15 feeling. // 6.60%
Key Takeaway: This beer was originally made for the experimental hop project Consortium: Mosaic x HBC-586. One of our most popular emerging IPAs, it was graduated to a stand-alone brand, Vital Vibe, in late 2023. HBC-586 went through a 17-year process as an experimental hop variety and was officially released as a commercial hop brand, Krush™, in 2024.
Tasting Notes: Candied Peach • Orange Juice • Aura
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Barrel ‘97 //
Description: We descended into our subterranean wild cellar to hand-select the three barrels used in this unique wild red wheat farmhouse blend. // 7.90%
Key Takeaway: Special, hand selected three barrel blend from our downtown wild cellar
Tasting Notes: Dried Flowers • Funky Tart • Warm Honey
Format: Draft Only
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Wild Ale
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Hoppy New Year // Imperial IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: December 13th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Welcome in 2025 with a bang of the finest Northwest-grown hops, a crisp body orchestrated by a dance of specialty malts, and a bubbly finish. Hoppy New Year from Block 15!
Continuous Darkness // Russian Imperial Stout
Series: Emerging
Releases: December 13th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Embrace the darkest days of the year with this luscious concoction that balances notes of chocolate, caramel, espresso, and decadent dark fruits, concentrated to velvety heights by an extended boil.
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: Ol’ Saint Nick
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
The next meet-up will be on December 5th.
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.
Beer 101: Vital Vibe
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Vital Vibe is a graduation of a beer that was designed in one of our experimental brew programs. The Consortium series was used to test the synergy between two hops that we’ve never used together before and don't know how they’ll get along. Some hops don't behave harmoniously together and can add off flavors to a beer when mixed.
However, sometimes, two hops create a product greater than the sum of their parts. When we first brewed Consortium: Mosaic x HBC-586, we knew that we had something special. This is the third return of the combo as the graduated brand Vital Vibe, and it gives some of my favorite hop characteristics: fruit candy, stone fruits like peach and apricot, and tropical fruits like papaya, mango, and pineapple. It has more body than a lot of our IPAs and has a really satisfying balance and depth of complexity.
A little inside baseball on HBC-586, it recently graduated in its own way. After 17 years as an experimental hop, it was finally released this year as a commercially available product under the brand name Krush. It is an incredibly lively variety that bursts with orange, mango, guava, peach, mixed berries, and resin notes, and we’re happy to see it sticking around for good!
Grab a Vital Vibe, pour up, and as always, let me know what you think!
From the Executive Chef
Pub Menu updates begin today
Bucatini & Meatball Parma Rosa (Replaces Pesto Pasta)
Bucatini pasta, house-made creamy fontina-tomato sauce, parmesan, basil, and a jumbo beef & pork meatball. $17.99
Bucatini is hollow, long pasta that is a little thicker than a traditional spaghetti noodle.
Alabama Slammer (Replaces Grilled Turkey & Cheddar)
Smoked & pulled chicken, house dill pickles, banana peppers and our horseradish-based Alabama White BBQ sauce on a toasted Bread Stop brioche pub bun. $17.99
December Monthly Specials
December Monthly Specials come out the 4th! Be sure to freshen up and read the attached info sheet! They will also be posted in their respective kitchens for reference!
TAP ROOM - TR DECEMBER 2024 SPECIALS INFO SHEET
Coconut Curry Chicken & Rice
Tender coconut curry chicken breast, spicy serrano cucumbers & shallots, peanut ginger sauce & cilantro over a bed of coconut rice. $13.99
French Dip Sandwich
Tender roast bottom round, tangy horseradish cream, melted provolone cheese on a toasted house baked baguette. Served with a side of warm jus. $18.99
PUB - PUB DECEMBER 2024 SPECIALS INFO SHEET
Tahini Baba Ganoush
Roasted Eggplant, garlic and tahini dip with fresh bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and house baked flatbread. $11.99
Mushroom & Beef Stroganoff
Stout braised Oregon beef chuck with The Mushroomery chanterelle, shitake & porcini mushrooms and sweet onions in a savory sour cream sauce, with radiatore pasta & fried parsley. $19.99
Grilled Mortadella Sandwich
Thinly sliced & grilled mortadella, arugula-hazelnut pesto, melted provolone cheese, banana peppers and mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $16.99
Pub Updates
We have a new cider replacing the 2 Towns OutCider since they have stopped producing it. Details are below! This will likely move over either this weekend, or early next week and we will reprint menus at that time.
Style: Semi Dry Cider
Cidery: Yonder - Wenatchee, WA
Name: Vantage
ABV: 6.5%
Tasting Notes: Peach. Red Berries. Subtle Spice. (though there is no actual “spice” in this cider, just the nature of the yeast and apples)
Price/Pour: $6.50 / 16oz
We are switching from Prickly Pearadise to a Spiced Apple Cosmic Crisp this Friday!
Tap Room Updates
With Pups on the Patio scheduled this weekend, we should see an uptick of people and their furry friends! To ensure it is a fun and welcoming event, please allow customers to come in and order with their dog on leash, and then return outside (obviously if it is a service dog this rule does not apply!) We will have free doggie biscuits made by our bakery along with activities such as paw print ornament making. I hope if you’re not working you’ll consider bringing your own pet in to enjoy the fun, Cheers!
Caves Updates
Events
Pups on the Patio at the Tap Room - December 7th
Belgian Beer Dinner at Caves - December 10th
SOLD OUT - woo!
Santa’s Folly at Caves - December 14th
High Fives
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:
Serena Carrier - Host at the pub
Nico Campbell - Dishwasher at the pub
Trina Conroy - Host at the pub
The People’s Pint / Cheers for Charity / Dine Out
Check back next week.