Internal Brewsletter - February 19th, 2025
General
Special Monday Bourbons - February 24th
Pub - 2014 Block 15 Barrel Pick Elijah Craig 12 Year, 90 Proof $12
This is one of the earliest private barrel picks that Block 15 did where we tasted through some samples of select Elijah Craig barrels. Further nuanced tasting notes will be available to staff on Monday since this is one that is unique from any other barrel, but it is surprisingly complex and incredibly smooth.
Tap Room - Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 90 Proof $14
“Originally established in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, Chicken Cock quickly became one of the larger bourbon brands of the 19th century. Forced to move production to Canada when Prohibition started, Chicken Cock was smuggled across the border in tin cans, where it rose to fame as a popular serve at some of the era’s most famous speakeasies, including the legendary Cotton Club in Harlem. At the Cotton Club, when patrons ordered a “Chicken Cock,” waiters would present the tin can tableside and ceremoniously open it to reveal the bottle of Chicken Cock Whiskey inside. Duke Ellington writes about Chicken Cock in his memoirs, referring to the “brand that was served in a tin can.” At a rumored $15 per bottle Chicken Cock wasn’t for the light of pocket, but it was a small price to pay to secure a prime table near some of the greatest musicians of the era.”
Kentucky Straight Bourbon is Chicken Cock’s flagship bourbon product. While the Chicken Cock brand sources bourbon from multiple distilleries, as of 2022, the Chicken Cock Straight Bourbon product has been drawn exclusively from stock distilled by Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky. (One of my favorite up and coming producers that does not currently ship to Oregon).
Nose: Graham Cracker, Leather, Spice
Palate: Caramel Apple, Baked Goods, Toasted Oak
Finish: Vanilla, Spice, Medium-Long
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 Cody B.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Banh Mi Crunchwrap!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, February 21st
Liquid Opulence // 6.60%
Description: Highlighting El Dorado hops grown here in the PNW, this juicy concoction features bright tropical, citrus, and pine notes with a lush and inviting finish. Call it liquid gold.
Key Takeaway: Named for the mythical city of gold, El Dorado hops lend fruity, resinous hop character to this lavish IPA
Tasting Notes: Pineapple • Orange Zest • Indulgent
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Ocean Man // 8.00%
Description: Originating from the lands surrounding the Baltic Sea. This bold, rich, and highly drinkable lager pairs notes of coffee, dried plums, and dark chocolate with a clean, but decadent finish.
Key Takeaway: Your new obsession - Baltic Porter delivers massive dark chocolate and dried fruit flavors with an impossibly clean, lager-crisp finish that'll have you wondering where this beer has been all your life.
Tasting Notes: Toffee • Bakers Chocolate • From the Depths
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
Originally inspired by strong English stout porters that Russia imported in the 18th century, breweries in the nations around the Baltic Sea began producing their own versions of these beers early in the 19th century. Very dark to black in color, it is hard to judge the clarity of these beers. They typically range from 6% to 9% abv with flavor coming mostly from the malt, which expresses a slight roasted character, reminiscent of black coffee, also usually expressing dark fruit, toffee, molasses, and nutty notes. They have a medium bitterness that balances their sweetness and gives them a slightly dry finish on the palate. They are exceedingly smooth for their abv.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Cosmic Coldbrew // Oat Stout with Coffee
Series: Orbital
Releases: February 28th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: We partnered with Bespoken Coffee Roasters to boost our Nebula Oat Stout deep into space. Our custom Flame On Blend perfectly pairs decadent chocolate and caramel roast with a rich cup of java.
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: Nugg Hugg (TR only), Zero Lux (Pub only)
Change of discount rule across all locations: All Super Nebula and Kriek 2025 release bottles will NOT be available for the Sunday 20% off discount until mid March.
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 Happy Hour is this Thursday, 2/20!
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: Pub Cleanup!
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week, you may see some brewers scurrying around in places you don't normally see us! We will be pulling loads of empty barrels out of the cellar, doing some general cleaning, and reorganizing the whole show. We plan to completely change the format of our wild cellars, clear out a ton of detritus, and hopefully get some fresh paint on the walls. It’s been a long time since we did any sprucing up around here, and it's high time! If you are interested in some extra hours, I may be looking for some spots to fill with cleaning projects in the coming weeks. Please reach out to me at garrison@block15.com
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
OSU Honors College Winter Passport
Hey everyone, we had an opportunity to work with the OSU Honors College this winter, and I wanted to give you the deets. Over the two-week period of February 24th to March 10th, students can participate at a pace that works best for them and their schedules.
The Honors College students have been given a Passport Booklet to take to participating local businesses, each with a unique perk they’re offering. They should be carrying their student ID as well.
Block 15 is offering our discount at the Tap Room only. Passport holders will receive a free beverage (worth up to $8) when purchasing a food item. The college has provided us with a stamp to use, which will live behind the bar. They’ve been instructed to show the Passport before paying to receive the discount.
This is a great chance to welcome students who have been working hard this year! Some of them may not have visited us before, which gives us a chance to create new Block 15 fans.
Selection Series
The Selection Series release is coming up on March 7th! Each fall during the hop harvest, the Block 15 Team travels to Yakima in search of the finest hops. Through a blind process, we evaluate hops from multiple farms and regions, selecting the perfect representation of each variety for our programs, often bending what is commonly assumed about the varieties. The hops we select are used in our core beers throughout the year and contribute heavily to the overall flavor of Block 15 beers that our fans know and love.
These single-hop West Coast IPAs showcase their specific varietal throughout the brewing process, allowing an intense perspective on how the hop interacts with different processes—a thorough look at this particular lot and varietal and what it contributes during the brewing process. Combined with a simple PNW-grain profile, each hop’s characteristics are allowed to shine.
This year’s hops and farms are:
Centennial - CLS Farms in Moxee, Washington
Citra - B.T. Loftus Ranches in Yakima, Washington
Simcoe - Double ‘R’ Hop Ranches in Harrah, Washington
Strata - F&B Farms in Woodburn, Oregon
A flight is a fun opportunity to taste each of the beers side-by-side. I’ve created flight cards with tasting notes for ease of service, as well as informational cards about the program for our guests to read over and take home if they like.
We offer the Selection Series as a mixed 4-pack of cans to-go. The brewery puts these together for us, making it super easy for people to experience the beers at home.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
March Monthly Specials
March Monthly Specials are set to come out Wednesday, March 5th at both locations! I am finalizing procedures and info sheets that will be posted in next weeks brewsletter, giving you all a full week to familiarize yourself with the details!
PUB
Japanese Pork Katsu & Rice Bowl Panko breaded and fried pork cutlet served over a bed of steamed basmati rice with our Japanese curry sauce, shredded cabbage, and quick citrus pickled cucumbers. $16.99
Honey-Chili Shrimp Po Boy Sweet & spicy grilled wild Gulf shrimp, shredded lettuce, sweet onion, fresh tomato & chipotle-lime aioli on a house baked baguette. $15.99
Sweet Potato & Romesco Dip Creamy sweet potatoes, romesco, almonds & cream cheese dip served chilled with veggies and toasted bread. $11.99
TAPROOM
Honey Mustard Asparagus Dog Zenners, all beef hot dog, shaved asparagus & cabbage slaw, creamy honey mustard vinaigrette, and pickled jalapenos on a house-baked roll. $14.99
Irish Stout Sausage & Potato Rolls 3 crispy pastries filled with stout sausage & creamy cheddar potatoes. Served with house pickles and pub mustard. $9.99
Dessert Special 2/25 at the Tap Room
The bakery is making a small amount of bourbon chocolate mousse to sell on Tuesday for the Strong Water Beverages Highlight event! Procedure and price TBD.
Pub Updates
Hey friends! As I am making my transition away from Block 15 and my last day (March 14th) comes closer, we are officially pivoting any questions or communications that would usually happen with the GM to be from myself to Kira. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback that you would usually bring to myself, please direct them to Kira or Ian. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with all of you and getting to spend so much of my time here with all of you lovely folks. I will save a big teary goodbye for later, but know I appreciate you all immensely and will miss you even more. So much love, high-fives, hugs and hand hugs to you all 💛 Goody
If you threw your hat in the ring for a Lead interview, a message with interview time slots will go out once the schedule is posted so that we can offer as many options as possible!
Tap Room Updates
ALL: The Please Pay Board has been getting quite hefty again. As staff members are provided a shift credit, it’s your responsibility to cash out for your tab every day. The intention needs to be to pay for it the same day it is ordered. If this happens to you often, we suggest closing your tab immediately after ordering, an easy solution! You wouldn’t walk out of any other restaurant in town without paying, please treat this transaction the same way! Follow up with a manager for special circumstances. The policy is: if an employee does not pay for food the same day food is ordered their credit is no longer viable and the employee is now responsible to pay for the meal in full. (If you cannot afford to pay until payday, check in with a manager- By checking in they can “OK” you using your credit at a later date by writing the discount to apply on the printed slip and initialing it.) If you have a please pay on the wall, you cannot be served alcohol until this is paid.
ALL: The Ipad has been left dead a few times from employees charging their phones, which prevents the music working for the restaurant at open. That charger is now for restaurant use only behind the bar. It will result in an immediate write up if used for personal phones. Cell phones, purses, back packs, coats and personal belongings are to be stored in the break room anyways, not on the server caddy where drinks are stored. Managers are allowed to have cell phones on their person for work use. Thank you for understanding, the function of the restaurant comes first.
ALL: Spring hours coming soon, stay tuned!
FOH: Make sure to add employee’s last names on tabs if you know there is more than 1 in the company please!!! Example: Ian’s, Ryan’s, Matt’s etc. This will help easily manage the Please pay Board. On that note, if you happen to see a Please Pay on the board to an employee you are serving, let them know it is on the wall and ask if that can be added.
FOH: Always turn the gas off to the firepit along with the actual “ON/OFF” switch!
FOH: OSU will be providing a passport for 150 people to explore and support local businesses. Each business provides the customer with a perk for coming in and requesting the stamp. This will run February 24th through March 10th. It will be super fun and easy! For the Taproom exclusive perk we will provide up to an $8 discount for one beverage with the purchase of a food item. This cannot be credited towards a total cost of something higher than $8. There will be a special button under discounts to easily apply this!
Caves Updates
Events
Bourbon Month
Our last event is this Tuesday at the Tap Room, highlighting Strong Water Beverages from 6 - 8 pm. Otherwise, the focus is to finish those Stamp Books!
High Fives
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Big congrats to Travis for accepting the Kitchen Manager position at Caves! We are all very excited to have you in this role!
ALSO big congrats to Tivey for accepting the position as Payroll Czar! She will continue to be the prep kitchen's fearless leader, but with some less active prep shifts.
If you are interested in the Prep Lead or Pub Line Manager positions, please reach out by Friday!
Charitable Programs
Dine Out for Linus Pauling Middle School - March 11th
Our next Dine Out will be held at both locations to support Linus Pauling Middle School. More information next week!