Internal Brewsletter - April 16th, 2025
General
Employee 4-pack Sale - Still Going…
Hey all! We slightly overproduced cans of Rocky Shores American IPA and Liquid Opulence Hazy IPA. As such, we will have 4 packs of these available to employees only for $8 a 4 pack. The beer is still super fresh and tasting great, just trying to move a few extra cases.
You must buy them as a set, no single cans. These are available at both the Taproom and Pub for folks to purchase. No limit!
*These can also still be sold to the public at FULL PRICE as long as they are in stock!
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 Lomo a lo Pobre!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, April 18th
Alpine Ibex // 7.00%
Description: Pairing delicate regional pilsner and robust Munich malts with floral and spicy hops from the PNW, this gold hued lager features notes of honey with a balanced bitterness.
Key Takeaway: Built on a PNW-grown Pure Idaho pilsner malt base, this Maibock is brewed to respect the tradition and classic attributes of this historic style but with a move to more sustainable sourcing of our ingredients. It's a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, using 100% PNW ingredients.
Tasting Notes: Graham Cracker • Noble Spice • Equinox
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Maibock
Bock is a family of dark, malty lagers originating in Germany. Maiock is the lightest, most hop-forward of all the beers in this category. Brewed late in winter, Maibock is traditionally released in May as a spring celebratory beer. Bock is also the German word for goat, which is why many bock-style beers traditionally have a picture of a goat on the label, and why ours is named Alpine Ibex. An Alpine ibex is a large mountain goat with huge arching horns found in the European Alps.
Sticky Hands: Joker’s Jest // 8.10%
Description: Our hop experience ale dosed with a twist of trouble. Harlequin Hops adds mischievous notes of strawberry guava and sweet tarts to our resinous and punchy Sticky Hands base.
Key Takeaway: Jokey Jokey Joke, here's a little toke. Add some harlequin to the mix, give it stir around times six. Calypso Salvo to the brew, new hop HBC-630, too. Take a card, read it twice, joker's jest is thrice as nice.
Tasting Notes: Dank • Grapefruit • Disobedience
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Sticky Hands
Beer Style: Imperial IPA
Imperial IPAs (often called Double IPAs) feature a more robust profile of malts and hops. Significant factors that set Imperial IPAs apart from regular IPAs are their alcohol content and bitterness levels. An Imperial IPA can range from 7.5%-10% ABV. Due to the increased malt load it takes to create the additional alcohol, more hops are required to balance out the beer and keep the malt in check. An Imperial IPA should be intensely hoppy, medium-light to medium-bodied, and have balanced hop characteristics. There can be Imperial versions of virtually any IPA style or sub-style.
Future Focus: Fonio // 6.90%
Description: Future Focus is an experimental IPA brewed with an eye on tomorrow, allowing us to trial new products and brewing methods. For this batch, we made a Hazy IPA with the new malt, Fonio, a highly sustainable and gluten-free unmalted grain that produces flavors and aromas of tropical fruit and white wine.
Key Takeaway: We're always looking for new products to help advance our beers, which also add depth and complexity. Utilizing a new product in a novel manner is an excellent way of experimenting in that realm.
Tasting Notes: Nectarine • White Wine Grape • Novel
Format: Draft Only
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 h
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Board Shorts: Next Set // West Coast IPA
Series: Perennial
Releases: April 25th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed in memory of our dear friend and original bar manager, Seth. Notes of tropical and citrus fruits represent his bright and easy-going spirit, like rocking a pair of colorful board shorts. A portion of beer sales will be donated to the OHSU Brain Institute.
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.
We’re running this weekend’s sale Friday-Sunday!
This week’s beers are:
Pub & TR: Animal Cookies
TR only: Illuminated
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 Thursday, 4/17.
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: Joker’s Jest
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week, we’re releasing Sticky Hands, Joker’s Jest. Another variant on everybody's favorite Imperial IPA, Joker’s Jest was designed around a hop that’s completely new to us, Harlequin, grown in Castle Frome, Herefordshire, UK. The farm that these particular hops were selected from has been owned and managed by the Barrett family since 1860.
Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
Bromyard Hop Festival, celebrating England's most prolific hop cultivating region since 1577
More commonly known for hops used in traditional English Ales, UK hops are famously spicy, woody, herbal, and earthy. Harlequin is one of the UK’s first attempts at cultivating an aromatic, fruit-forward hop meant to be used in modern American-style IPAs. Although marketed as tropical fruit forward with notes of peach, berry, and pineapple, we have found them to be more dank, resinous, and savory, with tropical and stone fruits taking a back seat.
Another cool addition to this beer is Calypso Salvo. Salvo, an advanced hop product consisting of CO2 hop extract with bitter Alpha acids removed, is great for adding hop aroma and flavor without adding bitterness. Calypso is a hop grown here in the USA, named for the mythical sea nymph who detained Odyseus for seven years, is known for its pear, apple, melon, stone fruit, citrus, herbal, and most interestingly black pepper character.
I’m happy with this beer, however, because I feel like all IPAs are slowly drifting toward tasting the same. We keep driving further from the depth of complexity, sturdy bitter backbones, and punchy hop characteristics to obtain as much drinkability and tropical fruit character that we can, and I think it’s robbing us of the beer we all fell in love with. Joker’s Jest is a great step, in my opinion, in the right direction. Getting IPA back to a place that isn’t only about explosive tropical fruit aroma is something that I’d like to work on going forward. After all, Sticky Hands is an Imperial IPA. It’s not supposed to be a sessionable beer. It’s supposed to be a hop experience. So, experience some new hops, and as always, let me know what you think.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Coming In May… Green Truck Graduates to a Perpetual Brand
Green Truck American Light Lager is getting a promotion to being a year-round beer! To celebrate, we’re highlighting it during May. Look for event details and talking points in the coming weeks.
Green Truck shirts will be on sale for employees next week, made in the same illustrative style as Deep Seek. The brewers helped me pick out the elements in the design, see if you can tell what they all are! They’re $20 retail and $16 with your employee discount. We also have Trucker Hats on the way, which will be here in May.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
May Monthly Specials will go live at both locations Wednesday, May 7th!
Tap Room
Cold Cut Baguette - Salmon Creek Farms artisan ham, Genoa salami, and provolone layered with shredded lettuce tossed in a tangy oil & vinegar blend. Finished with sweet onion, tomato, and creamy mayo on a freshly baked sesame baguette. $15.99
Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich - Huli Huli marinated and grilled chicken thigh, creamy jalapeno-mango slaw & sriracha mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $16.99
Pub
Loco Moco - Coconut rice with rich mushroom gravy, a quarter-pound seasoned beef patty, and a sunny side up egg. Topped with house truffle hot sauce and green onion. $15.99
Smoked Salmon Spread House - smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion & capers, served with fresh veggies, lemon-black pepper marmalade, fried capers, and toasted artisan bread $14.99
Chickpea Salad Sandwich - Spiced chickpeas, celery, onion & pickles in a creamy vegan dressing, romaine lettuce & fresh tomato on lightly toasted artisan bread. $13.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Pomegranate Special! While we 86’d Rosemary Gin for the Sprig n Seed, we still have a decent backstock of Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Simple Syrup - so, let’s run a few special cocktails this week!
Pomegranate Mimosa: just like an OJ mimosa, but with Pom Juice instead.
Pomegranate Fruit Drop: a standard lemon drop, but made with Pom Simple instead of regular simple syrup.
You will see Pomegranate as a “Lemonade Flavor” in toast. This was just for ease in implementing “Pomegranate” to the current “Fruit Drop” button under “Cocktails,” please DO NOT use it for Fruit Lemonades or Fruit Vodka Lemonades! The Pomegranate Mimosa has its own button.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Please continue to promote Deep Seek with tastes (y’all have been doing excellent, I have gotten great feedback so far!) and encourage people, especially kids to “find Nemo” and explain the simple game!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
All of Block 15 for winning best regional brewery for the Willamette Valley at the Oregon Beer Awards!
Rachel - This super human has been doing an amazing job with scheduling. And she’s a badass bartender!
Levi- Thanks for always helping out where ever is needed and going above and beyond when doing projects around the Taproom. We appreciate you!
Spencer Gunn- Thanks for being amazing coverage in distro while Mike enjoys his vacay! You’re killing it!
James B.- Master juggler! Thank you for always working so hard and juggling so many projects. You lead such a great team, and your team hella loves you!
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
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please continue to mention this program when you’re interacting with our guests!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.