Internal Brewsletter - April 30th, 2025
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 Kelsey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Loaded Smoked Potato! (It’s a baked potato but smoked)!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 2nd
Fluff’s Travels // 6.80%
Description: Set sail with Fluff as we chart a course through world hop territories. This latest voyage takes us to France, bringing back Barbe Rouge hops. Zesty citrus aromas of orange and kumquat sail with ripe currant and strawberry hop characters.
Key Takeaway: A variant of our favorite hazy IPA, which remains focused on structure and drinkability but is made with select hops from a different part of the world.
Tasting Notes: Strawberry • Lemon Peel • Worldly
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
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.
Direct Flight // 5.30%
Description: Amidst months of gray skies, short days, and winter showers, we're ready for a direct flight to a tropical getaway. This tart IPA will take you there on waves of guava, strawberry, and a zesty dry-hop with Belma and Citra. Bright, tropical, and refreshingly tart—find your paradise with Direct Flight.
Key Takeaway: Designed after a trip to the tropics, this IPA is tart, hazy, and loaded to capacity with strawberry and guava.
Tasting Notes: Tropical • Tart • Non-stop
Format: Draft Only
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: Fruited IPA
An IPA sub-style that cropped up in the early 2000s, these IPAs feature fruit-forward IPAs, which then have the intensity of the fruit turned up to 11 by the addition of real fruit. Generally, the hops used are selected to align with the added fruit (grapefruit expressing hops paired with grapefruit, tangerine with tangerine, etc…). These beers tend to be of the hazy variety and are generally thicker, with a fuller, rounder mouthfeel. The fruit character should be intense both aromatically and flavor-wise.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Caves Saison No. 004 // Farmhouse Ale
Series: Cellars
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Created for our sister restaurant, Caves Saison uses a solera method starting in our oak cask. We remove a fraction of the volume when peak character is reached; then, new beer is added and allowed to mature, increasing complexity with age. Batch 004's mother portion spent 24 months in the cask molding it into a lovely, fruit-forward saison.
The Beer Walker // Imperial IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: We brewed this beer for our longtime friend and customer, Gary, "The Beer Walker.” This year, to celebrate his 80th birthday, we amplified it to an Imperial West Coast IPA with vibrant hops and a lush malt base that balances with a pleasant dryness.
Fresca Pils // Italian Pilsner
Series: Perennial
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: A crisp, hop-forward Italian-style pilsner brewed with Northwest pilsner malt and generously hopped with European Styrian hops, lending zippy notes of citrus, berries, and fresh-cut grass.
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: Joy
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, 5/1.
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: Beer and Terroir
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Terroir is the French concept that a food or drink can be influenced by the land in which it was raised. It is most commonly used to describe the relationship between wine grapes and the region in which they were grown.
All agricultural products theoretically have the potential to be affected by terroir. Environmental factors influence us all, after all. Quality of soil, availability of water, length of growing season, average daily and nightly temperatures, wind, rain, flooding, smoke, and nutritional chemistry all vary from one square mile to another, worldwide. When we started our wine program, I was given the opportunity to select grapes from different areas of the same vineyards, and can tell you from experience that different lots in the same area can taste vastly different.
The same can be said for hop selection. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to select our hop lots each year, and it is one of the reasons that our beer performs so well within our markets.
Barley also expresses different qualities when grown in different regions, but is so highly modified during processing for brewing that only the basest of varieties are discernible from one another. Variance in malt is greatly affected by the maltsters themselves rather than by growing conditions and terroir.
For many generations, certain wild yeasts and bacteria used to spontaneously inoculate beers were believed to only reside in specific world regions, but modern biotechnology has proven this to be a myth. The same microbes that blow off the Senne in Pajottenland through dusty romantic barn attic coolships reside under an alley in Corvallis, just off the Willamette, in a slightly less romantic but still dusty coolship. Keep in mind that for ages, they thought that real sourdough could only be started in San Francisco. Gatekeeping, though understandable, isn’t constructive.
Water is tricky, because as brewers we generally strip it to perfectly pure via filtration, then treat it with salts and minerals to either imitate other regions' profiles or nudge our beer in the direction that we want it to go. As far as beer’s ingredients go, this one is least influenced by terroir.
I will argue that hops provide modern beer with the biggest sense of terroir that we can experience as drinkers. We currently have four different representatives of the worlds hop growing regions available to taste side by side, which is super fucking cool and I hope you take advantage of the opportunity. Check out
Sticky Hands - Joker’s Jest, Brewed with Harlequin Hops from Herefordshire, UK
Fluff’s Travels - Barbe Rouge, Brewed with Barbe Rouge from Alsace-Lorraine, France
45 Below, Brewed with Wai-iti, Pacific Jade, Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, and Superdelic hops from the Nelson region of New Zealand
Deep Seek, Brewed with Citra, Chinook, El Dorado, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops from the Pacific Northwest
Let me know which region is producing which hop character that you love the most!
I’ll finish by stating that while I do believe that terroir influences the beer that we make, and as a maker, I take that into consideration, I don’t know that it’s necessarily the most exciting part of being someone who is passionate about beer. The best part of being a beer drinker, in my opinion, comes more from the place in which you enjoy the beer. Knowing that New Zealand hops are more tropical than UK hops is great, don’t get me wrong, but that knowledge isn’t half as valuable as our friendly servers, great quality food, dependable service, and welcoming establishments. For beer, in my opinion, the place in which it is enjoyed is by far more important than the place in which it came. That’s where you come in! Keep doing your best to make this place warm, welcoming, and enjoyable in every way, and people will keep coming back for another round.
Hilariously, here are two articles for further reading, one titled “There’s no such thing as terroir in beer” and one titled “Hops have Terroir.”
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Green Truck has been Promoted to a Year-Round Offering (woo!)
Similar to how we promoted Deep Seek last month, for May, we’re focusing on Green Truck. Not only are we sharing some additional information about this beer, but we’re celebrating that it’s been promoted to a year-round beer (or Perpetual).
At Our Locations During May
We’re planning a party to celebrate Green Truck’s promotion, which will be held on Memorial Day, May 26th, at the Tap Room. Beer, BBQ, Games… it’ll be fun! More details to come as the plans get finalized.
As with last month, we’d love to offer folks a taste of Green Truck. Use the information I’ve provided below to share additional details about the beer. It’s also our People’s Pint Tap this month, which should give you plenty of things to mention!
For merch, we have stickers to hand out to guests. T-shirts and Trucker Hats are available too!
Beer Info
Our take on the classic American Light Lager, 4.20% Green Truck is brewed always with the best Pacific Northwest grain, hops, and water. Work hard, drink easy, this beer is crafted for the crew.
Tasting Notes: Clean • Crisp • Classic
Dig Into the Details
Clark
The inspiration for the name Green Truck came from our first forklift, “Clark,” who put in a lot of hard work over the years and is still going strong. The beer is a symbol of simple, hard work. It might not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and is there for those hot days working in the yard, a refresher at the end of a long shift, and bringing along camping with the crew.
Green Truck is a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, representing our commitment to sustainable brewing practices by sourcing local and regional ingredients, utilizing solar energy in the lagering process, and implementing mindful brewing practices extending to the shelves and taps. Green Truck is made primarily with Pure Idaho Pilsner malt, a 100% Idaho-grown barley from Great Western Malting.
Green Truck is a high-gravity brew watered back with filtered and deaerated water. The water we use at our Production Brewery in Southtown Corvallis comes from the Taylor Treatment Plant and the Rock Creek Treatment Plant. Taylor, located in Southeast Corvallis, draws water from the Willamette River, accounting for approximately 69% of our total water supply. 31% comes from Rock Creek, which draws from the east side of Mary’s Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range.
We chose Contessa hops for Green Truck, a United States-grown hop variety with Noble hop characteristics developed in Yakima Valley, Washington. The beer also features a strain of yeast tailored explicitly for light-lager production. All together, the ingredients in Green Truck add subtle notes of green tea, pear, and lemongrass to a crisp malt base.
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
Pineapple upside down cake is replacing carrot cake at the pub on Friday 5/9! A square slice of cardamom spiced rum cake, with the ubiquitous pineapple ring and cherry on top. Served with whipped cream.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
OSU Family Weekend is upon us! Remember to stay busy, stay positive, and tell your friends that they’re killing it any chance you get.
Please lean on your Lead Servers! They are your best resource for questions, comments, and concerns. 90% of your floor questions can be brought directly to a lead for much faster and more efficient resolution. Our leads are incredibly well versed and knowledgeable, take their feedback to heart!
Pomegranate Martini was a hit, so we will continue to run this special cocktail! We will drop the Pom Mimosa for now.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
It's going to be a hella fun and busy weekend! Stay hydrated and sling that beer/ food my friends!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
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
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Jack Derbenti - Taproom Cook
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in May with Green Truck
We’ll be supporting CASA - Voices for Children of Benton and Lincoln Counties this May by donating a portion of every pint and can purchase of Green Truck to them. In a nutshell, our donation is going towards supporting children with essential clothing items and activity fees, as well as advocacy for their best interests.
About CASA - Voices for Children
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy on behalf of children in foster care. They are built on the foundation of everyday people contributing to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. CASA - Voices for Children trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for children within legal custody of the state in Benton & Lincoln Counties.
When a child in care is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively. Without the powerful voice of an advocate, children too often return to unsafe homes or languish in long-term foster care, risking future abuse or neglect.
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.
