Internal Brewsletter - June 11th, 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 Simon! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Smoked Lox Roll!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Alumni Club: Sunriver Chapter // 6.80%
Description: Developed in collaboration with our friends and fellow OSU graduates at Sunriver Brewing, this SW IPA features Neo-Mexicanus Medusa and Amarillo hops, along with a touch of flaked Maize—a crisp and aromatic IPA capturing the essence of hot days and cool nights in the high desert.
Key Takeaway: A brand new, never-before-brewed style, Southwest IPA, with neo-mexicanus hops and a touch of corn, inspired by the high desert. Imagine the Mexican lager version of West Coast IPA.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit • Pineapple • Chaparral
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Synergy, collab with Sunriver Brewing Company
Beer Style: Southwest IPA
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
When I Tip, You Tip, We Tip // Hazy IPA with Spruce Tips
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: We brought the forest to your glass. Experience the tell-tale blue raspberry character of wild spruce tips like you've never had it before. Pine and citrus zest are rounded out by a gentle addition of malted oats and wheat that remind you, if you ain't tippin, you must be trippin.
R&D 2171 // XPA (Extra Pale Ale)
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: This R&D batch was created to research a new style for Block 15 and a new hop, too! XPA, or extra pale ale, is an Australian summer crusher that has a lean malt bill to keep the body very light. It's just robust enough to support its hop bill. We also used an experimental hop breed, HBC 1019, which smells just like Peachie O's candies!
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:
Tap Room: Sol Fresco
Pub: Fresca Pils
Beer Education
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room for an educational session where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome! *Note: If there are no new releases, this meet-up will likely be cancelled that week.
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 6/12.
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: We Created A Style
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Last month, Mason from Sunriver came to brew with us for our Alumni Club collaboration day, as he graduated from the same program as Matt, Danny, Mike, and I. When I reached out to him concerning what kind of beer he might like to make, he suggested we use some Neo-Mexicanus (New Mexican) hops, and that he’d like to make an IPA. I took his request, and instead of just making another IPA with his favorite hops, I decided to create something new inspired by the land from which they came and the high desert that Mason calls home.
Neo-Mexicanus hops are a family of hops that were discovered growing wild in the American Southwest, specifically New Mexico and Arizona. The arid climate grows hops with a different character than what we have developed in the PNW or in Europe. My favorite of the family is a Multihead hop called Medusa, named for the snake-haired monster in Greek Mythology.
They have an incredible fruity, citrus, stone fruit quality that is unlike many varieties that I’ve been exposed to. Truly unique and expressive.
From there, we designed a new malt bill, using some flaked maize in the mash to give it a unique mouthfeel, flavor, and experience overall. We then layered in some other Spanish and desert-themed hops, like Amarillo and El Dorado, and included a new type of Salvo we’ve only used once before. Calypso was another feisty woman in Greek mythology, so I thought it’d be fun to throw her in with Medusa and see how they played together. Turns out, it’s a match made in heaven.
Our new Southwest IPA is something that hasn’t ever been brewed before. Think of it as being related to West Coast IPA in the same way that Lager is related to Mexican Lager. Slightly different, and with some new traits, but if you like one, you’ll love the other.
Help me out by asking folks if they’d like to try a sample. I’m pretty proud of this one, and I’d love it if we sold it like hotcakes. As always, I’m looking for feedback all the time. Please reach out to garrison@block15.com anytime.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
OSU Grad weekend is upon us! Here are some very important reminders for service that require your attention in order to have a smooth and successful weekend!
When food running, slow down to pay extra attention to order modifications so that food goes out correctly the first time. With how busy we will be, flying items is not going to be easy for the kitchen. If an item needs to be flown ASAP, let the lead know immediately and write them a ticket on receipt paper with the table number & item details including specs / sauces. While we need food out of the window quickly, it is more efficient to take an extra second to ensure the order is fully complete and accurate. If food leaves the window, it HAS to be marked off on the POS to communicate with people helping out.
Any concerns with tickets needs to be brought to the line lead and communicated concisely.
Keep conversations in the kitchen to an absolute minimum. Help out the team during off time by stocking kitchen plates, running for things others made need, stocking ice / cups, sweeping, doing side work lists, etc. If a particular situation needs to be discussed with another co-worker or manager, please utilize the back server station for these conversations.
A reminder that bar glassware can be brought to the bar if there is space both on the dishwasher and physically on the bar for you to come back and drop them off. It is a tight, busy space so keeping it as open as possible is needed. Pint glasses go in the water glass rack for the dishwasher, wine and coupe (martini / pom drop) glasses go straight to the bar but try to keep traffic light, everything else can go in the grey bar racks. Tell the bartender if they are too full and they can assess when to grab them. DO NOT STACK GLASSWARE!
Please deliver Bar food from behind the seats, DO NOT walk down the length of behind the bar to deliver food!
Longer shifts are to be expected. Any floor decisions are made by the float manager. If you have a suggestion or insight about your section, bring that to the float when appropriate but they will be in charge of the flow of the shift. Shutting down sections, breaks, phasing will be up to that manager.
I am in possession of our company’s season Knight's Tickets! If you’re interested in a particular game please reach out to me (Kira) and I will get you tickets to the game. These will be first come, first serve, but I do hope to allow those who haven’t utilized this opportunity to take precedence as the season goes on.
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Kim Smith - Kim is an absolute machine on the floor and closing the taproom with her is always a total breeze. Bless up 🙏
Cody O - During hard and stressful days in prep, he always keeps a calm and upbeat state of mind. He shows great leadership by keeping the team positive mindset.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Alexander Andresen - TR Cook
Diego Montes - Dishwasher
Welcome back to Sam White - Dishwasher/Host
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be in July.