Internal Brewsletter - March 13th, 2024
General
Weekend Food Special for the Selection Series Release
March 15th - 17th at both locations
Caribbean Pork Sandwich
Citrus-garlic marinated & smoked Carlton Farms pork loin, jerk grilled onions, pickled jalapenos, fresh shredded lettuce & cilantro, and citrus aioli on a house-baked baguette.
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 Brandyn! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for the return of the classic HB&J Burger, featuring hazelnut butter, marionberry jam, and pork belly!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 3/15
Each fall during the hop harvest, we travel 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.
Selection Series IPAs
Takeaways: These beers 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.
Beer Style: Single Hop West Coast IPAs
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.
Series: Orbital
Mosaic // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Mosaic hops from Van Horn Farms in Moxee, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Mosaic's vibrant Berries, mango, and a touch of dankness notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Tangelo • Lemon Verbena • G.O.A.T.
Amarillo // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Amarillo hops from Virgil Gamache Farms in Toppenish, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Amarillo's vibrant grapefruit, orange, and herbal notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Orange Sherbet • Blue Spruce • The OG
Simcoe // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Simcoe hops from Wyckoff Farms in Grandview, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Simcoe's vibrant tangelo, pine, and apricot notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Dank • Orange Marmalade • Cornerstone
El Dorado // This IPA was brewed exclusively with El Dorado hops from CLS Farms in Moxee, WA. A simple grain profile showcases El Dorado's vibrant pineapple and sweet citrus notes.// 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Candied Strawberries • Papaya • Decadant
Releasing Friday 3/15
Illuminated // Brewed with respect for tradition, a dynamic array of imported grains, select hops, and classic Belgian yeast illuminates this crisp abbey ale with notes of pear, baking spice, and a rich, honey-like finish. // 8.90% ABV
Takeaways: Extreme care and attention to detail are necessary to represent the Belgian Tripel style authentically. We have spent years honing this process, culminating in a deeply complex but approachable Belgian ale, tank-conditioned to give it the appropriate carbonation style and mouthfeel.
Tasting Notes: Bartlett Pear • Nutmeg • Enlightened
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Belgian Tripel
Pale with medium bitterness and a higher ABV between 7% and 10%, Belgian Tripel follows the naming convention of Dubbel and Quad and lies between the two in order of strength. Spicy, complex, and with noticeable yeast-driven characteristics. Highly carbonated with a long-lasting, meringue-like head, this beer should be conditioned naturally in the bottle and finish dry and clean on the palate. Noticeable malt sweetness, Belgian yeast phenolics, and old-world hop character is common.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/15
Selection Series // Four Single Hop West Coast IPAs:
Amarillo
El Dorado
Mosaic
Simcoe
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beers are: Charmed Life at the Tap Room, Ridgeback Red at the Pub, and Favorable Fortune at both locations!
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant // Imperial IPA
Series: Sticky Hands
Release Date: March 22nd
Highlight: We portioned off a special batch of Sticky Hands, which will be available on draft and in-house only. This version of Sticky Hands had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Citra and Strata on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Sticky Hands is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Series: Perennial
Release Date: March 22nd
Highlight: A Maibock is a transitional beer, which carries German lager lovers from Winter to Spring (in German, “Mai” means “May”). They’re traditionally a strong, malty Bavarian-style lager. Alpine Ibex is brewed with respect to tradition and classic attributes while using a base of PNW-grown Pure Idaho Pils malt.
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
Series: Emerging
Release Date: April 5th
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
Series: DAB Lab
Release Date: April 12th
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us for an educational session at the Tap Room every week to taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: Single hop IPAs and Hop Selection
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Traditionally, beer has few ingredients. To make the multitude of different products we release in the brewery every year, we have only four ingredients to play with. While many things can be added to beer, from seaweed or oysters to juniper boughs or spruce tips, most of the time, we add hops, malt, yeast, and water to help us control and direct the final product.
This means that we must be creative and attentive to how those different ingredients influence the beer. How does one ingredient present itself in the final beer as compared to a raw material? How does it present in combination with another ingredient vs on its own?
The best way for us to really understand our ingredients is to work with them on their own and also in combination with others. This is why the Selection Series beers are so cool to me. They allow our staff and customers to experience what we’re tasting when trialing these hops.
Hops are a truly agricultural product, meaning they change from year to year, farm to farm, and lot to lot. So many things affect the final product, from changes in weather to changes in soil chemistry, that it’s really important for us to choose hops from select lots each year that meet our needs. As a side note, hop selection is also really important to us because it allows us to visit the farms and learn more about how hops are cultivated to help direct our decision-making concerning sustainability and environmental impact.
Single hop IPAs give us a really amazing opportunity to see just how the new lots are going to behave in a real world application. The Selection Series was developed to showcase our new lots chosen at hop selection, hence the name. They’re also really fun for folks who are big fans of certain hops. For example, we always get a really big response from fans when we release a Citra single-hop beer because that beer has a lot of die-hard fans.
Most brewers would agree that we prefer beers with a few different varieties, just like a chef would prefer to use more than one spice. However, it’s still incredibly useful and interesting to brew these beers and learn about the characteristics of our new lots. I encourage you to try each of the Selection Series, and please let me know which was your favorite. I’d love as much feedback on these as I can get, and the most constructive feedback I get comes from the staff here. Always feel free to reach out to garrison@block15.com, or just grab me when you see me.
PUB UPDATES
From 3/10 - 3/17 we will have some 15% off coupons out in the wild for a conference with OSU. If you are given one of these, apply the discount to the overall check and place the coupon card in the cash drawer where the big bills live so that bartenders can drop them at the end of the night. These are good through the 17th, so they will not be redeemable after that time. There will be another round of cards going out in April that will be valid from April 15-19th with the expiration noted on them as well. The discount button is called “15% Off Coupon (OSU per Marketing)”.
With the 4 selection series beers coming out this Friday, make sure you know what all 4 are, the main differences, and serving options. We will have laminated taster cards for flights for customers, extra info on the beer menu, one sheets behind the bar for reference and the 4pks come premixed with 1 can of each selection *No breaking up of the 4pk to mix and match*
We have a specific number of mats set to go in specific areas of the restaurant for traction and safety. Please make sure that they go down where they are supposed to and that if we are missing any mats, we communicate with a manager. Here’s a little cheat sheet that will also be laminated on and put on the server clipboard. Where Do Mats Live
We still have some plant watering getting missed, so here is a document on which plants to water and the best way to do so. Please, please make sure that we are properly watering all plants as part of our weekly tasks. These add a lot of ambiance to our space and they are not the cheapest to replace if they die. Plant Watering Guide 2024
TAP ROOM UPDATES
With the 4 selection series beers coming out, make sure you know what all 4 are, the main differences, and serving options. We will have laminated taster cards for flights for customers, extra info on the beer menu, one sheets behind the bar for reference and the 4pks come premixed with 1 can of each *No breaking up of the 4pk to mix and match*
From 3/10 - 3/17 we will have some 15% off coupons out in the wild for a conference with OSU. If you are given one of these, apply the discount to the overall check and place the coupon card in the cash drawer where the big bills live so that bartenders can drop them at the end of the night. These are good through the 17th, so they will not be redeemable after that time. There will be another round of cards going out in April that will be valid from April 15-19th with the expiration noted on them as well. The discount button is called “15% Off OSU Discount Card”. *If folks are splitting a check they can each use one but cannot have more than 1 used on 1 check.
We now have a separate notebook for communication/questions/etc. You are welcome to put your name/initials or leave it anonymous. Any type of question, comment, idea, thing to note, etc. can go in there. Please use the maintenance log solely for things that broke, need to be looked at, could use something else, seems off or funky, things like that.
We will be diving in deeper on the TR objectives for the year soon with everyone. Make sure you know what they are and be thinking about them when on shift!
Elevate engagement through impactful community centered opportunities and events
We will be rolling out some community focused events as well as a calendar of things happening at the Taproom throughout the year!
Enhance the visibility of the Block 15 Bakery and unique Taproom menu items
We will be having a bakery item of focus routinely that should be getting mentioned or suggested to at least 3 customers a shift.
Amplify the customer convenience factor
Consistent table check-ins (offer another round, to-go boxes, package beer, dessert, etc. if a customer needs something we should be happy to do it within reason), increased engagement with customers, go above and beyond while maintaining our core of offering exceptional counter service.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Sarah Gruber - Thanks for always showing up to the TR with a great attitude, ready to go, up to date on all happenings and always kicks butt! You rock!
Katie Davis - Thank you for always having such a wonderful outlook when coming onto shift, and for your constant hustling to help make the restaurant run smoothly. Your willingness and thought to jump in and help other departments is so appreciated!
Danny Perston - Builder of Orcas pallets, first of his name. Truly the hero we need.
Garrison Schmidt - Thanks for taking over beer 101! It's my favorite part of the brews letters and keeps me learning new things!
Our Brew Crew - for continuing to just knock multiple beers out of the park. You make it easy to find each and every customer a beer that suits them. And grant us some super tasty treats for after a long shift.
Lily Smalling - Thanks for looking out for our newer line people. We appreciate your help.
Siarra Edwards - She's willing to help with whatever needs to be done. Thank you!
Ian Farrell - He's got the best deadpan humor and it's always a fun day when he's around.
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Check back next week!
SAFETY TIPS
In case of power outages, remain calm, retrieve and distribute flashlights from behind bar, keep refrigeration closed as much as possible, have someone call Pacific Power’s power outage line, allow customers to close out and determine whether or not to stay open
For those interested, the Safety Committee Notes can be found on the Sling page labeled “Safety Committee Notes.”
Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback or if you’d like to join the monthly safety committee meeting.
The next meetings will be 3/20 at 12:30 pm at the Tap Room and 3/21 at 10 am at the Pub.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Dine Out will be April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center! Stay tuned for more details.
WHAT’S UP ON INSTA??
FEEDBACK
Hey friends! If you find yourself sitting at home, or out and about and something pops into your mind that you would like to pass along to the team, feel free to use this form! Please be mindful of keeping feedback or suggestions constructive and positively worded!