Internal Brewsletter - May 8th, 2024
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 Lindsey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for White Chicken Chili.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Cans
Releasing Friday 5/10
The Beer Walker //
Description: Brewed for our longtime friend and first customer, Gary, "The Beer Walker." We loaded this West Coast IPA with vibrant Simcoe, Strata, and Centennial hops, paired with a lush malt base that balances with a pleasant dryness. // 7.30%
Key Takeaway: An old school west coast beer for an old school west coast guy. Pushing big flavor with advanced hop products. We pulled the Simcoe CO2 extract that used to be in this beer in favor of CTZ Salvo that we have been loving, we also blended in some Strata CGX with the regular Strata to really push that character.
Tasting Notes: Kumquat • Pine Resin • Straight-laced
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
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.
Nebula //
Description: This ruby black Oatmeal Stout is brewed with pale malt and specialty dark malt with rich notes of roast, chocolate ganache, cold brew, and caramel softened by a smooth oat body. // 6.00%
Key Takeaway: Silky and full-bodied, Nebula is always there to satisfy your malt-forward needs.
Tasting Notes: Chocolate Ganache • Cold Brew • Space Walk
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perpetual
Beer Style: Oat Stout
COMING UP ON DRAFT
Releasing Friday 5/10
The Beer Walker // West Coast IPA
Future Focus: Hygher //
Description: Future Focus is an experimental IPA brewed with an eye on tomorrow, allowing us to trial new products and brewing methods. This batch features a hybrid I22 Capri yeast from Imperial with Citra, Citra Incognito, Nectaron, Talus, and El Dorado hops to amplify juicy and tropical fruit-forward notes. // 6.43%
Key Takeaway: Brewed with a hybrid yeast from Imperial, this Hazy IPA focuses on amplifying juicy and tropical fruit forward notes. Note: Hygher is pronounced "higher" as in Creed’s song of the same name.
Tasting Notes: Star Fruit • Papaya • Can You Take Me...
Format: Draft Only
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
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:
Fluffhead
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Vital Vibe // West Coast IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: May 17th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Bring on the west coast vibes with this bright and approachable IPA. Featuring a harmonious pairing of hops, it shines with notes of melon, kiwi, and pear with a crisp, snappy finish.
Sticky Vortex // West Coast IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: May 24th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Part two of our collaboration with Fort George Brewing, this brew pulls you into a pine, citrus, and diesel vortex crafted with the best parts of two iconic IPAs: Vortex and Sticky Hands.
Caves Saison No. 003 // Farmhouse Ale
Series: Cellars
Releases: May 24th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Created for our sister restaurant, Caves Saison uses a solera method starting in our oak foeder. A fraction of volume is removed when peak character is reached, then new beer is added and allowed to mature, repeating again, gradually increasing complexity with age. Batch 003 spent eleven months in the foeder molding it into a lovely, fruit-forward young mixed-culture saison.
Oregona // IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: May 24th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Named for a historic sternwheeler, and made to benefit the Friends of Historic Butteville. We collaborated with The Oregon Hophouse to feature 2b, McKenzie, and Anchor hops; all varieties from their breeding program.
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!
Beer 101: Future Focus, Trickster Gods, and the Domestication of Wild Yeast
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week, we’re releasing Future Focus: Hygher. Each time we brew a new Future Focus, we use it as an opportunity to hone in on one brand new product, be it a new hop, a new malt, or a new yeast strain. This round, we focused (see what I did there) on a hybrid yeast strain called Capri. Fun fact: Hygher is a play on the words hybrid and higher, brought to us by our own Matt W.
Capris is a really exciting yeast strain composed of two parent strains that we are very familiar with. The first is Juice. Juice yeast is used for all of our hazies. It is great for bringing out the aromas and flavors in new school hops. It provides a round mouthfeel but retains the ability to produce a citrus edge. It’s used by breweries all over the world to make juicy beers juicy. Cool Beans.
The second, and in my opinion, far more interesting parent strain in Capris is Loki. Loki is Imperial Yeast’s Kveik strain, named after the famed Norse trickster god. If you didn’t understand a single word in that last sentence, don’t feel bad, you’re probably not alone. I was so excited when I found out that we’ve never touched on Kveik yeasts in Beer Ed, because it’s a topic rich in history, and I can talk about it for hours. I’ll make an attempt to be brief. No promises.
When folks first started brewing beer, they had no idea about yeast. In those times, magic was a very real presence in people's lives that was used to explain things that could otherwise not be understood. The women who brewed beer in Scandinavia found that success could be ensured in future batches if they stirred the batches with the same stick or spoon as they had stirred a previously successful batch. These magic sticks would be passed down from mother to daughter and were prized family heirlooms. The white, flaky crust that formed on the stick was referred to as Kveik, and the staff itself was referred to as a kveikstokk, or yeast stick. Kveik is a term older than the word or even the idea of yeast itself. This is believed to be one of the origins of the image of a witch stirring a cauldron. The Kveik was a very real magic that was close to home and observed by almost everyone.
Through generations of people passing down kveikstokks within their communities, folks began to put it together that it was the residue, not the stick, that contained the magic. This led them to design intricate kveikstokks that had maximum surface area to collect the most yeast from each batch. Below are two examples of Kveikstokks, the first is much older, and the second is what traditional brewers in the region use today.
Once microbiology came into the picture, and people could isolate individual yeast strains, the regional treasure of Kveik became something that could be harnessed and harvested in the same way that we work with all modern yeasts. Here’s the catch with Kveik: It is a yeast cultured by the wives of Vikings, and it acts like it.
Kveik is the single most hearty, durable, and endlessly promising yeast that I’ve ever come across. Most yeasts have a relatively small window of temperature that they’re comfortable fermenting in. Kveik will ferment happily anywhere between 65-100 F. The range allows them to ferment a host of different styles at different temperatures. If we ferment cool, it produces a clean beer with little to no esters, but if we allow it to ferment warmer, it throws a lot of big fruity tropical and citrus characters. It can ferment anything from pseudo lagers to Belgian-style ales to big IPAs, and it even ferments our Block 15 Cider! It’s also famously strong. Brewers have been storied to pitch Kveik yeast in the afternoon after a brew and come in the next day to what they think is a stalled ferment with no activity in the blowoff. In reality what happened was that the Kveik fermented the entire batch overnight.
Kveik is, to say the least, a beast of a yeast. We are super excited to see what its progeny Capri is capable of. We brewed Hygher to amplify the yeast's ability to produce the juiciest of juice, with a plethora of hot new school hops from our neck of the woods as well as the South Pacific, including Nectaron, Citra (T90, Cryo, and Incognito), Talus, and El Dorado. Offered only on draught, please be sure to try it out and let me know what you think. Make sure to cheers with a Skol! Loki is watching…
From the Executive Chef
TAPROOM MENU UPDATES!
Wednesday May 15th we will be beginning our staggered summer menu launch! See the linked doc to be armed with all the knowledge on these new items and what they are replacing.
PUB MENU UPDATES!
Wednesday May 15th we will also be beginning our staggered summer menu launch for the pub! See the linked doc to be armed with all the knowledge on these new items and what they are replacing.
Please reach out if you have any questions regarding menu changes! XOXO
PUB UPDATES
We now have some menu QR codes at the host stand, Brewer’s Bar, Rail, GR, and the B-Zero area of the bar. This is to help our guests access our menu when a physical copy is not available. Please feel free to point these out to guests as well.
With the nicer weather upon us, please make sure we are watering outdoor plants. We are going to be updating the planters soon and want to keep them looking nice.
Now that outdoor tables are going to be sat more often, please keep an eye out for debris under picnic tables and leftover dog bowls that need to be bussed.
Pub Focus Points
ALL: High Fives All Around— A huge shout out to the whole team for their flexibility, attitude, and teamwork over the weekend. Everyone was super helpful to one another, crushing the rush, and being flexible about moving around when needed. Kitchen killed it, Prep rocked, and FOH had great service! Nice job everyone!!!
FOH: Floor Cleanliness Awareness– Let's make the effort to keep the floors free of debris. If you see a napkin, a fry, or anything that doesn't belong on the floor please take the time to pick it up or sweep it up. Also, when resetting a table let's be sure to look under the tables for chalk pieces or other random pieces of garbage.
LINE: Busy Weekend Props—Huge thank you and high fives!! Everyone worked their butts off this weekend! We worked as a team & we were helping each other out...GREAT JOB!! Blockstars!!
PREP: Hot Item Awareness! Be sure to tackle cook & cool projects first and get them to the walk-in within thirty minutes. If they are items that are slow to cool, put them in a spot where they get a lot of airflow. Ideally, we want to have everything cool enough to back out at the end of the shift.
Pub Company Direction Objectives
Consistently promote and encourage teamwork and strengthen the ties within our team–we are our most successful when we work together and support/understand each other.
Promote ongoing education on all things Block 15 through monthly "Deep Dives" on items from the kitchen, and from the brewery/bar. Each month (roughly) Sarah and myself will send out our information on respective Deep Dives on menu items.
Demonstrate to every guest that we are happy they have joined us. Make connections and show genuine interest and excitement!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Thanks to everyone for crushing family weekend and rolling with the punches. You all are soo appreciated and are wonderful humans!
We will now be keeping chalk tins on all chalk tables inside with a few extra by the menus for the chalk boards and outside high tables. Please make sure these are staying filled and kept clean and tidy. More chalk is on the way!
Make sure this weekend we check on the outside potted plants for watering with the warmer weather and make sure we have the corn hole and ring toss game out for folks to play!
There’s a little menu holder by the bar register now to keep a few menus easily accessible for customers. Please make sure there’s always a few available in the holder!
Flautas have been taken off the menu and we are bringing back Jerk Candied Hazelnuts to the appetizers!
Tap Room Focus Points
FOH: Floors! Let’s make sure we’re spot sweeping throughout the day, checking under tables, looking for debris outside, and being thorough during closing with sweeping and mopping!
ALL: Warm Weather! Make sure to stay hydrated and be prepared for it to be busier this weekend. Keep up the communication with each other!
2024 Objectives
Elevate engagement through impactful community-centered opportunities and events
Enhance the visibility of the Block 15 Bakery and unique Taproom menu items
Amplify the customer convenience factor
Upcoming Events
TBD in May - Summer Gardening Q&A! Learn how to start a summer garden or ask questions about your current garden! Family-friendly, free seeds or starter plant with a drink purchase!
TBD End of May Trivia!
Bakery Highlight
Ciabatta/Tuscan Chicken Sandwich! Read more about the Tuscan here
Try to highlight and/or suggest this item to 3 different customers per shift you work!
Caves Updates
While it was also thrown out in the High Five section, we wanted to thank each and every one of you for the hard work you all put in this weekend! You helped to keep the team going and provide a wonderful experience for our guests and we could not be more thankful for each and every one of you!
Brunch Bar Happy Hour starts this weekend, May 11th & 12th! From 9am-11am every Saturday and Sunday at the Caves bar, we will be offering $5 Mimosas and Bloody Marys! Again, this is only available for those sitting at the bar between 9am and 11am. If you have any questions, feel free to check in with Goody!
2024 Caves Direction Objectives:
Deliver elevated consistency through the Caves experience
Hit our service and food standards every single time! Show our guests why we should be their regular spot and what sets us apart with our elevated experience.
Keep eyes up and out and move through the restaurant rather than just behind the bar when making loops. Offer to grab another beverage, refill waters, or pre-bus tables, even if they aren’t yours.
Amplify education and enthusiasm within our food and beverage programs
Through elevated and thorough education on new menu items and revisiting tried and true classics, or beverages with more history and information.
Caves Direction Objectives
Deliver elevated consistency through the Caves experience
Hit our service and food standards every single time! Show our guests why we should be their regular spot and what sets us apart with our elevated experience.
Keep eyes up and out and move through the restaurant rather than just behind the bar when making loops. Offer to grab another beverage, refill waters, or pre-bus tables, even if they aren’t yours.
Amplify education and enthusiasm within our food and beverage programs
Through elevated and thorough education on new menu items and revisiting tried and true classics, or beverages with more history and information.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Parents Weekend Crew @ The Pub - Everyone who worked this last weekend CRUSHED IT! There was great service, an emphasis on teamwork, lots of flexibility, and positive energy. BOH and prep kept things rolling smoothly and I was really impressed with their ability to keep up with the volume of tickets and large parties. Servers were SERVING with awesome hospitality and teamwork. The hosts handled a huge waitlist efficiently with great communication and helped everyone out. Food runners... mad respect for y'all getting things out accurately and quickly to the guests. Bartenders were slingin' beer and cocktails while juggling a full bar. And shout out to the float managers for rockin' the floor. THANK YOU ALL! Great introduction to the busier months ahead. <3
Everyone who has picked up, covered, or switched a shift in the last week or so - This is such a helpful thing to do, both for your coworker who needs coverage and for the rest of the team. Thanks for having each other's backs!
The Bakers - TR friends, thank you for sending us delicious cake!
Caves Crew - Thank you for such a stellar weekend! With being fully booked most of the weekend and some crazy pops, you all maintained stellar attitudes and teamwork and helped to make some great experiences for our guests. Many people left super happy and ready to come visit us again. Y’all are the best!
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
The weather is getting warmer this weekend, make sure to stay hydrated and take water breaks when you need them.
Office Hours
Monday: Tap Room 10 am - 1 pm, Pub 2 - 5 pm
Thursday: Tap Room 1-4 pm
Friday: Pub 1-4 pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Dine Out! for adams elementary - May 14th
This month, we’re partnering with Adams Elementary to donate a portion of food sales from both Block 15 locations on May 14th.
The purpose of the Adams Parent Association (APA) is to support the education of students at Adams Elementary School by creating an inclusive community through fun events and raising funds that will benefit the education of all students.
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!