Internal Brewsletter - March 1, 2023
GENERAL
A HUGE thank you to everyone for working so hard to make Bourbon Month another fun and successful one!
Reminder message: In celebration of our 15 year anniversary Marketing and HR would like to put together a “Yearbook” of sorts. If you would like to be a part of it please email a photo of yourself from 2008 to shelby@block15.com by March 7th.
The Employee Provision is BACK! This is a weekly special served at the Pub, the idea of which comes primarily from Block 15 employees. We’re kicking it off in early March. Submissions are open to everyone!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - CANS
RELEASING FRIDAY 3/3
Group Ride // Dust off your bike and grab your group of friends to celebrate the start of spring riding season with this crisp, refreshing IPA. Bursting with citrus, mango, and floral hop notes to fill your tires all season long. // 6.75% ABV
Takeaways: A light and refreshing spring-inspired IPA, Group Ride is an approachable lower strength IPA designed for your post-ride gatherings.
Tasting Notes: Ruby Grapefruit. Pine Resin. Hit the Trail.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
Group Ride // IPA
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Selection Series // Four IPAs each using four unique hops: Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe
Cosmic Cold Brew // Oatmeal Stout with Coffee
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
Sol Fresco // Mexican Lager
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Nebula
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics is continuing:
Tuesdays at 2pm at the Taproom
Thursdays at 11am at the Pub
Beer 101
YEAST PART 1
Fermenting barley into alcohol dates back thousands of years, in that time many different species of yeast have been used intentionally or unintentionally. Yeast can be described as, simply, unicellular fungi, of which the genus Saccharomyces is most commonly used in beer production due to its ability to convert sugar into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and a range of flavors that are associated with beer.
Of all species, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and Saccharomyces Pastorianus are the most commonly used and can be identified as ale and lager yeast. Within those two species exist thousands of different strains, each with unique characteristics. We select strains for brewing based on the style, or sub-style we want to make as most of these strains developed alongside classic styles.
Historically, brewers made choices in selecting which yeast to repitch and continue to use organically in the brewing process. The result of this was a very regionally unique variety of yeast strains, some clustered in association with nations, or regions within nations. Occasionally individual cities developed such complex brewing cultures to develop a multitude of unique yeast strains, such as London. Generally, we think of yeast strains as being connected with the beer culture of the regions they originated in.
S. Cerevisiae is much older than Pastorianus and thus has many more strains developed, with much more diversity in characteristics. Ale strains from England are very distinct compared to those from Belgium, where there is very little difference in lager strains from Germany compared to lager strains from the Czech Republic. One significant distinction between ale (s. Cerevisiae) and lager (S. Pastorianus) yeast is the temperatures they ferment at. They also produce different ester and phenol compounds during fermentation.
There are many other species of Saccharomyces that are less commonly used in beer production, as well as other genera of yeast that are occasionally used. Brettanomyces is one of these, most commonly found in sour beer production, especially in Belgium, but also widely in the U.S. Brettanomyces fall under the category of wild yeast, even though it is often cultured in professional yeast banks. Wild yeasts are often thought of as contaminants, as they create off-flavors that are undesirable in most instances. Their cells are much smaller and they ferment much slower, while these factors prohibit them from being used in most beer production, they are ideal for the slow fermentation that is associated with barrel-aged sour beers. They have a remarkable way of not only converting sugar into alcohol but also biotransforming flavor and aroma compounds in the product into other unique compounds.
We work with all of these at Block 15, we source region-appropriate malt and hops when brewing traditional beer styles, and we also source appropriate yeast. It’s not a subject that gets the same level of attention as hops, but it is still an integral part of brewing and plays at least as important a role in the quality of beer we make.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
When grabbing guest beverages from the cellar, please break down any empty 6 pack containers and empty flats and recycle them. Just like the soda boxes, if you aren’t able to recycle them in the moment, bring them upstairs with you so they aren’t forgotten about.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We have moved the broken glass bucket to a shallow tub that is labeled and lives next to the recycle tub under the back prep counter! Please also empty this out when taking recycling out and do not let it get into regular rotation of tubs, it is glass only!
The drawer under the changing table in the Men’s room is broken, please do not use and restock items from the Women’s bathroom back stock drawer!
Sean is still out of town till Sunday so hit up Madie with any Taproom things!
New Two Towns Cider “The Baddie” launching this Friday!
“The Baddie™ cider is the result of an all-women-led initiative, formed by women across 2 Towns Ciderhouse, and the Pink Lady® apple brand. The Baddie™ cider celebrates the courage, strength, and grit of all women – empowering them to discover new and unique adventures, push boundaries, and challenge the status quo.”
New cocktail is coming this Friday! “Wishful Thinking” (Name cred to Alyssa)
Aperol, Rum, Pineapple juice, Lime juice, Tiki Bitters, Simple syrup, with nutmeg garnish
A big thank you to everyone for kicking BUTT all of Bourbon Month you all are amazing!
CAVES UPDATES
We have a new N/A beverage coming out tomorrow- it’s a Hibiscus Cardamom soda. We’re supplying the syrup from Portland Syrups.
Make sure we’re communicating with Patrick after brunch on Saturday to make sure we have enough orange juice for Sunday.
We’ll have 3 new wines tomorrow- we’ll have spec sheets printed so we can learn about the new wines and try them before your next shift
We’ll be phasing out the kid’s polenta this week
We’ll have an Endive Salad replacement for the Kale Salad this weekend once we’ve gone through- keep your eyes peeled!
MARKETING
We are releasing a new Perennial (seasonal) beer, Group Ride IPA! This beer is to celebrate the spring season on our way. The weather is looking a bit wishy-washy at the moment (typical Oregon), but once it decides to stop snowing, we will be hosting group rides! Get your bikes ready for a great start to the bike season ahead.
Do you have a Strava account? We started a club so you can start tracking your miles! Block 15 Brewing Club Let’s see how far we get this season. If you don’t have one, sign up and join in on the fun!
EVENTS
Check back next week
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Whit Lakin - because he told me to, but also he’s a fun guy
Paul - Paul always works hard while also greeting his coworkers every shift by enthusiastically saying hi! He’s very knowledgeable and quick and efficient. He’s great to work with!!
STAFF SECTION!
Check back next week.
SAFETY TIPS
Remember to follow safe lifting guidelines such as keeping a wide base of support (feet shoulder-width apart), bending at the hips and knees only, keeping good posture with your back straight and lifting slowly while holding the load as close to your body as possible.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Dine Out for Girls on the Run - March 14th
More details coming soon!
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!