Internal Brewsletter - July 12th, 2023
General
Employee Provision:
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Kailey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a tomato and burrata crostini.
We’re looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 7/14
Fresca Pils // A crisp, hop-forward Italian-style pilsner brewed with Italian Eraclea pilsner malt and generously hopped with European Styrian hops, lending zippy notes of citrus, berries, and fresh-cut grass. // 5.30% ABV
Takeaways: This year we employed German-grown Amarillo hops to really push the dry-hop character of this delightfully dry pilsner.
Tasting Notes: Marmalade. Elderflower. Enrapturing.
Scientifical // Don your lab coat and imbibe this supercritical display of dankness. We layered waves of sticky, resinous hop goodness on a delicate malt base to scientifically flavorize this delicious IPA. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: New-Age West-Coast IPA with old school hops. Nugget has been around a while, but using it as Salvo (a new hop extract) has allowed us to access all its best characteristics.
Tasting Notes: Pineapple. Pine Resin. Working Hypothesis.
Ice Knife // Brewed with cutting-edge hop technologies, including Co2 extracted Salvo™ and cryogenically frozen Strata CGX™. This WC x NE Hybrid IPA amplifies the most vibrant factions of sticky and pungent hop characters with a razor-sharp hop showcase of bright citrus peel oils and dense resin. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Crosby's new CGX (cryo-processed hop pellets) pack a considerable punch in this west-coast IPA, featuring Comet and Strata.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Juice. Pine Resin. Razor's edge.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 7/14
Fresca Pils // Italian Pilsner
Scientifical // India Pale Ale
Ice Knife // India Pale Ale
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Fresh Flow
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Animal Cookies // India Pale Ale
Wandelpad // Belgian Blonde
Paddle Season // Pale Ale
TopWire IPA Block No. 03 // India Pale Ale
Consortium: Mosaic x HBC 586 // India Pale Ale
Native Land 2.0 // Mexican Lager
Stoke Coast // West Coast Pilsner
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: Italian Pilsners
It might sound like a classic European lager style, but Italian Pilsner is a baby compared to German Pilsner or Bohemian Pilsner. Invented by Agostino Arioli at his Como, Italy brewery, Birrificio Italiano in the mid-90s, Tipopils is the original Italian Pilsner. Initially, to recreate a particular example of a Northern German Pilsner, Arioli added a small dry hop that drastically changed the beer. The result was light and crisp with a touch of sulfur from the lager yeast and a noticeable, but not overpowering hop aroma and flavor from dry hopping with Noble hops. Birrificio Italiano initially used Tettnanger, Spalter Select, and Hallertau Mittelfruh, three German hop varieties known for their herbal, spicy, and floral attributes. The hops lend a gentle spicy and grassy character to the pilsner.
The emerging style was introduced to America by Firestone Walker and their beer, Pivo Pils. They moved into using Saphir, a German-grown hop with more intense aromatics that pushed the hop profile of that beer. More American brewers caught on to the emerging style and started brewing variations of it, mostly using German hops, but also looking at other unique European hop varieties that could bring interesting characteristics not otherwise seen in Pilsners.
Fresca Pils is Block 15’s take on the Italian Pilsner style. Historically that beer has been brewed with Mandarina Bavaria, a German variety that exhibits strong citrus notes, but this year we substituted that with Hallertau Amarillo. These are hops of American origin and typically grown here in the PNW, that were grown in Germany, imparting the terroir of Hallertau, a hop growing region in Bavaria, into an aromatic, American IPA style hop.
The other hop featured is Styrian Kolbiri, a newer variety of Slovenian hop from the Slovenian Institute of Hop Research and Brewing in Žalec. There are a number of interesting new varieties coming out of Slovenia now, to the point that it has become the second largest hop-producing nation in Europe, after Germany. Styrian Kolbiri features notes of blackcurrant, pineapple, and elderflower.
Some breweries exclusively brew their Italian Pilsners with noble hops that feature the traditional tasting notes of those regions, while others, like Block 15, prefer to interpret this emerging style utilizing the newer, progressive variety of European hops that continue to become available as the American Craft Beer movement continues to influence European beer culture. When you get down to it, Italian Pilsner is just a European Craft beer style, a rare thing that will likely be more common as the industry continues to evolve.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
Congratulations to Taylor Stine for stepping into a Server role! He will begin training in a few weeks, go make sure to give him a big ‘ol high five in the meantime!
Please turn off the light to the Mill Room (where the brooms and vacuum are located) and close the door when you are finished. Since this is a workspace/storage area, we want to keep it from being visible to customers. Also, when you are finished with the broom or dustpan, please hang them back up to keep the space tidy.
Blueberry-Lavender lemonade is on its last legs (as is the Don’t Panic). Within the next week or two we will be switching to the Passionfruit Lemonade. A new cocktail is in the works to replace the Don’t Panic.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Big congratulations to Makayla who is now a Taproom FOH Manager! She is starting to train and step into that role over the next week or so. Make sure to give her a huge high five next time you see her!
We have a new mini fridge! It is smaller than the old cocktail fridge so the cocktails are now in the old lemonade fridge and lemonades and 2towns cans are in the small fridge.
The felt letter board by the merch now has all the prices listed for the merch to help keep all the info clear for customers!
We are completely sold out for reservations for all remaining tunes, brews and bbq dates if folks ask.
Caves UPDATES
Welcome Donlon! He is going to start cross-training this week and we are super excited to have him on the team!
Another reminder to please use coasters upon greeting each table–we have a large back stock and should be using them to provide a better experience for guests and to keep the tables looking good.
Lagered by the Sun updates!
The marketing team is working on displays to go up at the Taproom and Downtown locations that talk about our solar energy, ingredients sourcing, and what cans to find the lagered by the sun stamp on. The Pub will have slides on the TV and the Taproom will have posters hung up by the entrance and cooler.
Next up will be digital pushes for what this program means… Soon (next week!), we will have a webpage with all the info about Lagered by the Sun! It will be a nice tool to go back to and brush up on what the program is all about!
For a quick hit list to remember what Lagered by the Sun means, just remember:
Solar Powered
Local and Regional ingredients
Sustainable Brewing
Community Focused
MARKETING
Check back next week!
EVENTS
Tunes, Brews & BBQ - Wednesdays in July
We have a dedicated web page for the events this year, with a complete list of details: https://block15.com/tunes-brews-and-bbq-2023
All reservations have been booked if people ask. People can still enjoy the music on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Here’s the schedule:
Wed 7/12 - Summer Of Love
BBQ Special: Chicken Yakitori w/ Tare Sauce, Japanese potato salad, Cucumber Sunomono, Rice
Wed 7/19 - Ludicrous Speed
BBQ Special: Huli Huli Chicken Hindquarters, Hawaiian Mac Salad, Mango-fennel slaw, Rice
Wed 7/26 - The Hunks and The Hottie
BBQ Special: Brisket Burnt Ends, Texas Toast, Pickles, Elotes
Block 15 Softball Team - May-August
Stop by and cheer on the team! Game dates are subject to change, but as of right now:
7/18 8:45pm @ Pioneer Park, 7/25 7:30pm @ Rene Moye West, 8/1 6:10pm @ Rene Moye West.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Nic Haye - Nic made a delicious Peach Turnover dessert special last week & it was bomb.com!
Bryce Benson - You did an amazing job reorganizing the keg washing area this week!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Check back next week!
SAFETY TIPS
Workplace procedures exist to keep employees safe, so using every tool and machine according to their instructions is critical. If you’re uncertain on how to use something, don't be afraid to ask for help!
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Cheers for Charity - August 1st
Hosted by Corvallis Young Pros, a portion of day’s drink sales from the Tap Room will be donated to support ABC House. ABC House is the only children's advocacy center serving Linn and Benton Counties. For over 25 years, ABC House has provided a continuum of comprehensive services to over 12,000 children and their families including child abuse assessments, forensic interviews, family advocacy and support and trauma counseling.
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!