Internal Brewsletter - September 6th, 2023
General
New Dessert!
We are switching our lemon ricotta cheesecake to the s’mores cheesecake this Friday!
School is back in session!
Watch out for school zones!
Employee Provision:
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Mars! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Spicy Carolina Pork Sandwich, which is made with chopped pork and green chilies tossed in Carolina sauce, with onions and white American cheese on a brioche bun.
We’re looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 9/8
Fresh Hop Gloria! // Inspired by classic European pilsners, Gloria! is brewed with choice malt and hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. This edition is fresh-hopped with Lorien hops, bred in partnership with Oregon State University. // 5.00% ABV
Takeaways: We added Oregon-bred and grown Lorien hops into the kettle, then we dry hopped with fresh Lorien from Coleman Ag. We used liquid nitrogen to freeze and shatter the whole cone fresh hops, then we shattered them to access every bit of the delicious lupulin goodness inside.
Tasting Notes: Lemon peel. Cracker. Freshly Harvested.
Series: Fresh Hop
Blue Truck // A beer for those after work hours and the workers who make them happen. Brewed only in the Pacific Northwest with the finest Oregon water, premium malted barley, and choice hops.// 4.70% ABV
Takeaways: Our take on the classic American Premium Lager, with Block 15 quality. Easy drinker
Tasting Notes: Crisp. Spicy. Heartland.
Series: Emerging
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 9/8
Fresh Hop Gloria! // Fresh Hop Pilsner
Blue Truck // American Premium Lager
C-Hops // Combining Crystal, Cascade, Chinook, Centennial and CTZ, this classic IPA nods at tradition but carves a unique path. It features a gentle, malt-forward body that doesn't overpower the delicate hops. // 6.80% ABV
Takeaways: A classic-looking IPA with a classic hop bill of all C-Hops (Cascade, Crystal, Centennial, CTZ, and Chinook). It's a contemporary take on the classic American-style IPA. A touch of malt doesn't overpower the delicate hop notes, mostly because we made an American IPA without any Crystal malt.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit peel. Wildflowers. Throwback.
Series: Emerging
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Fluffhead
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Fresh Catch // Fresh Hop IPA
Fresh Hop Nugg Hugg // Fresh Hop Hazy IPA
Lupine 2023 // Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris Blend
Juice Joint // Hazy IPA
Squirrel Stash // Brown Ale
Story of the Ghost // Hauntingly Hazy IPA
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: Fresh Hops
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
It’s September in the PNW, which means it's officially fresh hop season. Hops are primarily harvested in August and September. Each variety has an ideal harvest window based on its maturation, but harvest times often change year to year based on climate changes. Centennial is a consistent early harvested hop, often late August, whereas Mosaic is later, closer to October. Harvest dates become very important for brewers making fresh hop beers because hops are extremely perishable when fresh.
Hops are typically kilned between 130F and 150F immediately after harvest to dry them out and preserve them. The overwhelming majority of the hops we use are processed in this way. The dried hops are shredded and run through a die that forms them into pellets, then they are packed into mylar bags with an inert gas to preserve them. Hops are cold stored, usually below freezing, at distribution centers before being shipped to brewers throughout the year.
Fresh hops, on the other hand, are usually only good for a few days. It’s important for brewers to keep up on harvest date changes to manage the logistics of when to make their fresh hop beers. Brewers in the PNW are at an advantage over other brewers because we can pick up hops on harvest day and brew with them immediately, at peak freshness. This is one of the reasons that these beers are so prevalent here compared to the rest of the U.S. While packaged hops are typically shipped to the brewery, fresh hops are almost always picked up by the brewer at the farm, or processing facility. They are immediately transported to the brewery, where they are used, same day if possible.
Whole cone fresh hops are much larger than kilned hops due to moisture content, and modern brewing equipment is not designed to use them. The most common method for using them is to load your mash tun, which has a false bottom for extracting sugar from the grain, and run the hot wort (unfermented beer) onto them at the end of the boil, this process is usually is called hop backing. This is the method we used in Fresh Catch, this year made exclusively with Centennial hops and expressing rich flavors on Thai lime leaf and lemongrass.
Always looking to push aromatics, contemporary brewers have been experimenting with ways to dry hop with fresh hops. One method gaining in popularity is to use liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze the hops, then shatter them with a blunt object, exposing the flavor and aroma-rich lupulin glands. Those shattered hops are loaded into mesh bags and suspended in tanks of finished beer to steep for several days.
We used this method on our Fresh Hop Gloria! That releases this week. For that beer, we opted for fresh Lorien hops, which came from the OSU breeding program. Being a pilsner, we opted for the lighter side of the dry hop to preserve the delicate balance that makes this style so drinkable. We also used this method on our Fresh Hop Nugg Hugg that releases next week, in that instance we pushed the hopping rate much higher to draw the most out of the Simcoe hops we used in that beer.
Whether you’re a fan of fresh hop beers or not, there is something about the botanical, chlorophyll-rich flavor of fresh hop beers that drives an insatiable demand for them in this brief window.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
OSU Game Day this Saturday at 6pm! Let’s make sure we are keeping up the positive communication and are ready for a solid pop from likely 2/3pm to about 5pm (with a pop after the game as well). This is likely the first home game for many of you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, or ask for help if you need it. We are all here to support you!
In the coming weeks we are going to phase out the Painkiller, Call Me Maybe, and the Texas Sun to focus on more fall-forward cocktails. Stay tuned!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Be ready for the first OSU Football home game this Saturday!
New cocktail launching this Friday. Keep your eyes peeled.
Pre-bus as much as possible to help keep flies, yellow jackets, etc. at bay!
Let’s get back into the routine of writing food/drink feedback on the sheet in the kitchen, it can be good or bad and can be employees or customers.
Caves UPDATES
First home OSU Football game this Saturday at 6pm! There is a high likelihood that we will see a bump in business for Brunch and potentially Gather Hour as folks are heading out to the game. I (Goody) will be floating on Saturday morning to help with Brunch as well. The game will end between 9 & 10pm, so we may not see a huge push, but still be ready for one!
Check out more detail in this week’s Newsletter!
Events
Bloktoberfest 2023
Stein Pre-Order Begins 9/11
Half and Full Liter Stein packages will be available for pre-order starting September 11th.
Visit the Bloktoberfest HUB for more information (for yourself & customers)
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Brewery Cellar Team - Our brewery cellar crew has been kicking ass lately. Bryce, Danny, Gavin, Jerika, J, and Paul, you have gotten up early, stayed late, and have had a great attitude about doing it. Every curveball has been handled really well, and we appreciate the hell out of you.
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If you have kudos or kind words you want to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Welcome the following folks to the team!
Kaidyn Milani (FOH)
Adam Sparks (Caves BOH)
Grace Pierce (Caves FOH)
Paige Schwandt (FOH)
Barb Rogers (FOH)
Conner Crites (BOH)
Maya Greydanus (BOH)
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! Elakha Alliance - September 12th
On September 12th, a portion of sales from both Block 15 locations will be donated to help support Elakha Alliance.
About: Sea otters are a keystone species whose predation and behavior have a profound effect on the mix of species around it. In their absence, Oregon’s marine ecosystem has suffered, becoming ecologically less robust.
The Elakha Alliance was formed in 2018 by tribal, nonprofit, and conservation leaders with a shared belief in a powerful vision: an Oregon coast 50 years from now where our children and grandchildren co-exist along with a thriving sea otter population and a robust and resilient marine ecosystem.
Their mission: To restore a healthy population of sea otters to the Oregon coast and to thereby make Oregon’s marine and coastal ecosystem more robust and resilient.
Elakha (ee-LAK-uh) is a Chinook trading language word for sea otter, which were once plentiful in Oregon’s coastal waters.
Representatives from Alakha Alliance - Oregon will be on-site at our Southtown Tap Room from 5-7 pm, providing more information about our organization. Stop by and say hello!
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!