Internal Brewsletter - October 11th, 2023
General
Bloktoberfest Follow-Up
Bloktoberfest happened last weekend, and could not have happened without you! Thank you for your efforts, whether working in the tent or keeping the pub running smoothly. It takes everyone pitching in to make an event like this happen. THANK YOU!!
Since it has been 4 years, and in hopes of making the event better in the future, we would love to gather your input on how the event went. Please complete this survey to share your thoughts.
Figgy Pudding
This Friday we will add Figgy Pudding (the dessert) to our dessert menu! It will phase out the smores cheesecake, but we will keep that on the menu for another week to run out of our last few pieces!
Figgy Pudding
A classic British holiday dessert. Moist homemade cake baked with brandy-soaked figs & dates. Served Warm with brandy hard sauce and fresh cream. $9
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Garrison! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Porkstrami Hashwhich, potato latke and porkstrami on artisan bread with horsey sauce and tomato.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 10/13
College // Cream in name only, this bright, refreshing ale is the perfect crusher on gamedays or anytime in between. Crisp and malt-driven, with extended cold conditioning, provides a clean finish. // 4.50% ABV
Takeaways: Truly crushable, we spunded this batch to capture natural carbonation for a finer mouthfeel, but you can still drink it from the can if you want.
Tasting Notes: Wildflower Honey. Shredded Wheat. Alma Mater.
Series: Perennial
Specular Reflections // Our meditation on the Trappist-style dubbel, this robust dark ale balances rich notes of dried plums, dark malts, fruit preserves, and clove spice—a complex profile elevated by natural carbonation. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: A part of our Abbey series, canned, but still naturally conditioned in secondary for the authentic mouthfeel. Specular undergoes three fermentations.
Tasting Notes: Red Velvet. Baking Spice. Hygge.
Series: Orbital
Something Big & Resinous // Brewed with our friends at Behemoth Brewing in New Zealand, this trans-Pacific Collab features an even blend of NZ and PNW hops. Dank, Piney, herbaceous and juicy, it thoroughly lives up to its name. // 8.80% ABV
Takeaways: As the name suggests, it a big west-coast IPA that features both PNW and New Zealand hops. Dry, resinous and explosively hoppy, we even added some special Riwaka hop oil at conditioning to make it really pop.
Tasting Notes: Tangerine. Pine Resin. Colossal.
Series: Synergy, collaboration with Behemoth Brewing in New Zealand
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 10/13
College // Cream Ale
Specular Reflections // Belgian Dubbel
Something Big and Resinous // Imperial West Coast IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Paddle Season & Topwire 3
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Space Candy // Hazy IPA
Hair of the Peach // Barleywine Ale Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Peaches and Apricots, collaboration with Hair of the Dog
Ol’ St Nick // Winter Warmer
Tropicolor // 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: Cream Ale
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
A true American classic, cream ale was once one of the most popular styles of beer made in the United States. Originating in the mid-19th Century, Cream ale rose to prominence in the early 20th century as a direct competitor with the mass-produced lagers that were already coming to define what beer was in America. Initially stronger, hoppier, and more bitter than other lagers, they eventually evolved to resemble German Kolsch, with a lower abv and gentle hop character balanced by a light bitterness. One point of distinction between Kolsch and Cream ale is the inclusion of rice or corn in making cream ales, a staple adjunct for most American beers that came out of this period.
Historical production methods vary from brewery to brewery, sometimes made exclusively with ale yeast, sometimes exclusively with a lager strain, and some other times primary fermentation is done with an ale strain, and then conditioned with a lager strain. So is Cream ale an ale or a lager? Cream ale is often described as a hybrid beer, much like Kolsch or Altbier. These beers are often brewed with an ale strain that ferments at a cooler temperature and still undergoes a lagering, or conditioning period that helps clean up off-flavors. College Cream Ale, which comes out this week, was fermented with an English ale strain, and conditioned and spunded for an extended period of time, the result is an exceptionally clean beer with most of the carbonation being imparted naturally by the off-gassing yeast.
Spunding is a process where a pressure relief valve, with a water lock to prevent oxygen from getting into the tank, is placed on the fermenter late in primary fermentation or during lagering, the CO2 yeast produced is captured and bonds with the beer due to the low temperature the beer is in at this stage. This provides natural carbonation, lowering our need to purchase CO2 and reducing our carbon footprint. It is a German process that we employ with all of our lagers and hybrid beers.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
We are on our last legs of the Passionfruit Lemonade! Once that runs out, we will switch to Marionberry for the Fall season. If folks are sad, let them know that Passionfruit will be back this Spring/Summer.
We are switching up our Seek Out and Seasonal Cider! Once we are out of Pacific Pineapple we will have Prickly Pearadise and once we are out of Raspberry Lemonade Seekout we will be switching to Kiwi Blackberry Seekout.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We will be switching up our seasonal lemonade flavor in a couple of weeks! If you have any flavor suggestions let Madie know!
Be prepared for a busier weekend with OSU Homecoming/Family Weekend, 2Towns Harvest Party, and decent weather.
Once we run out of what we have of the Airlie Rose it will be gone until next summer.
Please keep the walk-in organized and like with like! Take out any extra empty flats and break them down into cardboard recycle. We should only have 4-5 at a time.
Caves UPDATES
Lillet Blanc is back, so we can make the Corpse Reviver again. Hooray!
More tea lights have arrived, so please make sure to put these along with the votives out on each table for dinner now that the weather is turning more consistently cozy.
Events
Bloktoberfest has come to a close… and as the rain and leaves keep falling we’ll be gearing up for the late Autumn festivities. Stay tuned for what’s next!
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Blake Myers - He always has an encouraging comment on deck and is such a great communicator!
Holly Amlin - Holly always crushes it and with a positive attitude. We're lucky to have her on the team.
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
Rainy weather tip: walking on wet surfaces can be slippery, so it’s important to take small steps and keep your head up to watch for hazards, and always wear your non-slip shoes to work to prevent unnecessary falls.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
People’s Pint - November
Our Next People’s Pint will be in November! For the whole month, we will be dedicating a tap handle to give back to our community. The organization we chose this month is Corvallis Mountain Rescue. A portion of the proceeds from each pint and packaged beer to-go will be donated to the organization from both Block 15 locations.
Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit offers assistance, without charge, for search and rescue (SAR) in difficult areas and high-angle terrain. Skilled CMRU volunteers with mountaineering experience, trained in the many facets of technical alpine search and rescue, are available around the clock.
More info here: https://www.corvallismountainrescue.org/index.html
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!