Internal Brewsletter - October 18th, 2023
General
New Scheduling System
Over the next few weeks, we will be making a transition to a new scheduling system called Sling so keep an eye out for a message with more details from your schedulers!
The Cycle Lab Coupons
Starting this Friday, 10/20 and running through 12/31, we will have 10% Off coupon cards for The Cycle Lab Corvallis employees that can be used at either Block 15 location (Caves excluded). This coupon is good for 10% off of their tab or meal, and the cards should be collected and given to a manager (or put with your drop at the Tap Room) after they are used so that we can keep track of discounts used. The only current exception to what the cards can be used for is on our special Fall Release bottles that will be released early November (Imagine, Imagine Variation, Figgy Pudding, and Framboise Claret). If you have any questions, please see a manager!
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Holly! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for an Arugula Salad, made with goat cheese, walnuts, and cranberries. Tossed in honey mustard vinaigrette.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 10/20
Space Candy // Brewed with a galaxy full of delicious and unique hop products. Comet, Galaxy, and Apollo hops bring a tropical, dank, and piney flavor to orbit a silky and lush body. It will blast your palate into outer space. // 7.30% ABV
Takeaways: Pushing a balance between dank and juicy, Space Candy is an unmistakably Block 15-style IPA. Just graduated from draught-only to a packaged beer.
Tasting Notes: Ripe Mango. Apricot. Astronomical.
Series: Emerging
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 10/20
Space Candy // Hazy IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Flicker
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
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
Sticky Hands: Turkey’s Pick // Hop Experience Ale
Imagine // Belgian-Style Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels
Imagine “Chocolate Hazelnut” Edition // Belgian-Style Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs, Hazelnuts and Vanilla
Figgy Pudding // English-Style Barleywine Matured in Brandy Barrels with Spice
Framboise Claret // Wild Golden Ale Matured with Black and Red Raspberries
Punch Out & Prost // Dortmunder Export Lager
Hoppy Holidays // Imperial IPA with Spruce Tips
Willa 2023 // Red Farmhouse Ale
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: Conditioning
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
Conditioning is a catch-all term that refers to the period, after primary fermentation when beer is aged, short-term to achieve maturation and carbonation. In this phase we let sediment settle to the bottom of the tank and, mostly, push CO2 into the tank to force carbonation of the beer. While many of our beers are carbonated this way, we also do a lot of “natural conditioning,” where we allow the CO2 which is produced by the yeast build pressure in the tank and bond with the beer, carbonating it naturally. Carbonation achieved in this way produces a finer bubble formation, and a refined mouthfeel compared to forced carbonation.
CO2, obviously a greenhouse gas, is both produced naturally by fermentation as well as purchased commercially and used widely in beer production for carbonation, and to pressurizing tanks to move beer around the cellar, or into package. Oxygen stales beer and CO2 is used for most beer processes because it does not degrade the product. CO2 bonds to beer more efficiently at lower temperatures, so there is a limit to the amount of natural carbonation we can achieve, with our equipment, when we are fermenting at warmer temperatures, such as when making ales. Lager ferment and condition at lower temperatures, so we have more opportunity to capture that CO2 and use it to carbonate our beer naturally.
For thousands of years, all beer was flat, it wasn’t until the middle ages that barrel-making techniques evolved for barrels to be able to hold beer under pressure and allow CO2 to bond and carbonate the beer. Glass bottle manufacturing didn’t really exist until the 1600s and it took time for bottle producers to make glass capable of holding pressurized product, but the technological advancement made it possible to package beer with carbonation. The technique for both of these products was to ferment the beer, then prime the beer with more yeast and sugar just before barreling or bottling, then let it referment in the sealed vessel.
Naturally conditioned beer like this was dominant in beer production until the 20th century when commercial CO2 and brewery equipment advancements allowed brewers to force CO2 into beer for carbonation, then beer was carbonated before packaging. Naturally conditioned beer has remained a culturally important aspect of beer production for a few cultures, namely British cask beer and the highly carbonated bottle-conditioned beers of Belgium.
German ingenuity led to the development of the “Spunding Valve” which I mentioned last week, this relatively new piece of equipment allows lager brewers to capture a portion of the CO2 produced in fermentation for natural carbonation. This is an important part of our Lagered by the Sun program, reducing our carbon footprint by capturing close to 100% of the CO2 needed to carbonate our lagers.
We use a similar process with our Abbey series. These beers used to be bottle conditioned, as is traditional, but a shifting market has seen the bottle format fall out of popularity. We still wanted to make these beers, so we had to change our process. Now we ferment the beers normally, separate yeast, then creates a secondary fermentation with the addition of sugar and a special yeast that can ferment in a beer that already has high levels of alcohol in it, we use the spunding valve in this process too.
We are continuing to refine and expand how we capture CO2 in the brewery, both of the quality of carbonation, which we feel is higher with natural carbonation, as well as to continue to reduce our carbon footprint and make Block 15 a more Sustainable business.
Further Reading:
https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/iKSxvCoDdk/
PUB UPDATES
New Menu Happenings this week!
Friday 10/20 we are shifting 3 of our HH items!
Chips and Salsa will be replacing the pimento, wings (5) will replace kimchi fried rice and chips AND a ½ Mac and Cheese will replace the market vegetables! Procedures will be the same as they currently are, but I will still repost them tomorrow for clarity and consistency!
We are also replacing our salsa roja with Salsa Borrachas, which is a tomatillo salsa with beer and avocado. We will bring back the roja when tomatoes are sexy again in the warmer months!
New Menu Happenings Next Week (10/25)
Green Hot Chile Burger - NW beef patty, New Mexico Green Chiles, melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce, sweet onion, pickled jalapenos & cilantro-jalapeno mayo on a toasted brioche bun $17.99 (Replaces Kimchi Burger)
Forager Burger - NW beef patty, butter sauteed mixed mushrooms, melted Swiss cheese, lettuce, sweet onion, pickle, and garlic aioli on a toasted brioche bun $18.99 (Replaces HB,J Burger)
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich - Crispy buttermilk fried chicken thigh with house pickles, finely shredded cabbage, and spicy mayo, served on a warm and toasty brioche bun. $15.99 (Replaces Porkstrami)
This Friday (10/20) we will be replacing our current pasta/salad bowls with a new style! It is a shallower bowl with straight sides and looks AMAZING! Our procedures will stay relatively the same, but there will be some new photos posted of our salads and the chipotle pasta for consistency and reference.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Thanks for crushing the busy weekend and all who were flexible and willing to cover shifts it went so smooth because you all are rockstars!
Please make sure we are properly rotating packaged beer when we are restocking the coolers and putting flats on the shelves. Make sure to look at the dates on the bottom of the cans and always put the older date in the front. Any questions ask a Manager!
During closing if either BOH or FOH finishes up before the other offer to help your closing buddy. Help sweep, mop, wipe things down, etc. Whatever you can help get out of there more efficiently.
We will be starting some weekly themed nights soon (ex: Student night, hobby night, game nights, etc.) to incentivize folks to come to the Taproom on weekdays throughout the Winter. If you have any ideas for themes or things to offer feel free to send Madie a message!
New Menu Stuff for this week Friday 10/20
The Curry Cauliflower Grilled Cheese sandwich will be replacing The ZAT on the main menu!
Roasted local cauliflower with lemon & yellow curry, Zante currants, crushed cashews, melted provolone, fresh cilantro, and citrus aioli on toasted house artisan bread. $14.99
We are also replacing our salsa roja with Salsa Borrachas, which is a tomatillo salsa with beer and avocado. We will bring back the roja when tomatoes are sexy again in the warmer months!
Caves UPDATES
It was a BIG weekend! Way to crush it and make such wonderful experiences for our guests who came through. With each big weekend, y’all are killing it even more. Well done!
Events
Late Fall Bottle Release - Launched to the public on Tuesday!
Late Fall Bottle Release is a yearly bottle release of some of our favorite bottle offerings. In celebration of these offerings, we like to make experiences that our fans can get involved in. In the past, we have done a Brunch. This year, we want to try something new and exciting and do dinner and tasting events alongside the regular release. These two events are a great way to chat with the brewers and get a guaranteed selection of bottles. See more about the events below!
Brewers Dinner 11/3
6 pm at the Pub in the Game Room
This is a chance to get the bottles before the release, guaranteed allotment & a chance to chat with our brewers!
Food - 4-course meal with pairings
Sit-down type of event
Tickets go on sale Thursday 10/19
Guided Pairings 11/4
11 am - 2 pm at the Taproom
Small bite pairings to go with each release in different stations in the production facility
4 bottle minimum to join in on the tasting event
Guaranteed Allotment for beer
Standing and mingling type of event
There will be a rotation of 12 people per half hour that will rotate through
Pre-orders start Thursday 10/19
Beers Release 11/4 for public. Although we will still have them on tap 11/3 for the Brewers Dinner, we just won’t tell customers.
Imagine // Belgian-Style Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels
Imagine “Chocolate Hazelnut” Edition // Belgian-Style Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs, Hazelnuts and Vanilla
Figgy Pudding // English-Style Barleywine Matured in Brandy Barrels with Spice
Framboise Claret // Wild Golden Ale Matured with Black and Red Raspberries
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Ted O'Hanlan - I'm glad you're a part of the team, Ted! Thanks for being nice.
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
If you notice a potential safety hazard or risk, report it to your supervisor immediately so they can address the situation. Keep communication lines open and work as a team to create a safe working environment.
Please check Hotschedules messages for reminders on proper call out procedures.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The 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!