Internal Brewsletter - October 25th, 2023
General
Hospitality Through Guiding - Required Reading
Please read the following document before our all-staff meetings this week.
LET’S RIDE!
This Fall, we sponsored Cycle Lab’s Biktoberfest. In return, we all get 3 free passes to try out their studio! Each class is around $25 so this is an AWESOME opportunity! And free!
Head to this link HERE to sign up/create an account and use the code BEER23 to redeem your classes!
They expire on 12/31/23 so let’s get fit before the Holidays arrive!
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Garrison! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Rosemary Lemon Veggie Pita, made with an assortment of fresh veggies tossed in a rosemary lemon vinaigrette, topped with feta and shatta.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 10/27
Tropicolor // Capturing the freshest, juiciest hop character from a trifecta of Idaho 7, Sabro and Bru-1 varietals. With a soft, lush body, Tropicolor is a highly drinkable IPA with a tropical twist. // 7.50% ABV
Takeaways: Pushing tropical mango, pineapple and coconut, this is a very Tiki-inspired Hazy (no fruit added, all hops). El Dorado hop oil is in the ferment for biotransformation. Really pushing big and juicy.
Tasting Notes: Pineapple. Coconut. Beach Day.
Series: Orbital
Ol’ Saint Nick // Ol' Saint Nick is a generously malt-forward winter ale - artfully constructed with a base of selected malts and hops, offering notes of toffee, cocoa, plum, and caramel with citrusy hops and a pleasant lingering finish. // 9.00% ABV
Takeaways: A turn of the season winter warmer. It's a delicate balancing act of sweet malt and hop bitterness that creates an incredibly drinkable seasonal taster.
Tasting Notes: Brown Sugar. Toffee. Fireside.
Series: Perennial
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 10/27
Tropicolor // Hazy IPA
Ol’ Saint Nick // Winter Ale
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Story of the Ghost
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
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: Beer Style Guidelines
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
The world of craft beer revolves around the continued ingenuity of small brewers whose passion and creativity constantly generate new and unique beers for consumers to enjoy. That said, the industry also embraces the idea of more or less fixed beer styles that have rigorous and specific guidelines for how to make them. The combination of these two things, somewhat opposing ideas, creates a unique atmosphere where brewers are always looking ahead but also fixated on the past. Breweries often build a reputation for quality regarding how authentically they make classic styles of beer, a whole sub-industry of professional competitions designed to assess these beers has established the need for well-written, and accurate guidelines that judges can use for reference. The World Beer Cup and The Great American Beer Festival attract thousands of breweries a year to enter and are just two of the dozens of professional competitions.
The idea of standardized beer styles is relatively new, more or less originating in 1977 with the publication of Michael Jackson’s (the beer writer, not the musician) The World Guide to Beer, which broke international beers down into styles and helped stoke a sudden world-wide interest in beer as something more than just a commodity product, but something that deserved consideration, akin to wine. Jackson came out of a time in the UK when traditional beers were disappearing and people began to organize to preserve historic styles and methods. CAMRA, the campaign for the revitalization of real ale formed in 1971, with their first guide for traditional British beers and pubs being published in 1974, they have continued to revise The Good Beer Guide regularly since.
In 1977 they held the first Great British Beer Festival, which became the model for similar festivals/competitions around the world, especially the Great American Beer Festival, first held in 1982. The rise of these competitions led to the establishment of more formalized guidelines than what Jackson had initially published. GABF, which was initially organized by the American Homebrewers Association, which eventually merged with the Brewers Association, publishes its own guidelines, which are also used for the World Beer Cup. Separate from that, the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), which was founded in 1985 to provide an educational resource for beer judges, first published its guidelines in 1995. Both of these guides are the ones most used by American brewers and are continuously revised to embrace changes in the industry, but often not fast enough for Craft Brewers who are constantly developing new styles.
Many breweries live and die by these guidelines, brewing to a very rigid idea of what beer can or should be. Many other breweries prefer to mostly ignore them and instead focus on ingenuity and creativity to push the industry in new directions. Block 15 is a brewery built on both ingenuity and a respect for classic beer styles. The ability to push creatively, but also to execute accurately to classic concepts is, in my opinion, the sign of a great brewery. We all get into this industry because we love beer and the experiences we have with it. You have to hold a reverence for classics, but not be bound by them. This is, in essence, what craft beer is all about.
Additional Viewing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJJsrNUKRZw&list=PLAvEKxWI-6vSYgondk4rTzeURcS4kgkzJ (Michael Jackson’s Beer Hunter is a time capsule of beer geekery.)
Further Reading:
https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/brewers-information/2023-gabf-competition/beer-styles/
https://www.bjcp.org/bjcp-style-guidelines/
PUB UPDATES
Starting on Monday, November 6th, we are adjusting our hours slightly. New hours will be the following. We’ll touch on this in our all-staff meetings this week and next, so please feel free to ask any questions!
Sunday - Thursday, 11am to 10pm
Friday & Saturday, 11am to 11pm
New Menu Happenings Today! (10/25)
Jalapeno Jack Burger - NW beef patty, house pickled jalapenos, New Mexico green chiles, melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce, sweet onion, & cilantro-jalapeno mayo on a toasted brioche bun $18.99 (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 - Will NOT be coming on line today. We are going to wait until schnitzel is gone and our fryer station has lightened up a bit, so stand by on this one!
November Specials Coming out Wednesday, November 1st!
Since we have the November bottle release coming up next week, I have designed our monthly specials to pair with some of the awesome beers coming out!
Shrimp Arancini - Breaded and fried parmesan, aleppo pepper & gulf shrimp risotto. Served with Pumpkin Mole, parmesan and lemon. $14.99
Paired with Imagine
The Gobbler - Our juicy turkey burger topped with cornbread-sage stuffing & turkey gravy, with orange-cranberry relish on a toasted brioche bun. $17.99
Paired with Framboise Claret
Pear & Hazelnut Melt - Local pears, Gus’ Honey, Hazelnut butter and melted muenster cheese on house-baked artisan bread. $15.99
Paired with Altbier
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Pups on the Patio this Friday 10/27! Fall photo backdrop and goody bags available all day until 6:30. Heartland Humane Society will be onsite from 4:30-6:30 to chat about what they do, how to get involved, how to donate, etc. and they will also have adoptable pups to check out and love on!
$10 goody bags (proceeds donated to Heartland) include: Bandanna, koozie, homemade dog treats, and stickers/pin
Bandannas and dog treats are also sold separately
$1 off drinks for those who bring their furry friends to the Taproom
We will be switching our seasonal lemonade flavor to Cranberry Ginger this Friday! We will run through what we have left already made of white peach guava.
If it starts raining and the rockers are out in the grass, please make sure they get moved somewhere covered so they don’t just sit out in the rain!
Starting the first week of November we will be starting weekly nights at the Taproom!
Tuesdays: Game night! Bring a game to play and receive $1 off your drinks (we will also have a few games available to borrow)
Wednesdays: Student Night! Show your student ID to get 15% off your tab.
Thursdays: Craft/Hobby Night! Hang out in our barrel room and use our big tables to work on current projects, start new ones, or just hang out and doodle/paint/etc. with your friends. 10% off Appetizers and $1 off Pints for folks participating. Some supplies are provided, feel free to bring your own!
November Specials Coming out Wednesday, November 1st!
Since we have the November bottle release coming up next week, I have designed our monthly specials to pair with some of the awesome beers coming out!
Machaca Quesadilla - Braised and pulled beef, spiced pickled onions and melted queso quesadilla cheese in a grilled flour tortilla and served with house pumpkin mole and queso fresco $18.99
Pairs with Imagine
Smoked Beet Reuben - Pastrami style cured and lightly smoked beets, sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and house Reuben sauce on our house-baked toasted pumpernickel. $15.99
Pairs with Figgy
Caves UPDATES
Events
Late Fall Bottle Release - Launched to the public on Tuesday!
Updates! It’s next week!
Brewers Dinner 11/3
Sold Out!
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
Bottles Release 11/4 for public. Beers on tap at the Pub and TR on 11/3.
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
Bryce Benson - Bryce always has his head in the game and has really stepped up recently. Plus his hair is **goals**
Tyler Lenz - For having a good attitude, despite all the challenges you face at work!
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
Being aware of your surroundings is paramount to avoiding workplace injuries. Only use secure, steady ladders and never use boxes or anything else as an improvised ladder.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The People’s Pint - November
Our Next People’s Pint begins next Wednesday! 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!