Internal Brewsletter - December 6th, 2023
General
Holiday Party Update
White Elephant Gift exchange! For those who want to participate, bring one wrapped gift valued at no more than $50 to the party. We will begin the exchange at 8 pm. Always a lot of fun! And a reminder that the party is at the downtown Marriott this Sunday from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.
Fresh Pow party - 12/15
Fresh Pow Party at the Taproom Friday, Dec. 15th! Food specials, drink specials, winter crafts, Fresh Pow merch all day! Trivia hosted by Ian 5:30-7 pm, teams up to 6 people! Spread the word and join us for some fun!
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by J! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Tteokbokki. Tteokbokki is a Korean dish consisting of rice cakes and fish cakes in a slightly spicy sauce based on anchovy and seaweed stock. Our interpretation will be topped with a sunnyside-up egg, furikake, and green onion.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 12/8
Tangerines & Elephants // Brewed with heaps of tangerine, this luscious IPA is amplified with a citrus-forward duo of Amarillo and Centennial, balanced with notes pine resin. Doo doo doo, brewed out our back door. // 6.50% ABV
Takeaways: We're not messing around with the Tangerine on this one. Copious amounts of real tangerine was added to the tank for refermentation, then complimented by a healthy dry-hop of Amarillo, Centennial and Mosaic. The name and copy for this beer was inspired by Creedence Clearwater song, Lookin’ Out my Back Door
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit. Pine resin. Fresh Squeezed.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Fruited IPA
An IPA sub-style that cropped up in the early 2000s, these IPAs feature fruit-forward IPAs, which then have the intensity of the fruit turned up to 11 by the addition of real fruit. Generally, the hops used are selected to align with the added fruit (grapefruit expressing hops paired with grapefruit, tangerine with tangerine, etc…). These beers tend to be of the hazy variety and are generally thicker, with a fuller, rounder mouthfeel. The fruit character should be intense both aromatically and flavorwise.
Hoppy New Year // Kiss 2023 goodbye and welcome in 2024 with a bang of the finest NW-grown hops, a crisp body orchestrated by a dance of specialty malts, and a bubbly finish. Hoppy New Year from Block 15! // 8.80% ABV
Takeaways: Ring in the new year with an IPA that pairs the citrus character of Amarillo, Citra and Bravo with the tropical and herbal character of Talus and Nelson Sauvin. Also featuring Craft pilsner malt from Linc Malt in Spokane.
Tasting Notes: Orange Peel. Herbaceous. Snappy.
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Imperial IPA
Imperial IPAs (often called Double IPAs) feature a more robust profile of malts and hops. Significant factors that set Imperial IPAs apart from regular IPAs are their alcohol content and bitterness levels. An Imperial IPA can range from 7.5%-10% ABV. Due to the increased malt load it takes to create the additional alcohol, more hops are required to balance out the beer and keep the malt in check. An Imperial IPA should be intensely hoppy, medium-light to medium-bodied, and have balanced hop characteristics. There can be Imperial versions of virtually any IPA style or sub-style.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 12/8
Tangerines & Elephants // Fruited West Coast IPA
Hoppy New Year // Imperial IPA
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!
The Prophecies // Belgian Quad
Carpathians // Czech Dark Lager
Keen As! // West Coast IPA
Poire // Spontaneously Fermented Pear & Apple Cider
Continuous Darkness // Imperial Stout
Vital Vibe // West Coast IPA
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Pub
First and third Tuesdays at 11 am
Second and Fourth Thursdays at 11 am
PUB UPDATES
Over the last 3 weekends, we ended up selling 253 cans of Deep Seek! Great job getting out there and getting folks excited about Deep Seek everyone. The team put a lot of hard work and effort into bringing Deep Seek to the next level, so your support is so appreciated! We will announce the location winner as soon as the rest of the numbers are tabulated!
Closing early at 3pm on Sunday the 10th for the Holiday Party! Last seating will be at about 2:30. If we are still fairly full at this time and have folks looking to snag some lunch, we may extend this seating up to, but no later than 3pm. This will be up to the discretion of the Bar Manager and Line Lead on Sunday.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Fresh Pow Party Friday Dec. 15th! Trivia 5:30-7pm, Chili and cornbread, hot chocolate, fresh pow merch, and more!
With our new beautiful holiday decor, please make sure all the plugged in lights get unplugged as part of your closing duties and turned on in the mornings!
As a reminder, try to use generic Holiday verbiage with customers as we may all celebrate different holidays or none at all or bits and parts of multiple and we should be respectful!
Reminder that we are closing early on Sunday the 10th for the Holiday Party! We will be closing at 3:30 with last seatings at 3pm.
Caves UPDATES
Next Tuesday (December 12th) is our Belgian Beer Dinner here at Caves! Check out the info in the weekly newsletter linked below and make sure to connect with those guests that might be extra interested in beers or our bottle book. If you see someone perusing the menus and asking questions about the beers, let them know that we have a fun event coming up!
We also have a small tasting and pairing event happening this Friday with three hand selected bottles from our cellar paired with three small plates created by Sarah.
Santa’s Folly is just around the corner–see the Newsletter for details and let your guests know about this fun event returning!
Events
Holiday Toy Drive for Cameron Merrill’s Legacy
December 4th - December 22nd
Cameron Merrill passed away from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2013, at the young age of 2 years and 4 months old. In response to this devastating loss, his family established Cameron Merrill's Legacy to support children with serious illnesses and their families. By gathering toys for these children, they hope to bring joy during very difficult times, while showing their families community support.
Block 15 is collecting new, unwrapped toys for kids of all ages between December 4th and 22nd. These gifts will be delivered to Doernbecher and Randall Children’s Hospital’s pediatric ICU in time for the holidays! Toys can be dropped off at either the Block 15 Downtown Pub or Southtown Tap Room locations during business hours.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Holiday decor team - You rocked it and both restaurants look very cozy & festive. Thank you for adding some sparkle!
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
Hey everyone! If you’re interested in joining the Safety Committee or attending our meeting next week, the meeting times are listed below!
Tap Room Safety Committee Meeting for December: 12/13 at 12:30 pm
Downtown Locations Safety Committee Meeting for December: 12/14 at 10 am at the Pub
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Check back next week
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!