Internal Brewsletter - January 31st, 2024
General
February Monthly food Specials
Monthly Specials for February are coming out today, 1/31, in time for the bourbon beer release! Like we did in November, each special is created to pair with a beer from the release. I appreciate lots of feedback from you all when these come online!
Here is the link to the procedures and extra information to know before the release!
Bourbon Month Desserts
For bourbon month, we’re keeping PB pie with the addition of Love Potion Coco Bells and Vanilla Bourbon Creme Brûlée with Hazelnut Biscotti. One biscotti per brûlée, served on the side.
Let’s try to order with the goal of selling out; we have lots of options (bee sting bars at the pub, too), so if you run out of a dessert for a day or two, the customers will still have lots of choices.
It’s possible we may run out of love potion stout before the month is over; we’ll try to keep you informed.
Sippin’ Sunday Exceptions
Both locations: All Bourbon Month bottle releases and Sticky Hands Marmalade will be exempt from the 20% off Sippin’ Sunday sale this week on 2/4!
Employee Provision
A weekly special served at the Pub, the idea of which comes primarily from Block 15 employees.
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Tyler Lenz! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Chorizo 'Torta' Grinder made with refried black beans, chorizo, queso fresco, and pickled jalapeños on our house baguette bun.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Woohoo! We made it to Bourbon Month! With our big bottle release and events happening this week and weekend, I don’t want us to lose sight of our event next Tuesday.
We will be hosting 4 Spirits Foundation in a Cheers for Charity event at our downtown location. This means a portion of proceeds from all beverages purchased at the Pub that day (to-go and in-house) will be donated to their organization!
Make sure to tell your guests that they are contributing to a great cause… and they’ll get to sample some of the bourbons from 4 Spirits Distillery if they choose to do so! 4 Spirits will be tabling!
-Kelsea
Bourbon Month Events List at a glance
Bourbon Month Kick Off - February 1st
@ Both Block 15 locations
Brewers Dinner - February 2nd
@ Block 15’s Downtown Pub
Tickets required to attend
Curated Pairing & Open House - February 3rd
@ Block 15’s Brewery & Tap Room
Tickets required to participate
Bottle Release - February 3rd
@ Both Block 15 locations
Cheers for Charity with 4 Spirits Distillery & Foundation - February 6th
@ Block 15’s Downtown Pub
Tasting from 5-7pm
Uncle Nearest Education Event - February 8th
@ Block 15’s Brewery & Tap Room
Bourbon Month Portland - February 9th
@ Bad Habit Room in Portland
Tickets required to attend
Bourbon Month Portland - February 10th
@ Saraveza in Portland
Caves Bourbon Dinner - February 14th
@ Caves Corvallis
Tickets required to attend
Winter Warmup - February 23rd-24th
@ Block 15’s Brewery & Taproom
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 2/2
Sticky Hands: Marmalade // This hop experience ale features the same innovative brewing techniques as the original but is jammed with Belma, Chinook, and Amarillo varietals to provide ample notes of citrus peel and pine resin. // 8.10% ABV
Takeaways: We're bringing back a classic Sticky Hands Variant with some new touches. We're loading up with Crosby CGX, their cryogenic hop product, to boost that flavor and aroma with some new tech.
Tasting Notes: Orange Rind. Honeysuckle. Sumptuous.
Series: Sticky Hands
We’ve decided to make a special category for our Sticky Hands variants. This series helps keep all the limited edition Sticky Hands releases under one UPC and price point.
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.
Upcoming Packaged Beer Releases - Bottles
RELEASING Saturday 2/3
Super Nebula // This year's annual imperial stout release was matured in George Dickel and Willett bourbon barrels and then conditioned on wild harvest, fair trade Bolivian cocoa nibs, specially selected to complement its decadent character.// 12.30%
Takeaways: A force of nature. Certainly not subtle, but not heavy-handed either, this balanced imperial stout is deceivingly smooth.
Tasting Notes: Chocolate, Espresso, Decadent
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs
Super Nebula Breakfast with Willett // Our yearly Super Nebula breakfast edition features Willett bourbon barrel matured imperial stout conditioned with fresh roasted Flame On coffee beans from our friends at Bespoken Coffee Roasters, maple, wild harvest, and fair trade Bolivian cocoa nibs. // 12.30%
Takeaways: In addition to one-year-old Super Nebula barrels, our breakfast blend features maple syrup, Flame-On coffee from Bespoken Coffee Roasters, and wild-harvest cocoa nibs. It's a flavorful favorite with an added coffee kick and nostalgic maple character.
Tasting Notes: Familiar, Complex, Rousing
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs, Coffee Beans, and Maple
Super Nebula Cherry Dog // A collaborative blend series from Block 15 and Hair of the Dog encompassing the spirit and creativity of both breweries - 2018 Bourbon Barrel Cherry Chocolate Stout and our Super Nebula base, then steeped with wild harvest, fair trade cocoa nibs, and cherries. This year's annual imperial stout release was matured in George Dickel and Willett bourbon barrels and conditioned on wild harvest, fair trade Bolivian cocoa nibs specially selected to complement its decadent character. // 12.30% ABV
Takeaways: A blend of one-year-old Super Nebula and Chocolate Cherry Stout aged in bourbon barrels for four years from our friends at Hair of the Dog Brewing. Cherry concentrate from real fruit was added alongside wild-harvest cocoa nibs. The blend of acidity from new cherries, almond extract from old cherries, and a melange of different beer ages creates a deep, complex, and exciting blend unlike any other.
Tasting Notes: Bakers Chocolate, Cherry pit, motley
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs and Cherry
Kriek // Spontaneously fermented in our wild cellar, Kriek is our Oud bruin matured over two winters on locally farmed tart Montmorency cherries in second-run bourbon barrels, first used to mature Super Nebula, our imperial stout. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: This beer spends two winters on the cherries themselves. It is exceptionally tart for a Block 15 wild ale and shows plenty of character from the fruit, the spontaneous fermentation, and the used Super Nebula barrels.
Tasting Notes: Cherry, Oak, Vinous
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Oud Bruin Matured in Second-use Bourbon Barrels with Cherries
Traditionally, Kriek is a fruited lambic from Belgium. That is to say, a spontaneously fermented wild beer, the same style the Turbulent Consequence program is designed after, which is aged for 3-12 months on tart cherries before packaging. The fruiting rate is very high and lends to intense cherry flavors. American interpretations range greatly in the production of the base beer, mostly from a golden sour to a red or brown sour similar to the beers of Flanders, but the fruiting remains the same. Block 15’s Kriek is one of these styles, Oud Bruin, but the fruiting rate is high, always utilizing whole, local cherries of exceptional quality.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Thursday 2/1
Super Nebual 2024 // Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs
Kriek 2024 // Oud Bruin Matured in Second-use Bourbon Barrels with Cherries
Releasing Friday 2/2
Sticky Hands Marmalade // Hop Experience Ale
Super Nebula Breakfast with Willett // Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs, Coffee Beans, and Maple
Super Nebula Cherry Dog // Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs and Cherry
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Nugg Hugg at Both locations (Scientifical as well at the Pub)
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Liquid Opulence // Hazy IPA
Demo Tape Side A // West Coast IPA
Demo Tape Side B // Hazy IPA
Charmed Life // Irish Red
Favorable Fortune // Irish Dry Stout
Flannel Fakeout // Northwest Pilsner
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: Pick of the Litter Pt. 2: Cherry Dog
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
Garrison wrote a wonderful Beer 101 back in November about Alan Sprints and the history of Hair of the Dog; I highly encourage you all to look back at that write-up to refamiliarize yourself with the story of HOTD and why we felt a need to pursue this partnership. That said, we are getting to release our second entry in the Pick of the Litter series, Super Nebula Cherry Dog, and I wanted to take a moment to discuss what makes this particular Super Nebula so special.
Much of the Pick of the Litter series is and will be designed around the blending of vintage Hair of the Dog barrels with younger Block 15 beer, created with the purpose of melding with the complexity and nuance of the stock we received from them. Cherry Dog is unique compared to the other releases since it uses an existing Block 15 product to blend.
Super Nebula was first released in 2009 and has been a part of Block 15’s annual barrel-aged bottle releases ever since. Always made as an imperial stout, aged in bourbon barrels and steeped on cocoa nibs, Super Nebula was the perfect beer to pair with Hair of the Dog’s Cherry Chocolate Stout.
This blend utilizes the same one-year aged stock of Super Nebula with a 2018 vintage of Cherry Chocolate stout. We doubled the cocoa nibs and refermented the Super Nebula on cherries before blending it. It was a fascinating experience seeing the change in Super Nebula as the tart HOTD stock blended in and softened the product in a way that really accentuated the cherry notes. I think this is a very unique entry in the Super Nebula series, one you will certainly never see again. And this is still just the beginning of the Pick of the Litter program, with each new blend and product offering us a chance to craft something truly unique and unforgettable.
Further Reading:
Pick of the LItter Series Press Release: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ec1xR164S8outVk-aDgPgz_Fh323DWPiEqO_7xynahY/edit?pli=1
Previous Pick of the LItter Beer 101: https://block15.com/internal-brewsletter?month=11-2023
PUB UPDATES
Bourbon Month starts tomorrow (2/1)! Get ready for a busy and fun-filled month by revisiting the materials and asking questions on anything you still might be unsure about. This is one of our favorite months of the year and we are so excited to work alongside all of you this month.
We now have a Draft menu and a separate beverages menu to allow for more space and descriptions of things as well as a separate bourbon month menu that has all bourbon offerings and cocktails for the month! Make sure we give every table all of these.
When bussing and resetting tables, let’s be sure to do a very thorough check of the floor underneath for debris or napkins and take a moment to push all chairs in. When we reset a table, it should look as if it’s the first time someone is sitting there for that day (aka very clean, tidy, and all chairs/benches are wiped and pushed in).
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Get excited for Bourbon Month! Please make sure you have read all materials and feel ready to roll into this fun but busy month! There will be instructions for our special cocktails (and Manhattans and Old Fashions), a cheat sheet with all our bourbon offerings, and the stamp books/stamps will live next to the ipad behind the bar.
It is very important we ring in everything accurately and right away to make sure we are staying up to date and properly accounting for everything we are selling, especially if we are busy!
We now have a Draft menu and a separate beverages menu to allow for more space and descriptions of things as well as a separate bourbon month menu that has all bourbon offerings and cocktails for the month! Make sure we give every table all of these.
If a customer wants to order a beer and a bourbon or a beer for now and one to warm up (usually one of the super nebs) that is totally ok, use your best judgment though, be conscious of how many/how fast folks are drinking these high ABV beers. If you don’t feel comfortable cutting someone off you can always get a manager or coworker.
Toast officially switched us over to the new POS layout. It may look a bit weird and take some getting used to but all the same functions are still there. Take a few minutes at the start of your next shift to get acquainted if you haven’t already and look around through all the buttons and features. It is a learning curve for all of us!
Reminder: if you see any payouts or receipts in the till at the end of the night, please make sure they get put into the drop with the cash as accounting must get them the next day.
Caves UPDATES
New Recess flavor this week since Pomegranate Hibiscus is all out– we will be switching to Peach Ginger for the next handful of weeks.
We have three new beers this week–keep your eyes peeled for the Newsletter to be updated later tonight (Wenesday).
Bourbon Month is almost upon us! Read your info and be ready to talk Bourbon Month with those that are coming over for our special selection. Also, we have sold 27/33 tickets for the Bourbon Dinner! Woohoo!!! If you have any folks looking for special Valentine’s Day plans, point them towards our website.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Brewer Kelsey - for his excitement and positive attitude he has brought to the brewery team! Your positive light shines brightly and it is awesome seeing your initiative to learn and kick butt over there.
Marketing Kelsea and Holly - for your great communication and really making sure everyone is ready for Bourbon Month and helping get all the info out to the world and making it look dope as heck! Your skills are extremely appreciated!
Goody - for taking so much time out of your already insanely busy schedule to help get everything ready for Bourbon Month at all locations and just being an absolute gem of a person, we would not be able to do it without you!
Ian - for absolutely destroying that shoulder press at Planet Fitness
Note from Holly: It’s unknown which Ian this refers to, so my assumption is all three. :)
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
Check back next week
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Cheers for Charity with 4 Spirits Distillery & 4 Spirits Foundation - 2/6 at the pub
A portion of beverage sales from our downtown location will be donated to the 4 Spirits Foundation this coming Tuesday (2/6)!
Mission: 4 Spirits Foundation is dedicated to raising funds and supporting causes that provide education and mental and social health support to veterans and their families, with a priority to veterans who have operated in hostile areas or engaged in combat, for the benefit of rehabilitation and quality of life after service.
Learn more here: https://4spiritsfoundation.com/
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!