Internal Brewsletter - March 27th, 2024
General
Employee Food Discounts
While we are evaluating more long-term employee discount updates, we are effective immediately removing the 20% discount, so the percent discount will be as follows:
If you work 0-8 hours, you will receive a 50% discount (so even if you get sent home 30 minutes after clocking in, you will still get 50% off of your food).
If you work 8+ hours, you will receive a 70% discount
Employee Breaks
As we head into a busy season with spring, Family Weekends, Graduation, and many OSU sports, we wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the breaks that they are entitled to when a break is needed and the lengths of those breaks. If you are working a shift but not immediately offered a break based on length, please always feel free to check in and ask and we will get you all taken care of when it works with the flow. Below is the Block 15 Handbook policy on breaks and the link to the BOLI Meals and Breaks for Workers link. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to check in with HR or your supervisor!
Employees working a shift of 6 or more hours are entitled to one 30-minute meal break. Employees are additionally entitled to one 10-minute break for every 4 hours, or major part thereof, worked in one work period. These breaks should be taken as close as possible to the middle of each 4-hour work segment. All breaks are paid. Meal and rest breaks may not be taken in conjunction with one another or combined with/attached to the beginning or end of the work day so as to shorten the work day. Employees who fail to comply with these meal and rest break policies may be subject to discipline. If you believe you are unable to meet your obligations under this policy for any reason, you must bring it up to your supervisor or any person in management.
Always check with a manager/person in charge to make sure it is an appropriate time to take a break.
Meal credits may be used during your break or meal period and must be entered in on the POS system.
Employees are not allowed to leave the property during their break period.
Employees may only smoke cigarettes while on designated breaks in designated smoking areas.
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 Griffin! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Ceviche.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Marketing
Corvallis Knights
We are sponsoring the Corvallis Knights this year! We haven’t made an external announcement yet, but we are excited to be the exclusive beer of the game this year.
For those of you who have attended many baseball games, please share your ideas as we prepare for the season under the stadium lights! This could be anything from on-field games between innings to posters or fun contests run in the stadium.
https://forms.gle/fUCWy5XJPzA9Gn7k8
Corvallis Half Marathon
For those of you who want to run, we have our registration codes now! Please send me an email (kelsea@block15.com) with the title “Sign me up!” and I’ll shoot the code to you.
Again, this will be held on April 6th on OSU’s campus. For those of you who want to test out your legs for the big day, Byce, Danny, and I threw together a running group called “Next Wednesday Running Club”. Some Wednesdays are hit or miss, but we are running 3/27 (today) from the Southtown Taproom at 5ish. See you there!
-Kelsea
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
Releasing Friday 3/29
Rocky Shores IPA // As rugged and unique as the rocky shorelands of the Oregon Coast, this bright and flavorful IPA showcases both southern hemisphere and PNW hops with a blend of citrus, stonefruit, and herbaceous notes. // 6.80% ABV
Takeaways: We used biscuit malt in this brew, creating a dynamic combination of malts and hops. Enigma, Simcoe, Chinook, and Nelson Sauvin showcase the very best of both the Pacific Northwest and the Southern Hemisphere, making this IPA a focus on balanced hop and malt aromas.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Peel • Spring Pine • Squall
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: American IPA
The classic IPA style originating in America has evolved less than other substyles. Moderate to heavy malt presence with a balance of citrus, herbal, pine, and floral hop flavors and aromas most commonly. It is fuller-bodied than West Coast IPAs and has an assertive bitterness that balances malt sweetness. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/29
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beer is: Sticky Hands Beer Pageant
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
Series: DAB Lab
Release Date: April 12th
Highlight: The next beer in our returning DAB Lab program uses a new hop product from Yakima Chief Hops. Called YCH 702, it’s designed for use on the hot side of brewing to amplify survivable compounds and aromatics in the finished beer. If you were wondering, DAB stands for “Dank A$$ Beer.” This series has historically been used to experiment with new and cutting-edge hop products, which tend to find their way into our other beers if we like how they operate.
CBC IPA // West Coast IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: April 19th in-house and at the Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas, NV, April 21st-24th, at Crosby’s booth
Highlight: This draft-only beer was made to showcase Crosby’s CGX product line, a cryogenic technology that separates lupulin from whole-hop cones to deliver concentrated lupulin pellets jam-packed with resins and oils. CBC IPA (or “Crosby Block 15 Collab” IPA) uses Estate Grown Comet CGX, which carries aromas of tropical/fruit, citrus, and floral.
Pink Boots Collab // West Coast IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: April 19th
Highlight: We’ll be brewing this beer on March 29th at the Tap Room with the Willamette Valley Pink Boots chapter, which J Pascoe, one of our Brewers, is co-leader of. This year’s collaboration will focus on a bright West Coast-style IPA made with Chinook, Nelson, and potentially El Dorado hops.
Sol Fresco // Mexican Lager
Series: Perennial
Releases: April 19th
Highlight: Sol Fresco is one of our seasonal lagers, which balances gentle corn sweetness, light hop bitterness, and aroma with a crisp, clean finish. And it’s Lagered by the Sun.
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room every week for an educational session, where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: Rocky Shores and the Potential of IPA
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
The Pacific Northwest, in the grand scheme of things, is a really young region regarding food and beverage production. Many places in the world where culture has been established for far longer have their own regional identity surrounding what and how they eat and drink. Think about places like Champagne and Burgundy in France, Basque in Spain, Bavaria, the Mediterranean, Latin America, India, etc. They are all known for their foods and beverages. Here, we have incredible ingredients at our disposal and really passionate, talented people making amazing food and drink, but if I asked you what food the Northwest is famous for, how would you answer? We know that we make great beer here, and I don’t think that is going to change, so my question is: what beer will the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Northwest be famous for in 100 years?
My guess is something like Rocky Shores. This beer doesn’t subscribe to nomenclature like East Coast or West Coast. It isn’t a hazy, it isn’t a brut, and it doesn’t follow the guidelines to be lumped in with any kind of fad. We’re labeling it as an American IPA simply because it is the style that has the widest open guardrails and affords us the most creative room to work. This is a really good beer, just for the sake of really good beer.
We used Biscuit Rye Malt in the mash on this to lend depth and spice, creating a balanced IPA that has more going for it than just hop character. The malt here is more than just a backbone to support hops. Not to say that the hops aren’t going to be a huge player in this, too. Chinook, Simcoe, Enigma, and Nelson Sauvin hops used in the dry hop and boil lend a stirring aroma to this beer that has a ton of personality and complexity. I think it’s especially cool because using old favorites and Southern Hemisphere hops creates a feeling of familiarity with a touch of mystery and wonder. I am really excited about this beer, but I’m also excited about what this beer represents. I think a balanced IPA that defies the boundaries set up by hype-ey style guidelines is what we will be famous for here in the future. Once we have perfected IPA and built a regional identity around it, Rocky Shores is close to what I imagine it will look like. Drinkable, digestible, complex, balanced, and defiant, this beer is one to get excited about.
From the Executive Chef
April’s Monthly Specials!
The pub will launch our April specials on Wednesday, April 3rd, and the taproom will launch theirs the next day due to being closed Wednesday to refinish the floors!
PUB UPDATES
Pub Company Direction Objectives
Consistently promote and encourage teamwork and strengthen the ties within our team–we are our most successful when we work together and support/understand each other.
Promote ongoing education on all things Block 15 through monthly "Deep Dives" on items from the kitchen, and from the brewery/bar. Each month (roughly) Sarah and myself will send out our information on respective Deep Dives on menu items. Deep Dive 3/13/24
Demonstrate to every guest that we are happy they have joined us. Make connections and show genuine interest and excitement!
Reminder that Happy Hour food is for in-house only, not to-go.
The Corral is coming back! We will have more details in the weeks to come to share with you all and our guests, so stay tuned! For now, if you have any questions, please feel free to check in with me (Goody).
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Please check-in with a server before taking over a large table for just yourself during open hours!
Happy hour beers: when ringing in 2+, you still only get $1 off that entire order. Send the first one, repeat, then discount again to make sure the customer gets the discount they deserve. Also, keep in mind that the happy hour button disappears when happy hour ends (there is a 5 min buffer) so make sure to ring in happy hour beers when you pour them.
Please refrain from placing dirty glassware or dishes on the bar counter regardless if customers are sitting there or not. Take dishes directly to the kitchen, set them on the dirty glassware racks, bus tubs, etc. The bar top needs to remain a clean space that is welcoming for customers.
Please make sure to check in with the kitchen staff before clocking out. Offer to run some dishes through, take out recycling, and ensure that everything is up to date menu-wise (it’s always good to check in regarding numbers and whether 86ed items are back)
2024 Objectives
Elevate engagement through impactful community-centered opportunities and events
Enhance the visibility of the Block 15 Bakery and unique Taproom menu items
Amplify the customer convenience factor
Upcoming Events
March 27th - Piroshky Piroshky Pick up 4-6 pm
April 22nd - Opening full summer hours and Earth Day
Bakery Highlight
Ciabatta/Tuscan Chicken Sandwich! There is some fun history for this one, please see this doc for more information!
Caves Updates
Caves Direction Objectives
Deliver elevated consistency through the Caves experience
Hit our service and food standards every single time! Show our guests why we should be their regular spot and what sets us apart with our elevated experience.
Amplify education and enthusiasm within our food and beverage programs
Through elevated and thorough education on new menu items and revisiting tried and true classics, or beverages with more history and information.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Griffin Dorris - Griffin is always positive and a joy to work with! He is always willing to help out wherever needed and makes the work day so enjoyable!
Josh S.G. - Josh has been absolutely killing his prep shifts lately and stepping up to help anyone who needs it if a lead isn't present. You're doing amazing Josh!!!
Barb Haberkern - She does a great job, and I enjoy working with her!
Wyatt Dabbs - Just a nice person who works hard--we appreciate you :)
Wyatt Dabbs - What a ray of sunshine. He's got a great attitude regardless of how busy we are and is the first to offer to help out. Thanks for being a joy to work with!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Connor Meissner (Caves BOH)
SAFETY TIPS
Corner awareness: don’t just say “corner” use the mirrors and spatial awareness to see if a fellow coworker or a customer is going around the corner too.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Dine out for Corvallis Environmental Center - April 9th
Our next Dine-out will be on April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC)! They will also be tabling at our Taproom from 5-7 p.m., so come by and say hi! A portion of our food sales will go directly to CEC to help fund their efforts in our community. Let our customers know that they are playing a part in helping the community on April 9th!
About CEC:
Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) is a community-based educational nonprofit that has prioritized partnerships to implement programs to address community needs since 1994. CEC's mission is to create a healthy, sustainable community. We do this through pre-K through 8th environmental education, Farm to School programs, youth leadership development, teacher training, and food security.
CEC’s programs include after-school programs, summer camps, NaturePlay preschool in Avery Park, and classroom education and field trips in partnership with school districts in Benton and Linn Counties. We offer family programs and events, including summer concerts and a fall film festival, and operate a 1-acre demonstration and education garden in Starker Arts Park known as SAGE. The food grown at SAGE is donated to those in need through our social service partner agencies.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - March 20th, 2024
General
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 Ian Hutchings! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Double Taleggio Burger featuring two thinly spanked burger patties, taleggio cheese, grilled onions, and house B&B pickles.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Marketing
Corvallis Knights
We are sponsoring the Corvallis Knights this year! We haven’t made an external announcement yet, but we are excited to be the exclusive beer of the game this year.
For those of you who have attended many baseball games, please share your ideas as we prepare for the season under the stadium lights! This could be anything from on-field games between innings to posters or fun contests run in the stadium.
https://forms.gle/fUCWy5XJPzA9Gn7k8
Corvallis Half Marathon
For those of you who want to run, we have our registration codes now! Please send me an email (kelsea@block15.com) with the title “Sign me up!” and I’ll shoot the code to you.
Again, this will be held on April 6th on OSU’s campus. For those of you who want to test out your legs for the big day, Bryce, Danny, and I threw together a running group called “Next Wednesday Running Club”. Some Wednesdays are hit or miss, but we are running 3/20 and next week from the Sowthtown Taproom at 5ish. See you there!
-Kelsea
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
Releasing Friday 3/22
Alpine Ibex // Pairing delicate regional pilsner and robust Munich malts with floral and spicy hops from the PNW, this gold hued lager features notes of honey with a balanced bitterness. // 6.90% ABV
Takeaways: Built on base of PNW grown Pure Idaho Pils, this Maibock is brewed with intention to respect the tradition and classic attributes of this historic style, but with a move to more sustainable sourcing of our ingredients.
Tasting Notes: Honey • Bread Crust • Equinox
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Maibock
A Maibock is a transitional beer, which carries German lager lovers from Winter to Spring (in German, “Mai” means “May”). They’re traditionally a strong, malty Bavarian-style lager. Alpine Ibex is brewed with respect to tradition and classic attributes while using a base of PNW-grown Pure Idaho Pils malt.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/22
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant // Sticky Hands all dressed up for the big show. This version of Sticky Hands had it's dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Citra and Strata added on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Sticky Hands is sure to be a crowd pleaser. // 8.10% ABV
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit • Dank • Mischievous Grin
Series: Sticky Hands
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.
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beer is: Group Ride
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
Series: Emerging
Release Date: March 29th
Highlight: This beer was made with Biscuit malt to make the malt experience as enjoyable as the hops. Like Eminent Point, our other recent American IPA, this beer is fuller-bodied than West Coast IPAs and has an assertive bitterness that balances malt sweetness.
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
Series: DAB Lab
Release Date: April 12th
Highlight: The next beer in our returning DAB Lab program uses a new hop product from Yakima Chief Hops. Called YCH 702, it’s designed for use on the hot side of brewing to amplify survivable compounds and aromatics in the finished beer. If you were wondering, DAB stands for “Dank A$$ Beer.” This series has historically been used to experiment with new and cutting-edge hop products, which tend to find their way into our other beers if we like how they operate.
Anniversary IPA (name TBD) // IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: April 12th (tentatively)
Highlight: A draft-only collaboration with On Tap in Bend to celebrate their 6th Anniversary.
Pink Boots Collab // West Coast IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: April 19th
Highlight: We’ll be brewing this beer on March 29th at the Tap Room with the Willamette Valley Pink Boots chapter, which J Pascoe, one of our Brewers, is co-leader of. This year’s collaboration will focus on a bright West Coast-style IPA made with Chinook, Nelson, and potentially El Dorado hops.
Sol Fresco // Mexican Lager
Series: Perennial
Releases: April 19th
Highlight: Sol Fresco is one of our seasonal lagers, which balances gentle corn sweetness, light hop bitterness, and aroma with a crisp, clean finish. And it’s Lagered by the Sun.
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us for an educational session at the Tap Room every week to taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: Quality of Bitterness
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
The face we’re trying to avoid.
This year, a point of focus in the brewery is the quality of bitterness in our beers. If you haven’t heard of ‘quality of bitterness’ before today, it’s understandable. Bitter is bitter, right? Brewers disagree, and I’ll spend today’s beer education segment explaining why.
Quality of bitterness is a hard thing to define, but like everything in our beer, we want the bitterness to be the most pleasurable experience possible. Many of us remember the old-school IPAs of the 2000s; a lot were overly bitter and focused on getting as many IBUs packed into the glass as possible. Luckily, that fell out of fashion, and now we focus on hop character, not just bitterness. We add hops late in the boil and supplement with generous dry hops so as not to add a ton of bitterness on the palate but a ton of aroma, which has a huge influence on perceived flavor.
What we are trying to avoid in our beer is a lingering bitterness that “stains” the palate. We want our hoppy beers to have an explosive hop aroma and a very enjoyable, assertive, but gentle bitterness that washes away clean.
Think about beers you’ve tried that have left a long-lasting, acrid, bitter taste in the mouth. For me, it’s especially noticeable on the sides of my tongue and the roof of my mouth, way in the back. That is what we are trying to avoid. Obviously, hoppy beers will have some bitterness (they’re designed that way!), but we don’t ever want our beer to present an unpleasant sensation in any way. We are constantly evolving our beer recipes to ensure they are the best they can be.
Keep in mind that the bitter components of a beer like IPA are an important part of creating a balanced product. On the flip side of the 2000s bitter bombers, we also experienced the hazy boom recently that led to many IPAs being brewed with remarkably low bitterness. A lot of those had no backbone for the sweetness of the malt to rely on, creating a ton of body with no structure. This is where we get the term “flabby” to describe a beer (to which I take personal offense). We borrowed this term from winemakers, who use it to describe a wine with a lot of fruity body but no tannic structure. This is also not what we are looking for in our beer.
We always want our beer to be structured, well-rounded, and clean. As you try our beers going forward, try to appreciate the quality of bitterness exactly as you would the aroma, flavor, and appearance of the beer. Bitterness is a big part of beer, and I want us to evaluate it as such.
Speaking of evaluations, if you feel like you’re having a lot of our beer and would like to have a voice in how it’s turning out, we have a cool way for you to be involved! We use a program called Draughtlab to evaluate our beers, and if you’d like to earn some free samples and have your voice heard, reach out to me, and I’ll get you set up with an account. A free app on your phone, it’s really easy to use, and honestly, it’s kind of fun. The other perk is that it’s the best way to develop your palate. Drinking beer, thinking critically about it, and writing down your thoughts are the best ways to grow your taster’s vocabulary and improve its use. It also shows me that you have a real interest in the product and might be someone who would be a good choice to send to an event or be a representative for the brewery when the need arises.
As always, if you have thoughts or concerns about our beer or want to get yourself signed up for Draughtlab, please reach out to me at garrison@block15.com
PUB UPDATES
When we have signs for Game Room reservations, please do not tape them to the front of the host stand. We have two sign holders in the Game Room that we can put these in that look more polished (plus we are sprucing up that host stand so we want it to keep looking sharp)!
Sprig & Seed is gone for the season, but we will add the Paper Plane to the menu temporarily to sell through some of that product while we dream up a new cocktail.
In early April we will be switching from Blood Orange lemonade to Blueberry Lavendar, so if you have folks that like the Sparkle Motion, make sure you push that before it’s gone!
We officially moved from Blueberry Cosmic Crisp to Raspberry!
We’ve seen some truly exceptional teamwork and communication from you all lately! From jumping in as often as possible to help crank out dishes in the kitchen, to prebussing each other’s sections and helping the hosts to flip tables, you all have been really impressive! One of our objectives for our company direction this year was to foster and encourage this super supportive and positive environment, and you all have done a fantastic job–thank you!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
When starting tabs, please double-check that the tab is pre-authorized with a card before the customer walks away, as it sometimes takes a second swipe to have the card properly on file. Or make sure they are fully cashed out.
Please do not put a random letter on a tab name unless you are able to fully cash it out then and there. There have been multiple tabs left at the end of the night with random letters for beer togo and merch. This is unacceptable.
Discounts: Please make sure we are using the correct discounts when cashing out employee food, comping something, waste logging an item, etc. There is a reference sheet in the bar binder if you need a refresher. Please be honest when discounting employee food, if you worked less than 7-8 hours there should not be a 70% credit on your food unless approved by a manager. Food discounts are an employee perk that can be taken away if they are abused and misused and we really don’t want to have to do that so please use the proper discounts!
With the nice weather making us busier, let's try to keep dirty pints separate from water/kids cups. The top dirty rack should be all pints/10oz glasses and the bottom red rack should be water cups/kids cups. This will make dishes and restocking clean glassware easier during rushes!
We will be closed Wednesday, April 3rd to refinish the dining room floors, just a heads up! We may have a few project shifts available to help out, if you are interested let Madie know! (Will be happening in the morning)
Caves Updates
HIGH FIVE SECTION
ALL Taproom Staff! - Thanks for absolutely crushing the busy weekend we had! Customers were happy, everyone had great attitudes, and extra shoutout to BOH for never having high ticket times and giving wonderful communication. Thank you all for working so hard!
Jack Kellems - Jack is always on top of it and has amazing customer service. His positivity is contagious and it’s impossible to be in a bad mood when he’s on shift. I love hearing him talk to guests and connect with every table on something personal. Great job Jack! You’re awesome.
Cedar Nelson - Cedar rocks! She is so efficient but keeps up a great attitude and even better hospitality. Customers are always laughing and having a good time when she’s their server. She’s awesome on bar too and I love working with her!
Mars Gunn - for always bringing tasty treats! they’re so good
Molly Branstetter - Molly is always working hard and wants to learn new things. She's doing a great job!
Mars Gunn - Your tarantula is cutie
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Check back next week!
SAFETY TIPS
Remember to test the weight of something before you lift it up completely; it might be too late if you realize a few seconds later that it’s too heavy or cumbersome for you. If the load is too heavy for you to handle alone, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Dine out for Corvallis Environmental Center - April 9th
Our next Dine-out will be on April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC)! They will also be tabling at our Taproom from 5-7 p.m., so come by and say hi! A portion of our food sales will go directly to CEC to help fund their efforts in our community. Let our customers know that they are playing a part in helping the community on April 9th!
About CEC:
Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) is a community-based educational nonprofit that has prioritized partnerships to implement programs to address community needs since 1994. CEC's mission is to create a healthy, sustainable community. We do this through pre-K through 8th environmental education, Farm to School programs, youth leadership development, teacher training, and food security.
CEC’s programs include after-school programs, summer camps, NaturePlay preschool in Avery Park, and classroom education and field trips in partnership with school districts in Benton and Linn Counties. We offer family programs and events, including summer concerts and a fall film festival, and operate a 1-acre demonstration and education garden in Starker Arts Park known as SAGE. The food grown at SAGE is donated to those in need through our social service partner agencies.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - March 13th, 2024
General
Weekend Food Special for the Selection Series Release
March 15th - 17th at both locations
Caribbean Pork Sandwich
Citrus-garlic marinated & smoked Carlton Farms pork loin, jerk grilled onions, pickled jalapenos, fresh shredded lettuce & cilantro, and citrus aioli on a house-baked baguette.
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 Brandyn! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for the return of the classic HB&J Burger, featuring hazelnut butter, marionberry jam, and pork belly!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 3/15
Each fall during the hop harvest, we travel to Yakima in search of the finest hops. Through a blind process, we evaluate hops from multiple farms and regions, selecting the perfect representation of each variety for our programs, often bending what is commonly assumed about the varieties.
Selection Series IPAs
Takeaways: These beers showcase their specific varietal throughout the brewing process, allowing an intense perspective on how the hop interacts with different processes—a thorough look at this particular lot and varietal and what it contributes during the brewing process.
Beer Style: Single Hop West Coast IPAs
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Series: Orbital
Mosaic // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Mosaic hops from Van Horn Farms in Moxee, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Mosaic's vibrant Berries, mango, and a touch of dankness notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Tangelo • Lemon Verbena • G.O.A.T.
Amarillo // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Amarillo hops from Virgil Gamache Farms in Toppenish, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Amarillo's vibrant grapefruit, orange, and herbal notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Orange Sherbet • Blue Spruce • The OG
Simcoe // This IPA was brewed exclusively with Simcoe hops from Wyckoff Farms in Grandview, WA. A simple grain profile showcases Simcoe's vibrant tangelo, pine, and apricot notes. // 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Dank • Orange Marmalade • Cornerstone
El Dorado // This IPA was brewed exclusively with El Dorado hops from CLS Farms in Moxee, WA. A simple grain profile showcases El Dorado's vibrant pineapple and sweet citrus notes.// 7.00% ABV
Tasting Notes: Candied Strawberries • Papaya • Decadant
Releasing Friday 3/15
Illuminated // Brewed with respect for tradition, a dynamic array of imported grains, select hops, and classic Belgian yeast illuminates this crisp abbey ale with notes of pear, baking spice, and a rich, honey-like finish. // 8.90% ABV
Takeaways: Extreme care and attention to detail are necessary to represent the Belgian Tripel style authentically. We have spent years honing this process, culminating in a deeply complex but approachable Belgian ale, tank-conditioned to give it the appropriate carbonation style and mouthfeel.
Tasting Notes: Bartlett Pear • Nutmeg • Enlightened
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Belgian Tripel
Pale with medium bitterness and a higher ABV between 7% and 10%, Belgian Tripel follows the naming convention of Dubbel and Quad and lies between the two in order of strength. Spicy, complex, and with noticeable yeast-driven characteristics. Highly carbonated with a long-lasting, meringue-like head, this beer should be conditioned naturally in the bottle and finish dry and clean on the palate. Noticeable malt sweetness, Belgian yeast phenolics, and old-world hop character is common.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/15
Selection Series // Four Single Hop West Coast IPAs:
Amarillo
El Dorado
Mosaic
Simcoe
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beers are: Charmed Life at the Tap Room, Ridgeback Red at the Pub, and Favorable Fortune at both locations!
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant // Imperial IPA
Series: Sticky Hands
Release Date: March 22nd
Highlight: We portioned off a special batch of Sticky Hands, which will be available on draft and in-house only. This version of Sticky Hands had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Citra and Strata on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Sticky Hands is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Series: Perennial
Release Date: March 22nd
Highlight: A Maibock is a transitional beer, which carries German lager lovers from Winter to Spring (in German, “Mai” means “May”). They’re traditionally a strong, malty Bavarian-style lager. Alpine Ibex is brewed with respect to tradition and classic attributes while using a base of PNW-grown Pure Idaho Pils malt.
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
Series: Emerging
Release Date: April 5th
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
Series: DAB Lab
Release Date: April 12th
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us for an educational session at the Tap Room every week to taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: Single hop IPAs and Hop Selection
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Traditionally, beer has few ingredients. To make the multitude of different products we release in the brewery every year, we have only four ingredients to play with. While many things can be added to beer, from seaweed or oysters to juniper boughs or spruce tips, most of the time, we add hops, malt, yeast, and water to help us control and direct the final product.
This means that we must be creative and attentive to how those different ingredients influence the beer. How does one ingredient present itself in the final beer as compared to a raw material? How does it present in combination with another ingredient vs on its own?
The best way for us to really understand our ingredients is to work with them on their own and also in combination with others. This is why the Selection Series beers are so cool to me. They allow our staff and customers to experience what we’re tasting when trialing these hops.
Hops are a truly agricultural product, meaning they change from year to year, farm to farm, and lot to lot. So many things affect the final product, from changes in weather to changes in soil chemistry, that it’s really important for us to choose hops from select lots each year that meet our needs. As a side note, hop selection is also really important to us because it allows us to visit the farms and learn more about how hops are cultivated to help direct our decision-making concerning sustainability and environmental impact.
Single hop IPAs give us a really amazing opportunity to see just how the new lots are going to behave in a real world application. The Selection Series was developed to showcase our new lots chosen at hop selection, hence the name. They’re also really fun for folks who are big fans of certain hops. For example, we always get a really big response from fans when we release a Citra single-hop beer because that beer has a lot of die-hard fans.
Most brewers would agree that we prefer beers with a few different varieties, just like a chef would prefer to use more than one spice. However, it’s still incredibly useful and interesting to brew these beers and learn about the characteristics of our new lots. I encourage you to try each of the Selection Series, and please let me know which was your favorite. I’d love as much feedback on these as I can get, and the most constructive feedback I get comes from the staff here. Always feel free to reach out to garrison@block15.com, or just grab me when you see me.
PUB UPDATES
From 3/10 - 3/17 we will have some 15% off coupons out in the wild for a conference with OSU. If you are given one of these, apply the discount to the overall check and place the coupon card in the cash drawer where the big bills live so that bartenders can drop them at the end of the night. These are good through the 17th, so they will not be redeemable after that time. There will be another round of cards going out in April that will be valid from April 15-19th with the expiration noted on them as well. The discount button is called “15% Off Coupon (OSU per Marketing)”.
With the 4 selection series beers coming out this Friday, make sure you know what all 4 are, the main differences, and serving options. We will have laminated taster cards for flights for customers, extra info on the beer menu, one sheets behind the bar for reference and the 4pks come premixed with 1 can of each selection *No breaking up of the 4pk to mix and match*
We have a specific number of mats set to go in specific areas of the restaurant for traction and safety. Please make sure that they go down where they are supposed to and that if we are missing any mats, we communicate with a manager. Here’s a little cheat sheet that will also be laminated on and put on the server clipboard. Where Do Mats Live
We still have some plant watering getting missed, so here is a document on which plants to water and the best way to do so. Please, please make sure that we are properly watering all plants as part of our weekly tasks. These add a lot of ambiance to our space and they are not the cheapest to replace if they die. Plant Watering Guide 2024
TAP ROOM UPDATES
With the 4 selection series beers coming out, make sure you know what all 4 are, the main differences, and serving options. We will have laminated taster cards for flights for customers, extra info on the beer menu, one sheets behind the bar for reference and the 4pks come premixed with 1 can of each *No breaking up of the 4pk to mix and match*
From 3/10 - 3/17 we will have some 15% off coupons out in the wild for a conference with OSU. If you are given one of these, apply the discount to the overall check and place the coupon card in the cash drawer where the big bills live so that bartenders can drop them at the end of the night. These are good through the 17th, so they will not be redeemable after that time. There will be another round of cards going out in April that will be valid from April 15-19th with the expiration noted on them as well. The discount button is called “15% Off OSU Discount Card”. *If folks are splitting a check they can each use one but cannot have more than 1 used on 1 check.
We now have a separate notebook for communication/questions/etc. You are welcome to put your name/initials or leave it anonymous. Any type of question, comment, idea, thing to note, etc. can go in there. Please use the maintenance log solely for things that broke, need to be looked at, could use something else, seems off or funky, things like that.
We will be diving in deeper on the TR objectives for the year soon with everyone. Make sure you know what they are and be thinking about them when on shift!
Elevate engagement through impactful community centered opportunities and events
We will be rolling out some community focused events as well as a calendar of things happening at the Taproom throughout the year!
Enhance the visibility of the Block 15 Bakery and unique Taproom menu items
We will be having a bakery item of focus routinely that should be getting mentioned or suggested to at least 3 customers a shift.
Amplify the customer convenience factor
Consistent table check-ins (offer another round, to-go boxes, package beer, dessert, etc. if a customer needs something we should be happy to do it within reason), increased engagement with customers, go above and beyond while maintaining our core of offering exceptional counter service.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Sarah Gruber - Thanks for always showing up to the TR with a great attitude, ready to go, up to date on all happenings and always kicks butt! You rock!
Katie Davis - Thank you for always having such a wonderful outlook when coming onto shift, and for your constant hustling to help make the restaurant run smoothly. Your willingness and thought to jump in and help other departments is so appreciated!
Danny Perston - Builder of Orcas pallets, first of his name. Truly the hero we need.
Garrison Schmidt - Thanks for taking over beer 101! It's my favorite part of the brews letters and keeps me learning new things!
Our Brew Crew - for continuing to just knock multiple beers out of the park. You make it easy to find each and every customer a beer that suits them. And grant us some super tasty treats for after a long shift.
Lily Smalling - Thanks for looking out for our newer line people. We appreciate your help.
Siarra Edwards - She's willing to help with whatever needs to be done. Thank you!
Ian Farrell - He's got the best deadpan humor and it's always a fun day when he's around.
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Check back next week!
SAFETY TIPS
In case of power outages, remain calm, retrieve and distribute flashlights from behind bar, keep refrigeration closed as much as possible, have someone call Pacific Power’s power outage line, allow customers to close out and determine whether or not to stay open
For those interested, the Safety Committee Notes can be found on the Sling page labeled “Safety Committee Notes.”
Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback or if you’d like to join the monthly safety committee meeting.
The next meetings will be 3/20 at 12:30 pm at the Tap Room and 3/21 at 10 am at the Pub.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Dine Out will be April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center! Stay tuned for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - March 6th, 2024
General
Tap Room Bar Etiquette
Reminder: Please refrain from coming behind the bar during open hours at the Tap Room unless you are a scheduled on the clock FOH server, BOH, or ask permission. If you do come behind the bar, please make sure to use your “corners” and “behind” to make sure there are no collisions or accidents. If you need to chat with an employee or someone sitting at the bar, please do so from the customer side of the bar. There can be a lot of moving parts and people behind the bar and to maintain the flow and safety of everyone please kindly go around.
When Off the clock…
When off the clock and sitting at the bar at any of our locations, please remember to leave work related conversations and customer service interactions to the bartenders and servers that are currently on the clock. While we appreciate folks wanting to jump in to help answer questions, this can lead to the wrong information being given to the guest and cause some confusion. If a staff member approaches you asking a question, it is more than okay to answer it, but speaking over the staff currently working leads to confusion for our guests.
March Monthly Food Specials
March monthly specials are live!! Please read through this info sheet before you come to your next shift for ultra readiness to sling some new grub! Reach out to me (Sarah) with any questions!
New Desserts
Dessert updates on the menu as of 3/6. Creme Brulee and LP9 Coco Bells are out, and Carrot Cake Bells and PB Pie are in! Our carrot cake is a sweet and simple, lightly spiced cake topped with cream cheese frosting and candied walnuts.
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 Zach G.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Zach’s Deluxe Salad, featuring mixed greens tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette, pomegranate, and candied walnuts.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 3/8
Headhaze // Reduxed, hazed up, and fully loaded with sticky, dank, lupulin goodness. We invited our friends from Moonraker Brewing up to Oregon to reimagine the wondrous beer that was Headway.// 8.20% ABV
Takeaways: Back by popular demand. We are re-presenting this collab imperial Hazy with our friends at Moonraker. Enigma and Strata dominate the aromatics of this fun and resinous Hazy.
Tasting Notes: Ripe Mango • Pomelo • Reinvention
Series: Synergy, collaboration with Moonraker Brewing in Auburn, California
Beer Style: Imperial Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/8
Headhaze // Imperial Hazy IPA - Collab with Moonraker Brewing
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beer is: Deep Seek
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Selection Series // Four Single Hop IPAs
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
Sticky Hands: Beer Pageant // Imperial IPA
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us for an educational session at the Tap Room every week to taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: East vs West, From Biggie and Pac to IPA
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
We’ve previously talked in-depth about the differences between American, Northwest, East Coast, and West Coast IPAs. Two that are pertinent this month are Hazy (East Coast) and West Coast IPA. For a refresher, please see the brewsletters attached below in ‘further reading.’
Recently, we released Demo Tape, Sides A and B, which showcased nearly identical IPA recipes, but Side A was written as a West Coast and Side B as a Hazy. I hope that everyone got a chance to try them both and used it as an opportunity to formulate their own opinion on which style they might prefer. While I like both styles, I tend to lean heavily West. Talking to some of our staff and customers, I’ve heard a similar sentiment.
For a couple of years, Hazy IPA has really dominated the market, and that drove us to brew a lot of them. No matter what, we have to brew what people want to buy. Thankfully, we are starting to see a swing back to West Coast and American IPA. Both are bright, less sweet, and heavy on the palate, with more bitterness. These styles are balanced with a hop backbone that provides structure and is usually a cleaner drinking experience all around.
It has recently been a favorite exercise of brewers to do similar brews, with the distinction being haze vs bright. In the Summer of 2022, we sent brewers to Auburn, California, to brew a kickass West Coast called Headway IPA. This West Coast was a success, showcasing Strata, Nectaron, Apollo, and Lotus hops, and we brewed our version, Headhaze, in the winter of 2023.
We loved it so much that we decided to bring it back around for another run! Give it a try to experience a double dry hopped, resinous Hazy made the Block 15 way. While we’ve made a lot of Hazys, we have always strived for balance and structure in all of our beers, and I think this is a really good example of how good a hazy really can be. If you are into it, think about picking up one of the label art t-shirts we have at both locations; they are sick.
Further Reading:
For Hazy IPA https://block15.com/internal-brewsletter?month=07-2023
And for West Coast IPA https://block15.com/internal-brewsletter?month=08-2023
PUB UPDATES
Keep your eyes peeled for a Sling message from Goody detailing our Pub specific objectives that were originally shared by Kristen company wide. In this message, we will dive more into what each objective means and how we will get there as a team and with support from your managers (FOH and BOH)! If you have any questions or feedback on these objectives, please feel free to check in with Sarah or myself (Goody).
We will be making a switch to our 2towns line up! Once we are out of our Blueberry Cosmic Crisp (likely in the next week or two) we will be switching to Raspberry Cosmic Crisp.
There is now a binder that lives in the kitchen containing our monthly special & dessert procedures and recipes for allergen/ingredient checking on the fly! As soon as it is finalized, I will also add allergen information for the rest of our menu items and baked goods.
We will be running out of Block 15 Cider this week and will switch to Mill A Cider’s “Sunsetter”. Mill A Cider is based out of Skamania County in Washington. We have this cider in cans over at Caves and it’s a pleasant semi-sweet, semi-dry cider that is super drinkable and very fruit-forward. We can still receive employee beverage off discounts and 5 year discounts on this if folks ask. Same as any other cider, we are not able to Crowler fill this one, but we can Growler fill it.
About Sunsetter:
“Mill A’s flagship release, this modern West Coast-style cider is fruit-forward and effortlessly crushable. A pure expression of place made from nothing but PNW apples, Sunsetter’s balanced complexity and refreshing, dry finish keeps us coming back sip after sip.”
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We are switching to Blood Orange lemonade this Friday!
We will continue to offer the leftover bourbons we have from February, we can keep the laminated bourbon menu behind the bar (in the binder) if folks want tasting notes but we will not give out menus to tables anymore.
We have officially switched back to 2Towns Outcider on draft!
The upstairs safe has been fixed, please go back to placing the money bags, drop, and tips in that safe at night.
Please make sure we are also looking at the monthly cleaning list when looking for projects or things to do!
Keep offering up desserts and beer to-go! When pre-bussing tables that is a great time to offer or check-in!
Caves UPDATES
We will likely have a few beers joining the line-up this week! More details to come no later than Thursday morning!
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Gabi Gonzalez! - Thank you for always asking great questions, providing great hospitality to customers, and being a gem of a person. I always look forward to working with you!
Autumn Bolton - Excited to have you on the TR team! Your willingness to learn and dive right in is very appreciated and you are doing a great job so far.
Holly Amlin - The work on our social media channels and beyond is TOP NOTCH. Great Bourbon Month, Holly. You worked so hard; we all appreciate your efforts, dedication to this industry, and talent!
Mars and the whole pub prep crew! - Mars absolutely crushed it keeping the prep kitchen moving along while our fearless leader, Tivey was on vacation! As well as Simon, Travis and the whole dang team!
Annalee Anglin and Barb Haberkern - For covering David while he was sick. They are local heroes and all around gentleman.
Wyatt Laramee - Shoutout two weeks in a row, but he really deserves it. He's always on top of everything, working hard, and helping out.
Emma Bartlett - She stays focused, keeps an eye out for what needs to be done, and helps everything run smoothly in prep. Thank you!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Leighton Godwin (BOH)
Please congratulate Garrison Schmidt for moving into the Head Brewer role and Danny Perston for becoming our Production Manager! With Ted moving on, we took the opportunity to restructure our brewery management and reallocate job responsibilities. With these role changes, certain things may have changed. If you were used to working with one or other of them for something specific, please check in to make sure you’re now contacting the right person.
SAFETY TIPS
For those interested, the Safety Committee Notes can be found on the Sling page labeled “Safety Committee Notes.”
Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback or if you’d like to join the monthly safety committee meeting.
The next meetings will be 3/2 at 12:30 pm at the Tap Room and 3/21 at 10 am at the Pub.
Clean up spills immediately — don’t assume a coworker is handling it. While the floor is drying, use a “Caution – Wet Floor” sign or a barricade to warn other workers that a slip hazard exists.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Dine Out will be April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center! Stay tuned for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - February 28th, 2024
General
March Monthly Food Specials Preview
March monthly specials come out next Wednesday, 3/6! Please read through this info sheet so you are in the know before the day of! Reach out to me (Sarah) with any questions!
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 Nick Arzner! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Crispy Seafood Burger featuring a panko-breaded patty of rockfish and shrimp, uni (sea urchin roe) tartar, and bullwhip kelp pickles. Recommended beer pairing is Demo Tape (Side A), a nice West Coast IPA to pair with all those local pacific ingredients.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Bourbon Month ends tomorrow (2/29)! Thank you for all the hard work and dedication to making this month extra special. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Marketing
With Bourbon Month closing, we will move into our next marketing efforts. With spring around the corner and brighter days ahead, we have a few exciting things in the works as we invite hop-forward beers into our taps, fresh-grown ingredients into our kitchen, and hone in on our presentation to our customers digitally and in person. Here are a few things marketing is working on!
Website updates - We are about to publish the new Caves Corvallis website! Up next will be our Distribution and Block 15 websites.
Selection Series tasting experience
Marketing Lounge - dedicated bi-weekly meeting with FOH Managers to go over menus and other customer-facing items.
-Kelsea & Holly
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 3/1
Group Ride // Dust off your bike and grab your group of friends to celebrate the start of spring riding season with this crisp, refreshing IPA. Bursting with citrus, mango, and floral hop notes to fill your tires all season long. // 6.75% ABV
Takeaways: A light and refreshing spring-inspired IPA, Group Ride is an approachable lower-strength IPA designed for your post-ride gatherings.
Tasting Notes: Ruby Grapefruit. Pine Resin. Hit the Trail.
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: IPA
The classic IPA style originating in America has evolved less than other substyles. Moderate to heavy malt presence with a balance of citrus, herbal, pine, and floral hop flavors and aromas most commonly. It is fuller-bodied than West Coast IPAs and has an assertive bitterness that balances malt sweetness. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Ridgeback Red // This Red Ale carefully balances a blend of craft malt with an exciting ridge of select NW hops. Enjoy notes of toasted nuts and caramel that transition into layers of pine and citrus hop flavor.// 5.50% ABV
Takeaways: Balancing rustic malt character and NW hops, Ridgeback pleases both the hoppy and malty beer lovers.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Peel, toffied hazelnut, off-leash
Series: Perpetual
Beer Style: American Red Ale
A cousin of the Irish Red Ale, this beer is similar in color, amber to ruby, but with a pronounced hop backbone. While both styles are more popular in the USA than in Ireland, the American style Red is more bitter with citrus or fruity and pine hop character, with most or all of its bitterness coming from hops. Irish Red is mostly bitter from dark roast malts.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 3/1
Group Ride // IPA
Ridgeback Red // Red Ale
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday
This week’s beers are: Ocean Man and Nebula
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Headhaze // Imperial Hazy IPA - Collab with Moonraker Brewing
Selection Series // Four Single Hop IPAs
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
BEER EDUCATION
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us for an educational session at the Tap Room every week to taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome!
Beer 101: Red Ales and Caspian the dog, a history
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Production Manager
One of the things I love most about American brewing is our ability to take something old and make it into something new and fresh. Red ale is a good example.
Red Ales are a bit of a mystery regarding their true beginnings. Irish poets speak of red ales drank by Pictish people as far back as the 8th and 9th centuries, but the beer mentioned is likely nothing close to what we associate with the term. Beers brewed then were spiced with heather, sweet gale, bog myrtle, and buck-bean. The hop wouldn’t be the most common brewing additive for several hundred more years. Most brewing historians agree that the Irish Red we know today was likely an evolution of English Bitters and Pale Ales.
In the early eighteenth century, John Smithwick moved to Kilkenny, Ireland. At this time, Ireland was under a strict penal code that prohibited Catholics from owning land, so Smithwick opened his brewery under the name of his business partner Richard Cole, a protestant.
In 1710, he released Smithwicks Draught Ale, a beer focused less on hop bitterness and more on a strong malty backbone. This was the first example of a commercially available Red Ale.
Irish Reds are known for their caramel, toffee, and toasted bread notes, with the majority of their bitterness coming from dark roasted malts and very little hop character. American Reds are pretty drastically different from their Irish counterparts.
Block 15’s Ridgeback Red is a really nice example of an American Red Ale. While there is still a noticeable malt presence, our version of red is balanced with a healthy lineup of hops and finished with a dry hop, which is very rare for the style. I think that this beer is an awesome expression of Northwest style on a beer that’s been around for hundreds of years. It’s named for Nick and Kristen’s late Rhodesian Ridgeback, Caspian, who is featured on the beer’s label. This is also why our imperial version of this beer is called King Caspian.
I love Ridgeback because I’m a person who appreciates balance in beer. Ridgeback showcases bright PNW hops and some malts from abroad that we don't often use, which creates a best-of-both-worlds feeling. I also love Ridgeback because it reminds me of closing the dish pit and having a beer with Paul a long time ago. Ridgeback is a great beer to suggest to friends or customers who like beer but aren’t super fond or familiar with the hoppier side, as its hop bitterness is pronounced but very approachable. It was my wife Sasha’s first-ever favorite beer. I love it when we brew this beer, as it's a staff favorite of many of our friends in the kitchen (looking at you, James). If you haven’t tried it, I hope you do, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Look for toasted nuts, caramel, brown sugar, and molasses from the malt, supported by spicey orange peel and pine from the hops.
PUB UPDATES
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We will be switching to Blood Orange lemonade next Friday, the 8th!
Please make sure we are accurately and quickly updating 86 items as they are told to you. Make sure to check all spots that item could be, update the whiteboard, and update the specials board if necessary.
Great communication and teamwork this weekend! You all crushed it.
Please make sure we are fully authorizing or cashing out tabs before folks walk away from the counter to ease confusion and walkouts.
Keep up the food feedback! When doing shift change or checking out for the day that is a great time to write down any feedback you heard.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Wyatt Laramee - crushed working in the TR kitchen over the weekend! Kept everyone informed on things, took charge on the line calling tickets, and worked very hard! Great work!
All TR BOH staff! - Really killed it over the weekend, kept ticket times down, communicated well, and had great attitudes through the chaos.
Annalee - Thanks for working so hard at the TR on Saturday! Your willingness to stay longer and help out while it was crazy busy was very much appreciated and you did a fantastic job, thanks for being such a team player!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human resources
STAFF SECTION
Check back next week.
SAFETY TIPS
With the sick season upon us please make sure you are washing your hands. When at work you should be washing your hands BEFORE you handle food or begin any food-related task, but it's also very important that you wash your hands AFTER these activities: Handling raw meat, poultry and seafood. Using the restroom. Touching your hair, face, body, clothes or apron, or petting a dog.
Office Hours
Monday: Pub 10am - 1pm
Tuesday: Tap Room 1- 4pm
Thursday: Pub 1 - 4pm
Friday: Tap Room 10am - 1pm
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Dine Out will be April 9th with the Corvallis Environmental Center! Stay tuned for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - February 21st, 2024
General
Clothing Donations for Vina Moses Center
Winter clothing donation for the Vina Moses Center has begun at the Taproom. Bring new or gently used clothing to the Taproom now until Sun Feb. 25th. Spread the word to customers! Help cap off the donation period at the Winter Warmup Fri 2/23- Sat 2/24!
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 Ranessa! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Thai Coconut Steamed Mussels, with Block 15 Cider as the recommended pairing.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Last Bourbon Month Event This weekend
Winter Warmup - February 23rd-24th @ the Southtown Tap Room
Activities
Join us for Trivia on Saturday, 2/24, at 5 pm. Block 15's own Ian will be hosting Bourbon History-themed trivia.
Food Specials
Hearty soups with bread bowls and Bourbon s'mores cheesecake are available on both days.
Drink Specials
Stick Season: Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey, Harlequin Orange Liqueur, Cinnamon infused maple syrup, Thai chili tincture, and hot apple cider garnished with a cinnamon stick.
Fireside Cocoa: Buffalo Trace, Chila Cinnamon Cream, Spiced cocoa blend, topped with mini marshmallows.
Clothing Donation
As part of the event, we’re partnering with Vina Moses Center. Drop off gently used or new winter clothing from now until February 25th to donate to those going through hardship in our community.
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 2/23
Flannel Fakeout // Made exclusively with PNW malt and hops, this crisp and balanced dry-hopped pilsner features notes of lemon peel, stonefruit, and pine, with a dry and refreshing finish. Is flannel season over? // 5.20% ABV
Takeaways: Hoppy enough for hopheads, malty enough for the season. This is a new dry-hopped pilsner that represents the classic flavors of the PNW.
Tasting Notes: Honeysuckle. Lemon Zest. Coniferous.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Northwest Pilsner
These are emerging styles, still in active development across the craft brewing world, and certain to change dramatically over the next few years. While the malt and fermentation profiles resemble classic continental pilsners, these beers feature aggressive hop aromatics and flavor from newer North American and Southern Hemisphere hop varieties typically used in IPAs. Light, sessionable, snappy, and dry, these beers offer a lighter alternative to the heavier or stronger IPAs that usually feature these flavors.
Charmed Life // Low on bitterness, but big on flavor, this medium-bodied red ale offers a pleasant, malty nose with a subtle caramel flavor that balances with a clean finish. What a charmed life, indeed! // 5.00% ABV
Takeaways: Part of our annual St. Patrick's Day releases, Charmed Life is a classic Irish Red Ale with gentle bitterness and a rich malty backbone.
Tasting Notes: Bread Crust. Burnt Sugar. Jig Inducing.
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Irish Red Ale
This classic style of amber ale has its roots in Ireland, though not under the name Irish Red Ale. That name originates from Coors and their iconic brand, Killian’s Irish Red, which is, in fact, a lager, not an ale. The tradition of making amber ales in Ireland goes back many centuries, always featuring a caramel and toffee-like malt flavor with a mild bitterness and very little hop flavor.
Favorable Fortune // Fortune favors this bold, yet balanced dry Irish stout. Notes of espresso and hop bitterness enhance the dryness, while flaked barley adds a smooth creaminess. Light, yet rich at the same time. // 4.60% ABV
Takeaways: Part of our annual St. Patrick's Day releases, Favorable Fortune is a classic Dry Irish stout. Light and sessionable, it's great for festive gatherings.
Tasting Notes: Espresso. Dark Chocolate. Oh, Danny Boy...
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Dry Irish Stout
This style references a low ABV stout made famous by Irish breweries, especially Guinness. The name stout comes from “stout porter,” a stronger porter. The style changed drastically in Dublin in the mid-19th century with the development of black patent malt. This new dark malt allowed brewers to make stout cheaper by using only pale malt and a small percentage of black patent. The results, which removed the dextrinous brown, amber, and Munich malts needed to make dark beer previously, were drier on the palate. The style continued to develop with several sub-styles such as export-stout and foreign export-stout. These beers are typically between 4% and 5% abv with low bitterness and a light body despite a roasty, coffee-like malt profile.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 2/23
Flannel Fakeout // Northwest Pilsner
Charmed Life // Irish Red Ale
Favorable Fortune // Dry Irish Stout
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Deep Seek
Love Potion (Depends on inventory available at each location)
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Group Ride // IPA
Ridgeback Red // Red Ale
Headhaze // Imperial Hazy IPA - Collab with Moonraker Brewing
Selection Series // Four Single Hop IPAs
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
Rocky Shores IPA // American IPA
DAB Lab: Hop Sauce // West Coast IPA
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: Northwest Pilsner
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
This is a special Beer 101, as it will be my last and on a subject I am particularly passionate about. Pilsner, especially Bohemian Pilsner, is my favorite style of beer, and I love the unique directions that American craft brewers have taken this style in recent years. If asked, I would always answer that Pilsner Urquell is my all-time desert island favorite beer.
Pilsner beer originated in Pilsen, Bohemia, in the mid 19th Century. After a series of sub-standard batches were destroyed in the city, the citizens of Pilsen pooled their resources and built a new state-of-the-art brewery, the Bürger Brauerei (Citizens’ Brewery), and sought a brewmaster to come make beer there. Josef Groll, a brewer from Bavaria, moved to Pilsen to recreate Bavrian-style lager but ended up making something entirely new. That product, golden with a thick white head and strong hop aroma, was named Pilsner and, within years, was one of the most requested beers in Europe. That brewery failed to file a trademark for several years; by then, there were several other breweries making Pilsner-style beer. They settled with trademarking “the original pilsner” and renamed their brewery to Pilsner Urquell, where they still make that beer and ship it worldwide.
Pilsner-style beer swept over Europe and eventually the world. The style became very popular in the United States, with several breweries opening in the late 19th century to make it. Most famously was Budweiser, which eventually turned to litigation about the trademark for their name since there was already a Budweiser in Bohemia. That brewery, known as Budweiser Budvar, still operates and is another famous institution for the style in Czechia.
Like all other styles, Pilsner saw many adaptations by craft brewers over the years. The palate for craft beer has consistently leaned toward heavier and heavier hopping, and Pilsner has been no exception. Brewers have been making hybrid Pilsner and IPA beers under various names for years. The name changes are mostly the result of consumers losing interest in them as innovations in brewing and marketing have constantly created new variations on the same concept. Most recently, we’ve seen IPL decline and be replaced by Cold IPA, a nearly identical product. West Coast Pilsner has grown in popularity in recent years, embracing the dry, snappy finish of a sessionable drinking pilsner paired with the juicy but resinous hop character of modern West Coast IPAs. Block 15 released Stoke Coast last year as an introduction to this emerging style with some fanfare.
In discussing the future of this program and what makes sense for us in establishing our own voice and direction with these beers, we decided to use the term “Northwest Pilsner” for our next hoppy pilsner. We’ve been honing our techniques for making these beers for several years and want to use this style to express our own regional take on a hop-forward pilsner. We crafted this new beer, Flannel Fakeout, to have a more perceivable malt flavor and body, focusing on clean but sharp bitterness and expressing a balance of pine resin and bright citrus that pops with every sip.
As I stated above, this is the last time I’ll be writing the Beer 101 topic, as this is my last week at Block 15. It has been a pleasure to draft these silly little documents for you; it is truly one of my favorite weekly tasks. Sometimes, I’ve tried to be clinical and dry, and other times, I’ve wanted to express some of my genuine passion for these products and this industry. We are, after all, collectively working in a fun and unique industry. There is a deep and rich history to beer making that goes back at least 10,000 years, but there is also the modern craft era providing a dynamic and shifting market that deserves or even requires our attention to successfully navigate. While I am moving on, Garrison Schmidt will continue these Beer 101’s. He has a deep knowledge of beer and its cultural significance and has already provided many wonderful entries to this section. I hope you continue to enjoy these write-ups as he takes over and provides his own unique voice in crafting your shared education in this industry.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
As you saw with the recent Sling announcement, we are focusing on a few key objectives to really elevate our guests' experience here at the Pub. These objectives will be posted for all to see, and we are convening as a management team to determine how to best support each other in meeting these goals! If you have questions or feedback, please feel free to direct those points to Goody or Sarah!
There will be a cheat sheet of where mats should live on the server clipboard later this week. If you lay out all mats and realize we have an extra, or are missing one, please let a manager know so we can connect with Alsco.
We are nearing the end of Bourbon Month! A HUGE THANK YOU to every single one of you for working hard, getting excited, and helping to create a wonderful month for our Bourbon loving guests! This is around the time that we slowly start to run out of bourbon, so if you have folks looking for a specific selection, please give the Tap Room a quick call to see if they still have it, and direct the guest to get some stamps out there. Once someone completes their stamp book, please snag it and store it behind the bar in the black plastic holder. All cards need to be in by February 29th at the end of the day to be counted. Folks will be notified within a week of the end of the month that we have received their card and marked them as completed.
As noted on our Focus Points for the week–strive to get food feedback this week and write down at least 1-2 pieces per shift. If something is wrong with the item (i.e seasoning is off or it was prepared incorrectly) please let a Lead in the kitchen know ASAP so that we can make adjustments if needed.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Winter Warm-Up this weekend! Please make sure we are spreading the word, hyping it up, and telling folks about the clothing drive for The Vina Moses Center!
We will be featuring bread bowls with 2 different soup options - Stout Seafood Chowder and Spicy Sesame Carrot & Red Lentil (vegan), as well as Bourbon S’mores Cheesecake! Since this is a torched option, we will 86’ creme brulee for the weekend, until the cheesecake runs out!
As you saw from Kristen’s sling announcement, there are 3 main objectives the Taproom will be working on and executing throughout the year. Keep these on the forefront of your mind and keep your eyes open for information and feedback we will be asking! They are posted by the R&S in the kitchen if you ever need a refresher!
We really need to step up our food/drink feedback game! Please try to write down 2 different feedback items this week. Feedback really helps us to improve and gauge item performance so it is really important to provide both good and bad feedback!
As we near the end of Bourbon Month, really push those beers and bourbons with guests and with the pub running out of bourbons we may see an increase in folks coming out here to get their passports full! If someone finishes theirs, they can turn it in to any location (please make sure it has their information filled out on the front). We will be keeping them in the passport/stamp box.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Rachel Zmolek - She is a ray of sunshine, and we're lucky to have her around.
Sarah Farey - Sarah has crushed the menus for our special events this month. Plus, she's the primary person working the events. She's an absolute rock star; we're lucky to have her!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Autumn Bolton (BOH)
SAFETY TIPS
Safety Log: When should you be writing in it?
Any time there is an incident or injury it is important to record it in the Safety Log at the location the incident happened. If professional medical attention is required it is also mandatory to fill out the SAIF 801 form, any manager can get you this form or you can request it from HR. The form needs to be filled out and sent to HR within 24 hrs of the incident.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - February 14th, 2024
General
Valentine’s Day Specials
Valentine’s Day Love Potion #9 Crowler Sale! Both locations will be featuring $5 Crowlers of Love Potion #9 all day Wednesday, 2/14!
We also have a dessert special at the taproom today! $5 Love Potion #9 Coco Bells while supplies last (taproom only).
2024 Block 15 Vision & Aim
We are excited to share our overall 2024 vision for the company to create a united, impactful point of focus. Clarifying this aim allows us to communicate more specifically what we will achieve this year and how each of you is integral to that accomplishment.
Each of you is an essential and unique part of the Block 15 experience. We can share the vision, but it’s your individual and team contributions that really make the vision a reality.
Please review and genuinely consider your location’s objectives. I also ask that you review the other department’s objectives to understand what the rest of your team is working on. It’s pretty easy to see how we will move the needle on the Block 15 experience with our focused energies working on these objectives towards our 2024 aim.
Guided by the same company mission and vision for this year, we look forward to working together to move the needle on the Block 15 experience to exceptional!
- Kristen & Nick
Sling etiquette guide
Please limit social chat within Sling
While Sling is a great messaging service, we want to remember that it is for work communication only. Please keep all non-work-related communication to texting or other social media platforms.
Less is more
We want to limit communication to only conversations that are applicable to the people involved to cut down on communication overload. Keep in mind that everyone receives alerts over Sling and we don’t want to lose the efficiency of Sling by creating too many unnecessary notifications for people.
Keep messages and your profile professional
With any work-related communications, it’s important to remember that there is a certain etiquette to follow when creating messages. The tone doesn’t have to be formal, but remember that this is still a professional environment so all communication needs to be work-appropriate.
Your profile pic, should you add one, should also be appropriate for a work setting, meaning it should be family-friendly with no inappropriate language – written as text or as physical body language.
Failure to uphold these standards of conduct can lead to verbal or written warning and/or termination.
Clothing Donations for Vina Moses Center
Winter clothing donation for the Vina Moses Center has begun at the Taproom. Bring new or gently used clothing to the Taproom now until Sun Feb. 25th. Spread the word to customers! Help cap off the donation period at the Winter Warmup Fri 2/23- Sat 2/24!
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 Nicole! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Dill Pickle Chicken Salad Sandwich.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Bourbon Month Events - Last but not least
Winter Warmup - February 23rd-24th
@ Block 15’s Brewery & Taproom
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 2/16
Demo Tape - Side A // Side A of this demo tape features a dynamic duo of Talus, and HBC-586 presented as a refreshing West Coast IPA with a balance expressive of pungent citrus, tropical, resin, and dank herb hop notes. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Side A is the same hop duo as Side B but balanced to present as a resinous west-coast IPA with a dry, snappy finish. HBC-586 is the star of this one, showing off the piney, dank herb and spice notes that balance with tropical fruit and citrus. Talus is there in support.
Tasting Notes: Peachie O's. Lychee. Recorded in Stereo.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Demo Tape - Side B // Side B of this demo tape features a dynamic duo of Talus and HBC-586 but is presented as a juicy Hazy IPA with a balance expressive of bright tropical, citrus, dank herb, and sweet candy hop notes. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Side B is the same hop duo as Side A but balanced to present as a juicy, Hazy IPA with a rich, creamy finish. Talus is the star of this one with the huge coconut and pineapple tropical notes this hop is known for, backed with citrus, floral, herbal, and sweet candy notes. HBC-586 is there in support.
Tasting Notes: Ruby Grapefruit. Blue Spruce. Recorded in Stereo.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
The Incredible // This preposterously smooth Triple IPA is brewed with a duo of PNW-grown pale and pilsner malts and balanced by a bounty of our favorite hop varietals. Approachable but incredible. // 10.60% ABV
Takeaways: Revamped, reimagined and fully loaded. We took our classic Triple IPA and gave it the attention it deserves, focusing on a crisp, dry finish with intense hop aroma and dangerously smooth.
Tasting Notes: Resinous. Pineapple. Heavy Hitter
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Triple IPA
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 2/16
Demo Tape Side A // West Coast IPA
Demo Tape Side B // Hazy IPA
The Incredible // Triple IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Love Potion #9
UPCOMING Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Charmed Life // Irish Red
Favorable Fortune // Irish Dry Stout
Flannel Fakeout // Northwest Pilsner
Group Ride // IPA
HEADHAZE // Imperial Hazy IPA (Collab with Moonraker Brewing)
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: Demo Tape
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
Once upon a time, before the pandemic, Block 15 made a collaboration beer with Yakima Chief Hops (YCH) for the KLCC Brewfest. That beer, which featured two experimental hops that were still just emerging from the Hop Breeding Company, was named Demo Tape in reference to the only two hops in it being still unnamed and in the R&D phase. Those two hops, HBC-692 and HBC-586, made a delightful IPA that was made to be draught-only at a time when draught-only beers were still very popular. We brought it back for another glance, but this time as a more detailed study of these two hops.
The HBC designation is given to hops from the Hop Breeding Company program before they are named. HBC was founded in 2003 as a collaborative effort between Yakima Chief Ranches (the hop breeding arm of YCH operations) and John I. Haas, Inc., a powerhouse in hop breeding, production, and processing for over a century. These hops undergo years of breeding and experimentation before they are released to the public and then years of scaling production before they are given more conventional names. Since January 2020, when Demo Tape was originally released, HBC-692 was named Talus and has been brought in to feature heavily in our recipe for Joy, our year-round Hazy Pale Ale. HBC-586 remains unnamed, but it’s been building notoriety among brewers this whole time and is a pretty widely loved product. These two hops are complementary but still maintain unique characteristics that made us reconsider what Demo Tape would look like when we brought it back.
We talk a lot about the creative side of recipe design with IPA substyles, what they mean, and how our perception of them changes. I know I’ve written about the shifting idea of what a West Coast or American IPA is. The hops you use in these styles are also constantly changing. We thought it would be fun to make two Demo Tapes, a ‘Side A’ and a ‘Side B,’ that feature only these two hop varieties but in different ratios, using different techniques, base styles, and malt compositions to create unique products. It’s very easy to bring in something new and make something exciting, but the real work in brewing is the minute details, the slow dialing in of products, and the steady experimentation that enlightens us on the obscure reactions between products that create completely unique drinking experiences.
Demo Tape ‘Side A’ is a west-coast IPA that features HBC-586 over Talus in a ratio of about 2:1. We have a crisp, unobtrusive malt profile that allows the hops to shine and give a dry, snappy finish. Demo Tape ‘Side B’ is a Hazy IPA and features Talus over HBC-586, also in a 2:1 ratio. It is rich and viscous, with a different hop profile, despite being made with the same two hops. Our hope is that these two products will be clearly distinguishable while carrying common notes that make them a fun pairing. We are always trying to create a fun experience. It’s beer, after all, our job is to help curate our customers' enjoyment.
PUB UPDATES
Make sure that you are taking every Creme Brulee out with a biscotti garnish!
All of the broken readers for the handhelds are officially fixed. Hopefully these are the last ones to be on the fritz for awhile, but if you come across more that are acting up, let a manager know so we can do some test fixes and see if they need to be replaced. Again, let’s treat these gently as they are not cheap to replace or fix if it happens often.
Special Weekly Release (LAST ONE) Monday, February 19th:
Barrel “Seagrass” Rye, 120.4 proof $18
Nose: Honeydew Melon, Rye Spice, Balanced
Palate: Apricot Brandy, Molasses, Cohesive
Finish: Clean, Warming, Persistent Tannin** Seagrass is a blend of American and Canadian rye whiskeys, with each ingredient meticulously sourced and finished separately in Martinique Rhum, Madeira & apricot brandy barrels. It highlights the grassy oceanside notes we love in rye and the opulence and spice of finishing barrels. Barrell Seagrass is an ode to coastal memories, blended to evoke the joy of a day on the beach and an evening listening to the soothing rhythm of waves. Hot sun, brisk air, dry sand, and oceanside vegetation are brought to mind. A ripe and inviting tropical nose and grassy, bright body evolve to a finish as long as the view down the shore on a clear day.
Barrell Craft Spirits is proud to announce a collaboration with The Ocean Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Barrell Seagrass will be donated to The Ocean Foundation to contribute to the conservation and restoration of seagrass. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210921005811/en/Barrell-Craft-Spirits%C2%AE-Proudly-Supports-The-Ocean-Foundation
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Reminder to please make sure the Glencairn bourbon glasses get covered with a big plastic cup before going into the dishwasher as they are super fragile and expensive!
We have a new dishwasher! This should help with keeping our glasses clean and watermark/smudge free. Take note of how glasses look coming out of the dishwasher this week and if there is any feedback or concerns let a manager know!
Let’s make sure the specials board is staying up to date and accurate throughout the day, if we 86 something that is up there please make sure it gets taken down or changed quickly.
When restocking the beer coolers make sure all options are accounted for in the fridge, if there is an empty row, double check the walk-in to make sure we aren’t missing any beers and if we are, please restock them!
The happy hour $1 off discount button will now just be applied to the regular draft beer list, wine, kombucha, and rootbeer buttons. We no longer have all the beers, wine, kombucha and rootbeer buttons also in the happy hour menu. The only items in the Happy Hour menu page are the special cocktails and the food. You will still discount all the drinks the same way, it is just less screens to have to go into (and is the same way the pub does it). Let a manager know if there are any questions or glitches!
Make sure we continue to check in with tables periodically, pre-bus, offer another round, get food feedback, etc. We want folks to feel taken care of!
Special Weekly Release (LAST ONE) Monday, February 19th
Jefferson Reserve “Twin Oak”, 90.2 proof $18
Nose: Oaky, Vanilla, Cinnamon-Apple
Palate: Baking Spice, Almond, Orchard Fruit
Finish: Medium Length, Lingering Spice** The Jefferson’s barrel is made from grooved staves increasing the surface area of the barrel allowing more bourbon to come in contact with the oak at the peak of flavor. The barrel is toasted to a specific time and temperature recipe and then flash charred. The result is a tremendously full-flavored, complex, balanced bourbon from a seasoned, double-barreled whiskey.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Laura Wilson - For approving my time off
Paige Schwandt - Paige is great! She is always helping other people and we really appreciate her hard work. Keep slaying!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Check back next week
SAFETY TIPS
Remember to follow safe lifting guidelines such as keeping a wide base of support (feet shoulder-width apart), bending at the hips and knees only, keeping good posture with your back straight and lifting slowly while holding the load as close to your body as possible
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!
Internal Brewsletter - February 7th, 2024
General
Block 15 Dress Code
Here’s a quick refresh on Block 15’s Dress Code. The goal of Block 15’s dress code is to promote a professional appearance that represents the Block 15 brand and standard of excellence. Individualism is an important aspect of the Block 15 culture, and we encourage stylistic expression within a set of guidelines designed to present a polished, professional team, with each member remaining easily identifiable as employees of the company.
Employee attire must be properly well-fitting, presentable, professional, family-friendly, and clean. Also, clothing must be free of prominent logos from other brands. Any questions of following the above are reviewed by the FOH manager on duty.
A Block 15 logo or graphic must be prominently displayed on top/outer layers of clothing. Those items can include buttons, apron, shirt, sweatshirt, hat or other Block 15 branded items.
Some positions may have more specific restrictions intended to protect the employee from potential job-related hazards.
Vina Moses Center Donation Partnership
We are partnering with the Vina Moses Center again this year for the Winter Warmup to donate new/used winter clothing to those in need! The donation bin will start Monday 2/12 at the Taproom and will end Sunday 2/25. Please spread the word and if you are able please donate what you can. If you can't make it to the Taproom to donate please reach out to Madie (text, email, sling, slack, etc.) and she will coordinate a pickup.
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 Laura Wilson! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Crab Rangoon Grilled Cheese, made with cream cheese, imitation crab, and soy sauce with chili crisp toasted bread.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Bourbon Month Events List at a glance
Uncle Nearest Education Event - February 8th
@ Block 15’s Brewery & Tap Room
Brewer’s Tasting for Bourbon Month Portland - February 9th
@ Bad Habit Room in Portland
Reservations/Tickets required to attend
Bourbon Month Portland - February 10-11th
@ 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 2/9
Liquid Opulence // Highlighting El Dorado hops grown at Oasis farms in Washington, this juicy concoction features bright tropical, citrus, and pine notes with a lush and inviting finish. Call it liquid gold. // 6.60% ABV
Takeaways: A tribute to El Dorado, one of the most underrated hops out there. Balanced with a blend of hops to create a Hazy IPA the Block 15 way.
Tasting Notes: Pineapple. Orange zest. Indulgent.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 2/9
Liquid Opulence // Hazy IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Fresh Pow! (And Eminent Point at the Taproom)
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Demo Tape Side A // West Coast IPA
Demo Tape Side B // Hazy IPA
The Incredible // Triple IPA
Charmed Life // Irish Red
Favorable Fortune // Irish Dry Stout
Flannel Fakeout // Northwest Pilsner
Marketing
Corvallis Half Marathon
Hey team! We are sponsoring the Corvallis Half Marathon again this year! It will be hosted on Saturday, April 6th in front of Reser Stadium.
Here’s how you can get involved!
We will be looking for a few volunteers to set up (on April 5th) and some volunteers to hand out beer to runners on April 6th and then break down the tent.
Want to run?
With 2 months away, you still have time to train! For those who want to run the 5K or Half Marathon, let me know! We get free admission for supporting the event.
Interested in running but don’t know where to start?
Heart of the Valley Runners host social running events every day of the week. Bryce and I have checked out the Monday (6 pm at the Fairgrounds) and Thursday (6 pm in front of 5 Star Sports) running groups a few times. They’re fun and a great way to make suffering a little more enjoyable.
– Kelsea, Marketing & Creative Director
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: A brief history of barrel aging
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
The first barrels, being wooden staves bound together with hoops, appear in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics from at least 2600 BCE. Pliny the Elder, the historian, not the beer, who lived in the first century CE, noted Europeans using barrels to store beverages and the various classes of coopers, including a cooper who only made barrels for wine. Barrel aging beer in Britain dates back to to anglo-saxon times and continued on into the present.
Most of the traditions of barrel-aging beer that influenced craft beer come from Belgium and Great Britain. Much of the Belgian tradition comes from the history of Lambic beers that originated in the 13th century; Block 15 uses a process similar to this in making Turbulent Consequence and many of our other wild beers. In this process, barrels are used to mature beer over a prolonged period where various microorganisms continue to ferment and slowly create unique characteristics.
The history of cask, or barrel-aging beer in Great Britain, is a long and complex topic, far too great to cover in this post, but we can scratch the surface. One important note on historic British barrel-aged beers is that the aging was meant to mature the beers, not to impart wood flavors in the beer or to prolong fermentation. Brewers went to great lengths to ensure the barrels were flavor-neutral. Aged beers were usually stronger styles that needed time to soften flavors before they could be sold. Two very famous styles of beer that were often barrel-aged were Imperial Stout and India Pale Ale. Both were matured in barrels and shipped in barrels since they were both largely exported.
The barrel aging India Pale Ale tradition followed to the United States, where P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company continued the tradition of aging their IPA in barrels from the brewery's founding in 1840 until it closed in the early 1990s. This tradition did not continue heavily after the popularity rebound in the style from the 1980s through today.
The idea of aging beer in barrels specifically to impart flavor from the barrels is quite a new concept, with the advent of Bourbon barrel-aged beer beginning in the early 1990s. As far as we know, Goose Island was the first brewery to age beer in Bourbon barrels. Sometime between 1992 and 1994, they laid down the first batches of Bourbon County Brand Stout in ex-bourbon barrels to impart the specific flavor of the spirit and charred oak barrels into a beer, which happened to be an Imperial Stout. The results were transcendent and created a new process that was quickly copied by brewers across the country.
There are two schools of thought on how to barrel age beer in spirits barrels. In one process, the beer is gently aged at a consistent temperature, usually near cellar temperature. The other process is where the beer is aged in a non-climate controlled space, similar to the rooms bourbon itself is aged, where the temperature swings greatly and constantly forces beer in and out of the wood.
Block 15 has been releasing Bourbon barrel-aged stouts since 2009, when the first Super Nebula release kicked off, a tradition that continues today. The barrels change every year, but the idea is to gently age the beer in quality bourbon barrels for a year in a climate-controlled space, first in the cellar at the pub, then in the barrel room at the taproom, where the characteristics of the spirits and the gentle microoxidation from the aging process matures the beer into a robust yet balanced product. Using ex-spirits barrels to age beer and impart unique flavors has proven to be one of the greatest innovations of the American Craft beer era.
Further Reading:
https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2021/9/30/the-original-bourbon-barrel-aged-beer
PUB UPDATES
Next up in our Weekly Bourbon Releases – Monday, February 12th:
I.W. Harper Cabernet Cask, 90 proof $13
Nose: Dark Cherry, Creme Brulee, Raisin
Palate: Chocolate Cherry, Graham Cracker, DessertFinish: Sweet, Light Spice, Robust
**I.W. Harper has existed in some form since 1872. Originally launched by Isaac Wolfe (I.W.) Bernheim. Cask Finish is I.W. Harper’s first line extension since the brand’s return to the United States. According to the company’s press release, “Cabernet Cask Reserve is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged for four years in new charred American oak barrels, then perfected in luxury California Cabernet Sauvignon casks and bottled at Stitzel-Weller Distillery, one of the true cathedrals of the American Whisky industry.”
Quick reminder–any employee beverages need to be covered with a lid and should have a straw (or a place to drink from that your hand doesn’t touch). We are ordering more of the silicone lids for soda cups to help meet these health code requirements. Also, please remember to tuck employee beverages behind the bottle cooler or under the counter of the back server station (where the merch is) to keep customer facing areas neat and tidy.
When watering indoor plants, let’s be cautious to not overwater them. If they are sitting in a pot, please tilt the pot to see if there is any standing water in the bottom and empty that out. Overwatering will often kill a plant way faster than underwatering it. Root rot is real!
All Super Nebula and Kriek bottles are now added to the Sunday discount for the public.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Next up in our Weekly Bourbon Releases–Monday, February 12th:
George Dickel Bottled in Bond, 100 proof $13
Nose: Apple, Cherry, Custard
Palate: Pecan, Maple, Dried Apples
Finish: Spice, Dry Oak, Moderate**This Bottled in Bond whiskey was produced in Tennessee and uses charcoal filtering which has been said helps to mellow whiskey and creates a smoother mouthfeel. As a reminder: To be labeled Bottled-in-Bond, the whiskey must be the product of one distillation season and one distiller at a single distillery, aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years, and it must be bottled at exactly 100 proof. Additionally, the Bottled-in-Bond label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.
For the Uncle Nearest Event on Thursday we will be running an old school Smoked Bourbon Wings special at the Taproom! This will run all day and into the weekend depending how much we go through and will replace the normal Happy Hour wings for Thursday so there is no confusion. They will be sold in the same increments of 3s. Please push this special with customers!
There is now a small oxo measuring cup behind the bar to use for 1oz bourbon pours as well as .25oz and .5oz ingredient pours that will make it much easier to measure with accuracy!
Sarah added in buttons for a single scoop of Rice and singled out Festival Sausages to the single items screen!
Friendly reminder about starting your shift. We are expected to be in uniform (nonslips, apron, B15 logo, etc.) and ready to work at the time which we are scheduled. This includes reading up on any special events, menu changes, new info, etc. If you are running late at all please call the Taproom to let someone know!
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Makayla Karnowski - For amazing dedication to employee well being and general compassion for others. She is a delight to work with and makes sure everyone feels heard from BOH to FOH she is a rockstar and a kind soul. Thanks Mak, you are a wonderful person and manager, a rockstar of the Taproom!
Mike Galusha - Stepped up and made it happen! Thanks Mike!
Paul Van Handel! - Paul is the best at everything!! I appreciate his attitude and how he makes work fun.
Niko Belesiotis - I think that Niko is crushing it at life.
Matt Baccary - Matt is a bloodhound for Block 15's finances. If you got a problem, yo he'll solve it. We are lucky to have somebody with his eye for detail and dedication. Thanks for all you do Baccary!
Holly and Kelsea - For getting the word out on Bourbon Month and all of our amazing events, and for documenting them in such a fantastic way!
Elise and Madie - For crushing a big beer release and getting everything on tap and in the coolers ready to sell. Big releases like this are a beast and you both crushed it!
Laura Wilson - For being a great Guided Pairing hostess and helping to maintain the flow of a decent Tap Room pop on top of getting all of our fans into the tasting.
Every single one of you that worked this weekend! - It was big and busy and full of a lot of moving pieces and you all did an amazing job! Thank you for jumping into Bourbon Month with so much excitement and enthusiasm.
Sarah Farey - For making a killer Brewer’s Dinner menu all by her kickass self, then turning around the next day to provide small pairings to about 70 people–you’re amazing!
If you have kudos or kind words to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Check back next week
SAFETY TIPS
For those interested, the Safety Committee Notes can be found on the Sling page labeled “Safety Committee Notes.” Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback or if you’d like to join the monthly safety committee meeting.
The next meetings will be 2/21 at 12:30 pm at the Tap Room and 2/22 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!
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!
Internal Brewsletter - January 24th, 2024
General
Employee Etiquette at our locations
This week we wanted to take a moment to touch on etiquette when it comes to employees enjoying a beverage after a shift at the bar (or a table) at any of our locations. We love the camaraderie and great times that everyone has together and just want to clarify a few expectations.
Please remember that whether or not you are wearing a logo, you represent the company at all times and your behavior should always reflect that responsibility. (This means no shop talk or inappropriate language). If you have questions about work related topics, this is okay, we want to ensure that we are keeping topics positive.
This is a great place to relax with a beer or two after your shift or on your day off and we love having you here! However, we wouldn’t allow any guest to become intoxicated in our bar, and the same goes for employees.
Please be mindful of guests and on-the-clock staff. Please be super aware of your physical position within the restaurant (for example – if there are four or more employees at the bar rail, end of the bar (B-Zero), or brewer’s bar, grab a table in the game room or have the host put you on the list). We always want to ensure that guests aren’t leaving because the bar is filled with employees. If we are during our busiest hours (4-8pm) please check in with the bartender before sitting to make sure that we have space for guests as well.
While not required, please keep in mind that when you are enjoying food or beverages at the bar or at a table post-shift for an extended period of time, it is appreciated when you tip your server or bartender. We all depend on the income from our tables or barstools and these are seats that could be occupied by guests, so we want to ensure that all staff are being taken care of.
Bakery Update
The ciabatta bread has a new and improved format! Loaves are longer, each one yields 3 sandwiches instead of 2, no need to trim the ends off. You'll also notice the crust is darker and the texture inside is lighter. Sarah updated the procedures for our new ciabatta and the banh mi sliders, so make sure to look those over and keep our bread game on point!
Here is the link to the new ciabatta procedure! The posted version in the kitchens will have a size guide as well.
February Monthly Specials
Monthly Specials for February are coming out next Wednesday, 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 lot’s of feedback from you all when these come online!
Here is the link to all of the procedures and extra information to know before the release!
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 Ian Hutchings! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Chicken Cacciatore Pasta, made with radiatore noodles tossed in a flavorful tomato and chicken sauce, topped with lemon pepper ricotta and crispy chicken skins.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
Hello team! Next week is the start of Bourbon Month! Here’s where we’re at with ticketed dinners… We’re pretty much sold out with our two events happening next week. HOWEVER, we have a few tickets left for our Bourbon Dinner at Caves on 2/14 (Valentine's Day!) Have them scan the QR code at their table or on a poster in the building to find the tickets. Outside of that, pick an event below to focus on when connecting with your guests this week!
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 likely required to attend, TBD
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 1/26
Ocean Man // Originating from the lands surrounding the Baltic Sea. This bold, rich, and highly drinkable lager pairs notes of coffee, dried plums, and dark chocolate with a clean, but decadent finish. // 8.00% ABV
Takeaways: Our rich and delicious Baltic Porter gets the Lagered by the Sun treatment, 90% PNW sourced Malt and 100% PNW sourced Hops. Still built for authenticity, with the increases in quality from domestic malt producers, we can build true-to-style lagers with our own domestic ingredients.
Tasting Notes: Toffee. Bakers Chocolate. From the Depths.
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Baltic Porter
Originally inspired by strong English stout porters that Russia imported in the 18th century, breweries in the nations around the Baltic Sea began producing their own versions of these beers early in the 19th century. Very dark to black in color, it is hard to judge the clarity of these beers. They typically range from 6% to 9% abv with flavor coming mostly from the malt, which expresses a slight roasted character, reminiscent of black coffee, also usually expressing dark fruit, toffee, molasses, and nutty notes. They have a medium bitterness that balances their sweetness and gives them a slightly dry finish on the palate. They are exceedingly smooth for their abv.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 1/26
Ocean Man // Baltic Porter
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: All Draft! (Excluding Perpetuals, Hypnosis, Imagine, Framboise)
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands Marmalade // Hop Experience Ale
Super Nebual 2024 // Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs
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
Kriek 2024 // Oud Bruin Matured in Second-use Bourbon Barrels with Cherries
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: Baltic Porter
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
The history of Baltic Porter starts with the same Russian court I wrote about in the history of Imperial Stout. Catherine the Great was a lover of imported British Stout Porter, Stout at that point referring to a stronger version of any beer. Eventually the stronger Stout Porter just became known as Stout as Porter beer fell out of popularity.
Supply chain disruptions throughout the region as a result of the Napoleonic wars gave brewers of the region a reason to make their own versions of these beers. Initially making Ales just as the British Stout Porters were, they slowly shifted to using lager yeast and cold fermentation throughout the 19th century as lager beer rapidly became the world's most popular beer production method. Originally over 10%, these beers eventually came down to the 6%-9% range we see today. These beers are largely produced in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
This week, we are re-releasing Ocean Man, our take on this classic style. This time, we reworked the recipe to align with our Lagered by the Sun program. Pure Idaho Pilsner malt, Munich, and Vienna from Great Western are all grown and malted in the North West. There are, inevitably, some specialty malts that cannot be substituted with regional sources. In some cases there are domestic malts that can fill in from other parts of the US, but in some cases we bring in very small amounts of specialty malts from Europe, we always keep these products under 10% of the beer. Hops are always from the PNW.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
Starting this week, we are going to use peppermint oil in the bathrooms (if you work at the Tap Room, you will be aware of this procedure). When you are cleaning the bathrooms, please use the dropper bottle to put a few drops of oil in each of the following locations: both toilets in both bathrooms, both urinals, both sinks, and a drop or two on the floor in front of all toilets and urinals. After putting drops on the floors, you can swiffer the oil to spread it around. This will help our bathrooms smell super fresh!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Please make sure we are keeping up to date on all Block locations happenings, updates, etc. and cross promote when possible!
With all the leaves and debris that get tracked in from outside, make sure we are spot sweeping throughout the day, getting under the bar stools, tables, chairs, etc. Also, please put out a wet floor sign if it is wet/slippery!
If the soda water tap seems not carbonated or is too aggressive, go in the walk-in and unplug the compressor and plug it back in (above the packaged beer shelves by the smix), then pull a few pitchers of water through. You can also flip the little black valve on top of the compressor to let some gas out which will help it be less aggressive coming out. If it hasn’t been pulled through in awhile, pull a pitcher through and give a taste test before serving!
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
All of the Brewers! - HUGE shoutout to every single one of the brewers who came in during the snowpocalypse to tend to the tanks and make sure everything was running smoothly. We wouldn’t be running without you guys & gals, and you’re so appreciated for the time and energy you put into this place. Thank you!
Gavin - For coming in and keeping the brewery on track when nobody else dared! You are our hero, Gav.
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 see something, say something: Spills, damage to workplace materials, unsafe walking conditions… These are all important situations to bring to the attention of your lead or manager. Never assume that someone else will notice an unsafe situation and take care of it… the next person who encounters the condition may slip, trip, fall or otherwise injure themselves. It’s always better to take care of an unsafe condition as soon as it happens
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Cheers for Charity will be in February during Bourbon Month! Check back for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - January 17th, 2024
General
Bread Change for Banh Mi Sliders
We are changing the bread we use for the Banh Mi Sliders, effective next Wednesday, January 24th, instead of today, the 17th due to the winter weather closures.
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 Cedar! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Buffalo Chicken Wraps.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
With Bourbon Month around the corner, please be sure to review the info documents and be ready to come to a bourbon education and optional beer tasting the last couple weeks of this month. This is one of our favorite events that we do, and the team puts a lot of time and effort into pulling it all together, so let’s be ready to have a big and busy February! If you have any questions on Bourbon Month specific things, please feel free to reach out to Goody or Laura! Here is the link to the staff info document that was sent via Sling last week:
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 likely required to attend, TBD
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 1/19
Eminent Point // We're reaching for new heights with this luxurious take on an American classic. Featuring notes of pine resin, dank herb and sweet citrus, it all balances with a soft and enticing malt backbone. // 6.80% ABV
Takeaways: The evolution of IPA styles in craft beer continues to reinvent what was just recently out of date. This American IPA features zero caramel malt but still balances a pleasant malt base with an assertive mix of Simcoe, Waimea, and Cashmere hops.
Tasting Notes: Pine Resin. Blue Raspberry. Elevated Perspective.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: American IPA
See the Beer 101 section for a download on this style
Love Potion #9 // Brewed with a tantalizing blend of dark malts and conditioned with chocolate and red and black raspberries. This concoction balances notes of chocolate ganache and bountiful berries. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: We're always looking to improve even our most classic beers; this year, we replaced the raspberry puree with a 100% fruit concentrate and added cacao husks to the mash to add a unique chocolate flavor. Cacao husks are a waste product from chocolate production, but they still have flavor and aroma (but you can't eat them); used in the mash tun, we can extract their natural flavors and utilize what would otherwise go to waste.
Tasting Notes: Dark Chocolate. Dried Raspberry. Entrancing.
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Chocolate Stout with Raspberries
There are many different substyles of Stouts, but we don’t always design beers with a specific sub-style in mind. Adjunct beers often fall under this category, as we are trying to design a beer that, first and foremost, integrates with the adjuncts we intend to use. If it doesn't go well with the beer, there’s no point in making a beer with a specialty ingredient, almost certainly the most expensive thing in the recipe. Style-wise, these beers usually fall under extra sout, foreign export stout, imperial stout, or tropical stout as far as guidelines go. They are dark with an intense malt flavor that leans to chocolate, coffee, nutty, caramel, dark fruit, and other roasted malt notes with a sweetness and bitterness that balance to produce a drinkable beer that highlights the extra ingredients we add.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 1/19
Eminent Point // American IPA
Love Potion #9 // Chocolate Stout with Raspberries
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: All Draft (except perpetuals, Hypnosis, Framboise, Imagine)
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Ocean Man // Baltic Porter
Sticky Hands Marmalade // Hop Experience Ale
Super Nebual 2024 // Imperial Stout Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Cocoa Nibs
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
Kriek 2024 // Oud Bruin Matured in Second-use Bourbon Barrels with Cherries
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: American IPA
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
While India Pale Ale originated in England, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the American IPA was born in the Pacific Northwest. In 1968, hop breeder John Segal began cultivating an experimental hop with the code 56013; in 1972, it was named Cascade and marked a drastic turn in hop breeding and production in the United States. It was adopted early on by Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing and used in their Liberty Ale, then in 1981 by Ken Grossman at Sierra Nevada for their new pale ale, which would become one of the most iconic beers in America.
As hop-forward as these beers were, they were not called India Pale Ale. At this point, the only beer made in America that was called IPA was Ballantine IPA, which was made between the 1890s and 1990s. It was malty and reminiscent of English IPAs, including the process of production where it was aged for a year in barrels before being packaged and sold. It was Bert Grant who made the first modern IPA in America and essentially invented this new Style.
Grant was a lifelong industry veteran when he founded Yakima Malting and Brewing Co. in 1982, which became the first “brewpub” in America. He had previously worked for Guinness and had moved to Washington to work for SS Steiner, where he created the first American hop pelletizer. He brewed the first modern IPA there in 1983, featuring big flavor and aroma from Cascade hops. It was strong with a sharp bitterness and aggressive resinous and dry finish that distinguished it from English IPAs. Famous beer writer Michael Jackson wrote warmly of it: “I was just stunned by the bitterness of it.” A bitterness of just 50 ibu, a far cry from the 100+ibu IPAs of recent years.
Other breweries adopted this approach to making IPAs, often embracing the rich maltiness of English IPAs with the palate-shattering resin of new and emerging American hop varieties. By the second big wave of craft breweries in the 1990s, American IPA had emerged as a distinct style and was climbing tap lists as one of the most important styles in the craft beer movement. Around this time, the first Double IPAs were born, and those distinctive beers created the boom of West Coast IPAs that went lighter and drier than American IPAs.
Despite these advancements, American IPA remained the most popular sub-style of IPA in craft beer well into the third boom in the late 2000s to 2010s. It was only dislodged by Hazy IPA, which has proven to be a regionally fickle style regarding staying power. Much of the middle US has remained loyal to the maltier American IPA, and recent years have shown a huge comeback for clear-ish IPAs up and down the West Coast.
As with anything in craft beer, the American IPA style constantly transitions. Before the Hazy boom took hold, some brewers were already unloading sweet caramel malts from these recipes because they are linked with premature staling due to the production of trans-2-Nonenal, the compound responsible for papery or cardboard flavor in old, oxidized beer. Many malts can add color and malt flavor that aren’t processed to create that compound. Block 15 has been using this technique increasingly for many years now.
This week, we are releasing Eminent Point, a new American IPA that we’ve developed specifically to highlight this style and its evolution from the birth of craft beer to something very contemporary. We’re always evaluating the beers we are releasing and planning to release to ensure we have diverse offerings. We never want someone to walk into Block 15 and say all our beers taste the same. Even within a single style, like IPA, we can create unique flavors that appeal to different tastes.
Further Reading:
https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/MPYebz08UV/
https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2020/6/3/Bert-Grant-American-IPA
PUB UPDATES
With the crazy weather we’ve had and a funky schedule, we are skipping the Read and Sign for this week and will resume next week when we have a normal set of days. We could have a busy set of days coming up once folks are ready to be out and about again, so be prepared to rock it! OSU Basketball games are all away this week, but we do have OSU Wrestling on 1/19 at 6pm!
We have leftover arugula pesto in the freezer, and we will start using that in the Tuscan soup instead of our regular pesto. The arugula pesto contains hazelnuts, so we've made a note on the recipe, and we would like to note it on soup boards as well–"Tuscan soup with hazelnut pesto" or something along those lines. This will be the case for most future batches and we will update you all when it’s back to normal pesto.
This Friday we will have another house soda flavor joining the line-up with Cherry-Almond! We will run this side by side with Raspberry-Vanilla.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
This Sunday, all draft beer (excluding perpetuals, hypnosis and imagine) will be on the $5 crowler special. There is a separate menu that is titled “Sunday $5 Crowler Draft Togo'' where all crowlers will ring in as $5. No need to apply a discount or anything. Please use that menu when ringing in a crowler that applies to the deal.
Make sure in slow times we are staying busy, using labor effectively, and giving exceptional service.
Stay safe in this crazy winter weather! Review callout procedures if needed if you can’t make it in.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Alex Goodwin - for making sure everyone is in the loop with this crazy storm and shoveling the sidewalks like a boss!
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 the floor is wet due to water or ice please make sure to use the wet floor sign and get the spill cleaned up as quickly as possible.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Cheers for Charity will be in February during Bourbon Month! Check back for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - January 10th, 2024
General
Bread Change for Banh Mi Sliders
We are changing the bread we use for the Banh Mi Sliders, effective next Wednesday, January 17th!
Until now, we've been making slider buns out of our ciabatta dough, but we've decided it's time to give them their own bun that is more in line with a traditional banh mi. The new bun is crisp on the outside with a soft, tender crumb inside that is less airy than ciabatta but still feels lightweight. They will generally be the same size and shape, and easier for us to keep them consistent. If you've tried the Banh Mi or Lamb Roll at Caves or the Chicago Beef Sandwich at the pub, then you've had this bread before!
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 Tivey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Shrimp Skewers served on a bed of coconut rice with some ginger and cabbage slaw, the skewers will feature citrus-marinated shrimp, zucchini, red bell peppers, and onion.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Bourbon Month 2024
From Alex, Downtown Director
Bourbon Month is just around the corner! We’re buttoning up the last pieces of some of our exciting events, and getting our master info doc ready for you all to review. Over the next few weeks you’ll be scheduled for a bourbon education class to teach you all about the wonderful world of bourbon. Also, as many of you have likely seen from Laura’s Sling message, we are holding some education classes for the special Bourbon Month beers that we are releasing. This will be required for Leads and Managers, and highly recommended/encouraged for the rest of the staff (FOH & BOH, but space is limited) so mark your calendars when those dates are released. This is a big and exciting month for us, and we’re so excited to jump into it with all of you!
From Kelsea, Marketing Director
Marketing is going to put out more information to the public about Bourbon Month, but we want your eyes on it first!
If you don’t know what Bourbon Month is, it’s a full month celebrating all things bourbon and it’s our 16th year hosting it! Launching February 1st and running throughout the entire month, Bourbon Month celebrations will take place at our Downtown Pub and Taproom location, along with a special Portland-based event at Saraveza and Bad Habit Room, and unique offerings at Caves Corvallis.
It’s also our 16th release of Super Nebula bourbon barrel-aged beer series along with it’s exciting variants. With the release of four bourbon barrel-aged beers and a specialty collaboration beer with Hair of the Dog Brewing, our locations will also offer food pairings crafted Sarah Farey, specialty bourbon cocktails by Alex Goodwin and Laura Wilson, and a chance to try 18 select bourbon offerings to complete a Bourbon Month 2024 stamp book. Bourbon Month also includes a more exclusive series of ticketed events, such as the Curated Pairing & Open House Event at the Taproom, Brewers Dinner at the Pub, Bourbon Dinner hosted by Caves Corvallis, and Bourbon Month PDX hosted by Saraveza and Bad Habit Room.
Please get our customers excited about this! Tell them to “join us for our Bourbon Month starting February 1st!” as you’re closing out a table. We will have printed materials coming out this week!
Head here to find more information:
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 likely required to attend, TBD
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
Marketing - Deep Seek
Hey Crew! As part of our Deep Seek campaign, we’re going to be diving into the story of the beer a bit more. Deep Seek was built around brewing a solid beer with thoughtfully sourced ingredients and fine tuning it making it an ever evolving product. In other terms, an artist doesn’t stop their work once they are satisfied with the work, they keep building on their skills and perfecting their technique and craft.
With that, the marketing would like to hear from YOU! We know we have some talented folks here at Block 15 and we’re curious what your passions are. This could be your passion project, side hustle, something you dive into on your weekends or time off and we will feature you in our next brewsletter and social media post!
So, what is our staff diving into?
Fill out this form and let us know!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 1/12
A Nugg Hugg // A sticky squeeze of hop nugs embraces you with this aromatic, juicy IPA. This heady charge of hops delivers luscious waves of candied peaches, pineapple, mango, and spruce. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Juicy, but dank, hazy, but refreshing, A Nugg Hugg defies expectations. A true Block 15 style hazy IPA.
Tasting Notes: Candied Orange. Dank Herbs. Crowd Pleaser.
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 1/12
A Nugg Hugg // Hazy IPA
Paradise Inferno // We brewed this new West Coast IPA to try the experimental hop, HS16660. Sweet citrus, bright tropical, and an herbaceous kick from a dry and crisp base. // 6.90% ABV
Takeaways: HS16660 is an exciting new hop variety for us to try. We were blown away by the balance of fruit and dankness when we rubbed some pellets we were given to sample. Almost all new hop varieties are juice bombs; it's nice to see something extra punchy come along.
Tasting Notes: Jasmine. Passion Fruit. Balmy.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: All Draft minus Perpetuals, Hypnosis, and Framboise (and Imagine at the TR)!
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Eminent Point // American IPA
Love Potion #9 // Chocolate Stout with Raspberries
Headhaze // Imperial Hazy IPA, collab with Moonraker Brewing in California
Ocean Man // Baltic Porter
BEER EDUCATION
Weekly Tastings of new releases and some classics:
Tap Room
Tuesdays at 2 pm
Beer 101: Barrel Aging - Making Super Nebula
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
Bourbon Month is approaching, and the brewery staff is working hard to get all the specialty beers ready to release. This week, we’re finalizing the adjuncting of the Super Nebula variants and bottling them. We also recently got next year’s Super Nebula into barrels and loaded into the barrel room, where they will rest until next winter.
We use a lot of different barrels in our brewery, like the high-quality bourbon barrels for Super Nebula from producers like Willet and Geroge Dickel. Spirit barrels are often sanitary from the strength of the alcohol they hold, but we still steam them after they arrive to ensure we don’t pick up any microorganisms.
After being sterilized by the steam, we fill the barrels with Super Nebula that has already been fermented and given the time for the yeast to settle out naturally. Barrels are loaded into the barrel room, where they remain for a year at a consistent temperature of 65 degrees.
Microoxydation from aging in the porous wooden barrels slowly impacts the flavor of the beer as the character of the bourbon, which is still soaked into the wooden staves, leaches into the beer as well. With time, this deepens the flavor of Super Nebula and impresses new, unique characteristics to it.
Eventually, we pull the beer back out of the barrels and steep it on Cocoa Nibs to add rich, chocolate flavor to the beer. Then it is crashed to 30 F, carbonated, and packaged.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
Officially onto Steelhead Root Beer as of Monday 1/8 – if you receive feedback on the new product, please pass it along to a manager.
Block Water should be served with a small amount of Ice and a Lemon Wheel on the side of the glass as a garnish (gently cut slit through half lemon wheel rest on edge). No crowlers available of Block Water at this time.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We will be switching to Steelhead root beer from McKenzie Brewing on draft hopefully by this Friday or next week. If you hear of people really missing our root beer please tell a manager or write it on the feedback sheet.
Block Water should be served with a small amount of Ice. At the moment, we are unable to do crowlers or growler fills of the Block Water. The carbonation doesn't hold up, unfortunately.
Please try to be as accurate as you can with entering how many people are in the party in toast when starting a table order! We look at that data weekly to help with scheduling, hours, etc.
This Sunday, all draft beer (excluding perpetuals, hypnosis and imagine) will be on the $5 crowler special. There is a separate menu that is titled “Sunday $5 Crowler Draft Togo” where all crowlers will ring in as $5. No need to apply a discount or anything. Please use that menu when ringing in a crowler that applies to the deal.
Make sure we are keeping busy during slow times! Find a cleaning project, shift change, run a break, etc. utilize that time!
We no longer have hot dogs for the time being so the kids hot dog is off the menu!
Caves UPDATES
Big, exciting news! We will be adding bottles of Cantillon Rosé de Gambrinus (Raspberry Lambic) to our bottle list next Thursday. Beers from this Belgian brewery are incredibly hard to find in the states and we are excited to have our hands on some. There will be more info on the brewery and this selection in this week’s newsletter to get everyone educated and excited.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Ian Harrington - Ian absolutely crushed the rush at the pub over the weekend while holding down the upstairs! He was a huge help that day and was willing to take on a bigger section when we got busy. His beer knowledge is awesome and I love hearing him talk to guests about our product. Great job!
Bailey Birch - For checking up on and making sure everyone is happy, healthy, and content! And for helping out around the tappy when we’ve been short… has an absolute heart of gold, we appreciate your kindness and consideration tenfold!
Levi Stalder - Levi has been insanely helpful around the taproom and deserves major kudos! And, for keeping the ice machine looking as good as it does… thank you!
David Mellison - he’s my boy fr 🤞
Wyatt Dabbs - Wyatt just keeps a great energy with him and has been absolutely killing his prep shifts. You're great dawg!
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
What to do if there is a fire: Sound verbal alarm and guide patrons calmly to the exits, call 9-1-1, if the fire is small and you are able to contain it safely, attempt to extinguish it, if the fire is large evacuate the building and close the doors behind you and go to the assigned meeting place.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Cheers for Charity will be in February during Bourbon Month! Check back for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - January 3rd, 2024
General
New Dessert this Friday
We’re switching out Creme Brûlée for Peanut Butter Pie this Friday.
Peanut Butter Pie
Indulgent no-bake peanut butter mousse made with cream cheese and heavy cream on a graham cracker crust and topped with dark chocolate ganache.
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 Simon! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Hogmanay Pot Pies, which are beef and vegetable pies that are traditional to Scottish New Year celebrations.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Headhaze t-shirt order
We’re bringing back Headhaze Hazy IPA at the end of this month! Because everyone loved the artwork so much, we will put in a shirt order. Depending on the size run, T-shirts will be around $22-$25 for employees. If you’re interested, please fill out this form so I can ensure your shirt size is ordered! Please fill it out by 10 am Friday morning (1/5). - Kelsea
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 1/5
Highland Hymn // Inspired by the majestic sights and sounds of Scotland, Highland Hymn is a malt-forward crescendo of caramelized sugar and toffee notes accompanied by a robust, and complex finish. // 5.80% ABV
Takeaways: Comforting, cozy, and drinkable; true to style.
Tasting Notes: Fresh Biscuit. Rich Toffee. Spontaneous Ballads
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Scottish Ale
Scotch ale can refer to a spectrum of beers that are almost all amber to dark with prominent malt flavor and have a light hop flavor and bitterness that leads to a smooth, sometimes decadent drinking experience. Scottish ale usually refers to a beer of moderate strength, between 5% and 6%.
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Bottles
Releasing Friday 1/5
Hypnosis // Brewed with English malts and matured a year in freshly emptied cognac barrels. Hypnosis is rich, warm, and velvety with innuendos of red flame raisins and marzipan. // 12.50% ABV
Takeaways: Barleywine aged in French cognac barrels, perfect for cold weather, this will warm you from the inside out. Hypnosis is velvety and smooth, with just enough character from the huge barrels from which it is harvested.
Tasting Notes: Red Flame Raisins, Marzipan, Cozy
Series: Cellar
Beer Style: Barleywine Matured in French Cognac Barrels
A historic strong British beer that originated as a farmhouse beer, made from the first runnings of wort in a process called parti-gyle, where multiple beers are made from the same mash, each beer being lower in strength as the sugar is depleted. Modern Barleywines are made as a single product. They are usually at least 10% ABV with a rich malt sweetness and flavor that often expresses as toffee, prune or raisin, and can also be very nutty. They have an aggressive bitterness that balances the sweetness. There are classic British Barleywines and modern American Barleywines, the difference being if the hops are British or American.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 1/5
Highland Hymn // Scottish Ale
Hypnosis // Barleywine Ale matured in French Cognac Barrels
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: All draft minus Perpetuals, Hypnosis, and Framboise.
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
A Nugg Hugg // Hazy IPA
Paradise Inferno // West Coast IPA
Eminent Point // American IPA
Love Potion #9 // Chocolate Stout with Raspberries
Headhaze // Imperial Hazy IPA, collab with Moonraker Brewing in California
Ocean Man // Baltic Porter
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
Sparkle Motion (Bubbles, Aperol, blood orange, lemon, simple and soda water) will be returning this Friday! Currant Mood is also slowly being phased out and will be replaced in the coming weeks once we run through ingredients.
While we will be transitioning to Blood Orange Lemonade this Friday, we will also have Marionberry for a little bit while we run through supplies.
Hosts–as you are putting away menus, please check for stains, extra wrinkly menus, chalk marks, etc, and recycle them. If we are getting low on menus that are in good condition, please ask a manager to print more. We want to ensure that these look good for our customers.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Happy New Year! Let’s make 2024 an awesome year for all of us!
When restocking beer make sure all options are out in at least 1 of the coolers and double check to not put the same beer in 2 different places in the same cooler. Please keep it tidy and organized!
Please make sure we are consistently spot sweeping throughout the day and fully sweeping everywhere at night. Pay extra attention to under the bar stools and under tables/chairs.
Make sure we are updating tabs in the moment and doing so accurately. If you grab a table another round while taking a lap, ring it in right away before you forget or move on to other things.
Really push packaged beer, draft beer, and merch during January as sales tend to slow down during the beginning of the year with folks doing dry January.
Caves UPDATES
Events
Bourbon Month
Keep an eye out for more details as we get closer to the kick-off in the beginning of February.
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Kailey, Makayla and Levi for being awesome TR managers and taking on extra duties while Madie was gone and keeping things running smoothly. You are so appreciated!
Jack Kellems - he’s a dawg
Gavin Thorud - In Gavin’s first week solo-operating the Wild Goose, they handled all of the Goose’s zigs and zags like a champion! It’s not easy to keep a calm head when operating, but Gav makes it look as easy as breathing.
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
Safety signs have been shown to reduce accidents by up to 80% so make sure to both use and keep an eye out for safety signs in the workplace.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
Our next Cheers for Charity will be in February during Bourbon Month! Check back for more details.
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!
Internal Brewsletter - December 27th, 2023
General
January Monthly Food Specials
Pub January 2024 Monthly Specials Launch Wed 1/3/24
Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich
Breaded & fried eggplant with creamy marinara, melted provolone & fresh basil on house-toasted ciabatta. $14.99
Spaghetti Parma Rosa
Spaghetti, house-made creamy tomato sauce, parmesan, basil, and a jumbo meatball. $16.99
Chicago Braised Beef Sandwich
Spicy pepperoncini, Italian giardiniera, black pepper aioli and melted provolone on a crisp hoagie roll. $16.99
Tap Room January 2024 Monthly Specials Launch Wed 1/3/24
Porkstrami Egg Rolls
House-brined and smoked “porkstrami”, sauerkraut, swiss cheese & stone ground mustard egg roll served with our spicy reuben sauce. $10.99
Mash Paddle Melt
Seasoned NW beef patty, garlic sauteed mushrooms, melted Swiss cheese & house dressing on toasted artisan bread. $16.99
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 Laura! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Spam Musubi Bowl, made with spam, nori strips, and an egg, topped with furikake.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 12/29
Scientifical // Don your lab coat and enjoy this supercritical display of dankness. We layered waves of sweet citrus, pine resin, and dank herb to scientifically flavorize this beer with an ever-evolving hop blend. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: New-Age IPA with old school hops. Nugget has been around a while, but using it as Salvo (a new hop extract) has allowed us to access all its best characteristics.
Tasting Notes: Lime zest, Tangerine, Working hypothesis
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: IPA
Frequency Illusion // Bringing together the holy trifecta of hop blends, we're swapping our selected hop lots of Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic with Baerlic Beer Co., and vice versa. You might have seen this brew before... or is it an illusion? // 6.30% ABV
Takeaways: Our version features an identical recipe, but made using Baerlic's hops. Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic, the golden trio or IPA hops might bring something unexpected to this beer.
Tasting Notes: Pine, Grapefruit, Vivid
Series: Synergy - collaboration with Baerlic Brewing in Portland, Oregon
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 12/29
Scientifical // IPA
Frequency Illusion // West Coast IPA (collab with Baerlic Brewing)
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Hoppy New Year (will run Saturday and Sunday)
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Hypnosis // Barleywine Ale matured in French Cognac Barrels
Highland Hymn // Scottish Ale
A Nugg Hugg // Hazy IPA
HS16660 Draft Only // West Coast IPA
Eminent Point // American 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
Beer 101: Behind the 2-part Baerlic Collaboration
We participated in a two-part collaboration with Baerlic Brewing out of Portland, Oregon, for Frequency Illusion. You may remember seeing Part 1 of the collab at our locations earlier this month, which was brewed at Baerlic on their direct-fire brewhouse, similar to ours.
Both breweries made the same base malt recipe and used the same varieties of hops. The twist: we swapped! Baerlic used our Simcoe, Mosaic, and Citra hops, and we used theirs in our part of the collab.
Each year during hop selection, we pick a specific lot of hops from a specific field from a specific grower with the attributes we’re looking for. We pick from these “hop lots” to have consistency with our recipes throughout the year. Baerlic does the same.
This collaboration showed how the same variety of hops can express differently based on where they’re grown and the system they’re made on.
PUB UPDATES
We are open until 8pm on New Year’s Eve and regular hours on New Year’s Day. We should be seating up until 8pm, but if folks come in after we are closed, kindly let them know that we are done seating for the evening but that Caves is open until 9pm.
We have a Coravin wine preserving system coming in the next few days that will help keep our wine fresh for up to 4 weeks. Once we have all the pieces, please make sure you use the system every time, rather than taking the cap off of the bottle to pour a glass. A manager will show you how to use it your first time if you pop behind the bar to pour a glass.
TAP ROOM UPDATES
It is extremely important that we make sure we preserve our wine the best we can to ensure customers are getting the quality product we want. Please be sure to date it the day you open it, use the wine preserver spray nightly, and anything still open after 3 days needs to be dumped out and wasted.
We will be open our regular hours on both NYE and New Year’s Day!
As we have new things on the menus whether it be food, cocktails, beers, etc. make sure we are letting customers know, offering samples if we can, and hype them up!
Caves UPDATES
The newsletter for this week will be updated fully on Thursday afternoon, but here is the link in the meantime! Caves Weekly Newsletter 12/27/23 Newsletter will contain info on the specials we are running for New Year’s weekend (Friday-Sunday).
Two new wines this week!
A French Orange wine made from Sémillon grapes: Caves - Bel A Ciao Orange Wine
A new red from Day Wines (a Syrah and Viognier blend) Caves - A Peridot Afternoon (Day Wines)
Events
Check back next week
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Makayla Karnowski - For creating some really tasty cocktails and doing a great job!
Tiva Ward - For always willing to help out when she can and baking delicious treats
Matt Williams - Doing a great job of leading by example with the pub brewery clean-up! We really appreciate you taking that by the horns
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
Be aware of the people working around you and follow one of the Golden Rules of safety, "work as safely with others as you would have them work with you."
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!
Internal Brewsletter - December 20th, 2023
General
Gloria! Serving Change for Both Locations
We are changing up how we serve our Gloria! Pilsner starting this Friday 12/22 at both locations.
.3 L $6.25 (Current Dimple mug) - we will fill these the same way we have been
.5 L $7.00 ( .5 L stein from Bloktoberfest) - There is a half liter line on the stein, fill clear to there, foam to the top.
5 oz - $2.25
No more 10 oz offering - (no more half-full dimple mugs or using a 10oz glass.)
Packaged Beer Discount for this weekend
This Saturday 12/23 we will be extending our Sunday Sippin’ discount and all packaged beer to go will be 20% off! Make sure we tell customers and push that packaged beer all weekend!
Food & Beer Pairing for Continuous Darkness
This Friday we will be adding our next food and beer pairing special to the menu at both locations!
Country Bleu Cheese & Date Spread
Danish blue cheese, sweet dates & toasted pecan spread served with fresh apple and toasted artisan bread. $11.99
Complementing Continuous Darkness, this robust imperial stout reveals dark chocolate and toffee undertones that harmonize with the caramel sweetness of dates, while balancing the savory richness of blue cheese. The tartness of crisp apples adds a touch of acidity, effectively cutting through the overall decadence of both the cheese and the beer. This pairing creates the ideal light snack, giving a perfect counterpoint to the bold flavors of this substantial beer.
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 Kira! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Broccoli Cheddar soup in bread bowls.
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 12/22
Vital Vibe // Bring on the West Coast vibes with this bright and approachable IPA. Featuring a harmonious pairing of hops, it shines with notes of melon, kiwi, and pear with a crisp, snappy finish. // 6.60% ABV
Takeaways: Graduated through our creative process from experimental batch to stand-alone brand. We took one of our most popular emerging IPAs of 2023, Consortium: Mosaic x HBC-586, and developed a stand-alone brand for it.
Tasting Notes: Candied Peach. Orange Juice. Just Vibes.
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Continuous Darkness // Embrace the darkest days of the year with this luscious concoction that balances notes of chocolate, caramel, espresso, and decadent dark fruits, concentrated to velvety heights by an extended boil. // 14.00% ABV
Takeaways: Implementing several new techniques to make something unique, Continuous Darkness is a step beyond for us. No adjuncts were used to make this exceptionally big stout.
Tasting Notes: Bitter Chocolate. Espresso. Indulgent.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Also more simply referred to as “Imperial Stout,” the term Imperial originates from the late 1700s when a London-made strong “export stout” was shipped to the Russian Imperial Court at the request of Catherine the Great. The Lonon-based brewery that exclusively made this beer, Anchor Brewing, later renamed Barclay Perkins, saw the marketing opportunity to rename this beer to “Russian Imperial Stout,” this is the origin of the term “Imperial” in describing beer with exceptionally high strength. As the name implies, this is a strong beer, usually between 8% and 12%, but some American examples can exceed 15% ABV. Dark with a strong roasted malt character, they often present notes of dried fruit, chocolate, and coffee flavors with a warm, bittersweet finish.
Upcoming Packaged Wine Releases
RELEASING Friday 12/22
Chalet Rouge // A deep red blend from the 2021 harvest of Grenache, biodynamic Syrah, and Viognier from Oregon and eastern Washington. // 15.00% ABV
Takeaways: Made from a blend of biodynamic Syrah, hand-harvested Grenache, and Salmon Safe Viognier from Oregon and eastern Washington, we designed this Cotes du Rhone-style wine to be perfect for sharing with loved ones on cold winter nights. Round, full, sweet, and luxurious.
Tasting Notes: Rich Jam, Structured, Epicurean.
Series: Cellars
AVA: Red Mountain Rocks District
Vineyards & Vineyard Management: Hedges - Biodynamic, Los Rocosos - Sustainable, Watermill - Live & Salmon Safe
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 12/22
Continuous Darkness // Russian Imperial Stout
Vital Vibe // West Coast IPA
Chalet Rouge // Red Blend
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: DAB Lab, Mo$aic
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Scientifical // IPA
Frequency Illusion // West Coast IPA (collab with Baerlic Brewing)
A Nugg Hugg // Hazy IPA
HS16660 Draft Only // West Coast IPA
Highland Hymn // Scottish Ale
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
Beer 101: Graduating Brands in our series
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
This week we are releasing Vital Vibe, a new brand, but not a new beer for Block 15. This is the graduation of Consortium: Mosaic x HBC-586 that was released last summer from that Orbital series to a stand-alone brand. We often use our recipes we’ve already developed, either rotating beers in our Orbital series or stand-alone beers in our Emerging series, to move up to stand-alone beers in our Orbital or Perennial series. Without getting too complicated as to the differences between these, it changes who Block 15 Distribution offers these beers to in the market, making them more widely available. Because of this we prefer to only graduate beers that we truly believe in, that have the opportunity to become staple beers that our fans think of when they think about Block 15.
We have to constantly develop new brands, just as we have to occasionally let some go. This is part of the process that keeps our beers fresh and appealing in the market. We have graduated several beers throughout 2023; Tipping Point and Juice Joint being two that graduated from the DAB Lab series into stand-alone brands. Next week’s release of Scientifical is as an Orbital brand, graduated from the Emerging series. The series that we use; Emerging, Orbital, Synergy, Perennial and Perpetual, as well as Sticky Hands Variants and DAB Labs, make up a pipeline for creative development that we use to constantly evolve our offerings and our brand.
PUB UPDATES
While we mentioned in the Brewsletter last week that we would be adding the Season of Mists to the menu this Friday, we are getting close to the end of our supply of Marionberries and will be changing the lemonade flavor to Blood Orange in about two weeks. At this time, we will add the Sparkle Motion (Donny Darko reference) back on the menu. This was a popular cocktail that we’ve run a few winters in a row featuring Prosecco, Aperol, Blood Orange, and Soda Water.
We are closing at 4pm on Sunday for Christmas Eve, and will be closed on Christmas Day. We are also closing at 8pm on NYE, and will be open normal hours on January 1st. Happy Holidays, everyone!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We will be swapping out the Cranberry Orange Ginger G&T to a cranberry ginger paloma this Friday 12/22
Like mentioned above, we are switching up the pour offerings for Gloria starting Friday. This also means we have mugs to use for Mug Club members. Main thing to remember is that if something is in a 14oz size they can get a Mug Club pour of it in the mug!
We will be closing at 4pm on Sunday for Christmas Eve and Closed Monday for Christmas. Happy Holidays to everyone!
Next week will be the last Craft Night Tuesday, we will be switching it up going into 2024!
Caves UPDATES
We will be closing after Brunch at 2pm on Christmas Eve, and will be closed on Christmas Day. On NYE, we will be open and seating guests until 9pm for those that want to celebrate with us. We have some specials that we are going to be featuring through the weekend, so see the Newsletter for more details. Both Block 15 locations are closing at 8pm, so we are likely to see a pop between 8pm and 9pm when folks are looking for dinner. We will be open normal hours on Monday, January 1st.
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
Ian Hutchings - For killing it at hosting Trivia and making it a great event. You rock!
Garrison Schmidt - For always making my day brighter when I see him and always has the best, funniest stories/sayings. Love you Garry!!
Ted O’Hanlan - Ted is so passionate about craft beer and I think he's really brought a lot of our favorite recipes even closer to perfection, thanks Ted!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Congratulations to Gabi, Jack, Barb, and Katie for stepping into Lead Server roles!
SAFETY TIPS
For those interested, the Safety Committee Notes can be found on the Sling page labeled “Safety Committee Notes.” Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback or if you’d like to join the monthly safety committee meeting. The next meetings will be 1/17 at 12:30 pm at the Tap Room and 1/18 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!
Internal Brewsletter - December 13th, 2023
General
Fresh Pow party - This Friday 12/15 at the Tap Room
Fresh Pow Party THIS Friday 12/15! Tell all your friends, family, tables you serve ,etc! Trivia hosted by Ian 5:30-7, food/drink specials all day, winter crafts, lots of Fresh Pow to drink!
Brisket Chili & Cornbread - Smoked brisket chili with Tillamook cheddar, sour cream, green onions, and a house-baked corn muffin. Cup $6 Bowl $9
Spiked Hot Cocoa - Spiced cocoa mix, Tequila, Chila cinnamon cream, topped with whipped cream and dash of cinnamon $10 (Non-alcoholic version available, regular cocoa with whipped cream and festive sprinkles $4)
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Niko! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Fried Fish Tacos, made with slaw, fried rockfish, and a drizzle of chipotle crema.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 12/15
Keen As! // Heaps of juicy, and intense New Zealand Superdelic and Nelson Sauvin hops pair with pungent NW-grown Simcoe and Cashmere. Crisp, refreshing, and guaranteed to lighten your mood... if you're keen! // 6.60% ABV
Takeaways: New Zealand-sourced Superdelic is one of the hottest new hop varieties, demonstrating flavors of red fruit, candy sugar, citrus, and tropical fruit. All this packed into a balanced and fun progressive West Coast IPA.
Tasting Notes: Ripe Papaya. Creamsicle. Jandal Season.
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Carpathians // Inspired by the dark classic lager styles from Bohemia and crafted with Northwest pilsner and European dark specialty malts. Medium-bodied and smooth with notes of dates, toffee, and roast. // 5.20% ABV
Takeaways: Now lagered by the sun, we used PNW sourced pilsner and munich malts as well as Saaz hops grown in the PNW to make this a local as possible. Dark, but easy drinking.
Tasting Notes: Espresso. Molasses. Quaffable.
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Czech Dark Lager
Simply referred to as Tmavé Pivo or dark beer in Czech, these beers generally range from 3.5% to 6%. They are more similar to Munich Dunkel than Schwarzbier in that they are dark but not overly rich and do not strongly feature roasted malt character. It is difficult to find authentic Czech versions of these in the U.S. market, but craft brewers have embraced the style with a strong emphasis on authenticity. U Fleků, in Prague, brews the most famous version of this beer. The malt flavor leans to caramel and dark fruit, achieved either with caramel malts or multiple decoctions (a process where grain is removed from the mash tun and boiled to create melanoidins). Hops are always Czech in origin with the characteristic black-pepper spice notes and an assertive but balanced bitterness, like all Czech-style lagers.
The Prophecies // Inspired by a favorite Abbey quad enjoyed on a visit to Belgium. Blending specialty malts, dark Belgian candi sugar, & Abbey yeast with hints of dark fruit and Dutch cocoa with a rich yet delightful finish. // 10.30% ABV
Takeaways: Naturally conditioned in tank prior to canning, we have adapted the bottle conditioning technique we used to use to accommodate moving the packaging format. This increases the time it resides in the brewery. It is a commitment to quality, not efficiency.
Tasting Notes: Ginger Bread. Burnt Sugar. Rustic.
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Belgian Quad
An abbey beer sometimes referred to as “Belgian Strong Dark Ale,” the name Quad follows the convention of Dubbel and Tripel, each rising in strength. These beers are usually between 8% and 14% abv and feature a rich malt flavor, including plummy or figgy fruit notes, chocolate, caramel, and molasses. The characteristic Belgian yeast aromatics of baking spice and pear lean more to black pepper. These are rich but well-attenuated beers that are often highly carbonated, almost always attained with re-fermentation, or natural conditioning, where carbon dioxide from a second fermentation is captured to create the necessary balance and mouthfeel.
Upcoming Packaged Cider - Bottles
RELEASING Friday 12/15
Poire // An artistic blend of five pear and six apple varieties from the 2022 harvest at EZ orchards here in the valley. Fresh pressed juice was left to rest in our coolship and then spontaneously fermented and matured in neutral French oak casks, creating a wonderfully complex, semi-dry, tart cider. // 7.50% ABV
Takeaways: We spontaneously inoculated in our brewery's coolship before fermentation and conditioning in neutral oak barrels.
Tasting Notes: Gentle Acidity, Subtle Funk, Orchard
Series: Cellars
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 12/15
Keen As! // West Coast IPA
Carpathians // Czech Dark Lager
The Prophecies // Belgian Quad
Poire // Spontaneously Fermented Pear & Apple Cider
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Consortium
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Continuous Darkness // Imperial Stout
Vital Vibe // West Coast IPA
Chalet Rouge // Red Blend
Scientifical // IPA
Frequency Illusion // West Coast IPA (collab with Baerlic Brewing)
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
Beer 101: New Zealand Hops
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
This week marks the re-release of Keen As!, one of our most popular IPAs of 2023, we often build our IPAs around a central hop that we can construct a unique flavor profile from, but exists as a pillar to the recipe. Keen As! is built around Superdelic, a brand-new New Zealand variety released just this year (2023). This is an exciting time for hop breeding, many seasoned breeders are creating new and unique varieties every year, and we’re keen to try out any interesting new variety. The new varieties out of New Zealand are especially exciting.
Being in Oregon, we talk a lot about the hop industry in the PNW. Over the years, we’ve built many important relationships that have given us a chance to try new products early in development, but there is something about the terroir of New Zealand’s growing region that produces exceptionally unique and irreplaceable flavors different from hops of the PNW.
Hop cultivation in New Zealand began in the 1840s and had little acreage until the 1960s. The first craft or “boutique” brewery boom hit New Zealand in the early 1980s, giving way to an interest in unique varieties from that region. In 1947 the New Zealand government established a hop research station in Riwaka and began developing new hop varieties. The first notable new variety developed in terms of the craft beer movement was Riwaka, originally released in 1996. It featured huge citrus, tropical, and pine notes supported by an earthy, herbaceous note that would become something of a trademark for emerging varieties from this region. Motueka followed in 1998, Nelson Sauvin in 2000, and Rakau in 2007. All of these hops made a reputation for their unique fruit-forward flavors, often balancing tropical, citrus, and wine-grape notes, especially Sauvignon Blanc. There just aren’t any other hops in the market that taste like this, or as intense as this, since all of these varieties are, or were, characterized by significantly higher than average oil content, one of the primary factors in hop flavor.
There are now dozens of varieties regularly used in craft beer, Keen As! alone has three (Superdelic, Nelson Sauvin, and Waimea). As IPA grew to prominence in the US and later spread throughout the world, New Zealand established itself as one of the two most important hop-growing regions in the world for producing the hop varieties essential to these beers.
Further Reading:
PUB UPDATES
With lots of folks traveling from out of town and big groups coming in, now is the perfect time to focus on upselling appetizers and desserts to your tables! Pick a specific one (or two) that you’re excited about, sells well, or one that is just fun to talk about, and offer it/them to your tables. This is one of the easiest ways to boost the overall check and watch those tips go up. This is already one of our key steps to great hospitality, and with some extra focus on upselling, I know we can crush this! As we see great participation in this, we will continue weekly or daily sales competitions with fun prizes or incentives attached to them!
This week we are replacing the Raspberry + Meyer Lemon SeekOut with Blackberry + Kiwi
Sprig & Seed will be replacing the Harvest Spritz this Friday featuring: Rosemary Infused Crater Lake Gin, Pomegranate Simple, Pomegranate Juice, Harlequin Orange Liqueur, and Lime.
Next week we will also bring back the Season of Mists while we have Marionberry Lemonade to add a sparkling wine cocktail to the menu. Below is the info and build on this one!
Season of Mists (this is a reference to a Neil Gaiman Sandman graphic novel title...I just like Neil Gaiman and it sounded fitting)
Fill a Coupe glass with ice to chill.
In a shaker tin, combine:
+ 1.5oz Marionberry Lemonade
+ 1oz Lillet Blanc (bottle should be in fridge and should always be chilled)
+ Very small splash of lemon juice and honey water (like less that a ¼ oz…very tiny splash)
Shake and double strain (using the fine mesh strainer) into the chilled Coupe (dump the ice first). This is a very important step—it helps the Prosecco have more spritz to it, and doesn’t leave a pulpy seedy mess at the end.
Top with 3oz of Prosecco
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Please keep the Barrel Room tidy and do not dump random items in there or use it as a storage space. It is already a tight space and it needs to stay looking clean for all our large party reservations.
Let’s make sure we are “upselling” and offering items to customers as much as we can. Offer another round of drinks, togo beer, dessert, merch, etc. but make sure it comes off natural and not forced.
A stack of pak techs will now live on the little table next to the front cooler for folks to be able to mix & match
When looking for a backup keg when needing to switch one out, please look in the entire walk-in before 86ing a beer. Sometimes they are not exactly right next to the tap. Have someone else check as well to be sure if needed and then if you do change it out please make sure the empty keg gets put in the dirty keg zone.
Caves UPDATES
SANTA’S COMING! On Saturday, December 16th, we are going to host Santa’s Folly! This is a Caves tradition where we offer pictures with Santa, and fresh baked cookies during the day, then at night, Bad Santa comes to hangout with some fun holiday bingo and holiday themed snacks and cocktails from 8-10pm. If folks are looking for something to do on a Saturday night, tell them to come play bingo with us and win some silly prizes!
Events
Fresh Pow Party
December 15th all day at the Tap Room
Fresh Pow Merch
Get a free Fresh Pow Koozie with any 4-pack purchase! Check out our Fresh Pow hats while you're here too.
Holiday Crafts
Decorate and make paper snowflakes and snowmen all day.
Winter-Themed Trivia
Trivia runs 5:30 - 7 pm and will be hosted by our very own Ian! (teams up to 6 people, with prizes for winners)
On the Specials Board
Chili & Cornbread available all day $6 cup $9 bowl
Spiked Hot Chocolate $10 and regular Hot Chocolate $4 available all day
Santa’s Folly
December 16th at Caves
Santa Stops by Brunch - For the Kids
Between 9 am and 12 pm bring the kids to Brunch to visit with Santa and enjoy free, specially decorated sugar cookies. For Saturday only, we'll feature Christmas Morning Strata on the menu.
Bad Santa Stops by Late Night - For the Adults
From 8 pm to 10 pm, Bad Santa will drop in to help us enjoy a few of our new winter cocktails like Egg Nog and Hot Buttered Rum. He'll also help run Holiday Bingo.
While there, enjoy a late-night special of French Onion Mushrooms, made with Breaded and Fried Mushroom Caps, Carmelized Onions, Thyme, Demi, and Torched Chimay Classique.
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
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
Don’t fall for a false sense of security. During the holidays, with the end of the year approaching and a host of other things on our minds, we tend to relax on some of the safety procedures we’ve been trained to follow all year long. Don’t get into bad habits, no matter what time of year it is.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
We wrapped up our Donations for the year in November! Our donations will resume in February, starting with a tasting event for 4 Spirits celebrating Bourbon Month. For those of you who get asked about these programs, please send them to this page where they can apply for gift bag/card donations, beer donations, or People’s Pint/Din Out events. We will be taking submissions until 12/31 for the event-based donations (Dine Out, People’s Pint Tap, and Cheers for Charity)!
This year, we were able to donate $32,466 from fundraising at Dine Out/People’s Pin Tap/Cheers for Charity events, beers brewed for organizations (like Board Shorts, Native Land, and Liberty & Justice for All), merch, and gift cards donated, and beer donation to non-profits and organizations in the community and beyond!
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!
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!
Internal Brewsletter - November 29th, 2023
General
Holiday Party! RSVP by Nov 30th using the button below
You and one guest* are warmly invited to the annual Block 15 and Caves Holiday party featuring a white elephant gift exchange (more info to come), beverages, appetizers, a photo booth, and good times!
When: Sunday December 10th, 6:30 pm-9:30pm
Where: The Corvallis Marriott Ballroom (400 SW 1st St. Parking available in their garage)
Attire: Many enjoy dressing up, but please wear whatever you are comfortable with!
RSVP**: By November 30th.
The pub and Tap Room will be open until 3:30, and Caves will close at 2:30 after the brunch service.
Discounted Hotel rooms: Call to book (541).753.0199 and tell the front desk representative you would like to use the “Take the Elevator Home” Rate for the Block 15 Holiday Party.
*Adults only. If your guest is a former employee, they must be OK'd through the signup form.
Employee Provision
This week’s Employee Provision will be brought to you by Holly! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for 3 beef sliders on brioche buns, with goat cheese and house-made strawberry jam!
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
New Desserts
New Dessert At both locations! Starting this Friday a Chai Spiced Creme Brulee will replace the Figgy Pudding!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 12/1
DAB Lab: Mo$aic // The DAB Lab series focuses on fresh, vibrant, experimental IPAs featuring cutting-edge hop products. Mo$aic is a single-varietal exploration of one of the most multi-faceted hops around. // 7.30% ABV
Takeaways: DAB Lab is back! Returning with fan-favorite Mo$aic, we're bringing a new look to this crowd-pleaser and have started planning the future of the program, great things to come.
Tasting Notes: Blueberry. Cannabis. Worth every penny.
Series: DAB Lab
Beer Style: Hazy IPA
An IPA sub-style originating in New England, it originally evolved from American IPA to have a lighter malt bill, that had a soft finish from adjuncts containing higher protein levels and water naturally high in Chloride. Early versions retained an assertive bitterness, but that mostly softened over time giving way to a soft, juicy beer with a big, sweet body that mostly featured fruit notes (citrus, tropical, stonefruit, red fruit, etc..). Some versions can contain pine or dank notes as well. Bitterness ranges from light to moderate, and body ranges from moderate to heavy. Hazy is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
Consortium: Strata x Luminosa // Amplified like a stereo record, this IPA unites two hop varieties to create a unique sensory experience. We paired the dank notes of Strata and tropical stonefruit notes from Luminosa. // 6.60% ABV
Takeaways: Luminosa is an exciting new hop variety from Indie hops, bred in partnership with OSU. Its bright tropical and stonefruit notes have blown it up relatively quickly to be a very sought-after hop.
Tasting Notes: Apricot. Navel orange. Silky.
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
An IPA Sub-style that originated in California. It has evolved over the years to showcase a balance of bright fruit, resinous pine, and dank (cannabis-forward) hop flavors and aromas, with a moderate to light malt presence, and a dry finish with an assertive bitterness. West Coast is still a rapidly evolving style. The Variations of IPAs have become America’s primary contribution to the pantheon of world beer styles.
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 12/1
DAB Lab: Mo$aic // Hazy IPA
Consortium: Strata X Luminosa // West Coast IPA
Frequency Illusion // West Coast IPA, collab with Baerlic Brewing in Portland, Oregon
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Nebula
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Tangerines & Elephants // Fruited West Coast IPA
The Prophecies // Belgian Quad
Hoppy New Year // Imperial IPA
Carpathians // Czech Dark Lager
Keen As // West Coast IPA
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
Beer 101: DAB LAB
Written by Ted O’Hanlan, Head Brewer
Beginning in 2016, Block 15 started a program of rotating experimental IPAs known as Dab Lab, short for Dank Ass Beer. These beers have been unique and creative, always implementing an advanced hop product and often doing so in a novel way.
Sticky Hands was very ahead of its time for the implementation of variety-specific hop extract late in the boil to drive flavor, rather than just bitterness, this set a tone for Block 15’s progressive approach to making IPAs. Before that extract often didn’t come labeled by variety, it was designed to be added at the beginning of the boil for bittering as the extract doesn’t absorb the wort the way hop pellets do, thus improving yield. Block 15 and eventually other brewers realized that using CO2 extract allowed you to drastically increase the hop flavor intensity in IPAs without impacting yield or imparting heavy polyphenol character that creates undesirable astringency. By the time Block 15 launched the DAB Lab program suppliers like Hop Union, later renamed Yakima Chief Hops, had begun offering extract in many popular varieties like Citra, Simcoe, and Mosaic.
Early DAB Lab beers also featured Lupulin Powder frequently, starting in 2016 as well. Lupulin Powder was eventually rebranded as cryo, and the format changed from a fine powder to a pellet, the same size and shape as standard hop pellets, which made it easier to use. This was a major change for the industry, despite this many breweries have remained reluctant to experiment with these products.
Hop oils have also played a role in the DAB Lab program, CO2 extracts originally were only able to be used in the kettle, due to their insoluble nature, Cryo could be used in both the kettle and fermenter. Hop oil was developed exclusively for use in the fermenter or brite tank after fermentation was complete. The vibrancy they add to beers is the result of their ability to solubilize in cold solutions quickly.
As the DAB Lab program grew, the use of these products changed from a taboo subject to a common practice. Brewers who had been afraid to disclose using anything other than whole leaf or pelletized hops, jumped on the bandwagon as advanced hop products became part of the lexicon of beer geekery.
Last year, as we approached our brand refresh, we released a slew of DAB Labs, so many that we decided to take a step back and really consider the value of the program going forward. We’ve taken a year off since that point, graduating a few popular DAB Lab brands into their own standalone brands (Juice Joint and Tipping Point both originated at DAB Labs), but our fans have continued to vocalize their desire to see the program continue. Now, with a better perspective on what the DAB Lab program has really meant for Block 15 and the culture of IPAs in the Northwest, we’re happy to relaunch this series. With a fresh rebranded and given more intention release to release, we’re happy to re-unveil the DAB Lab series, starting with Mo$aic, a fan favorite since its first release in 2018. Going forward we’re going blend new and old entries in a steady cadence so we can continue to push the boundaries of how we make IPAs, driven by our endless passion, curiosity, and drive for accessible brilliance.
PUB UPDATES
Just to clarify the note from last week about alcohol consumption outside after 11pm–guests that are dining only, or have non-alcoholic drinks outside are welcome to continue dining outside after 11pm. The sidewalk cafe law only states that alcohol service or consumption must stop/move inside at 11pm.
Dang! We talked about selling more Deep Seek and y’all showed up. We sold 111 cans this week, putting us at 198 total and over our 175 goal! With one more weekend to go, we are going to bump that goal to 300! Let’s finish this strong and give the Tap Room a run for their money!
December Monthly Specials! Releasing Wednesday, December 6th
Tahini Baba Ganoush
Roasted Eggplant, garlic and tahini dip with fresh bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots and house baked flatbread. $11.99
Mushroom & Beef Stroganoff
Stout braised Oregon beef chuck with The Mushroomery chanterelle, shitake & porcini mushrooms and sweet onions in a savory sour cream sauce, with radiatore pasta & fried parsley. $19.99
Holiday Mortadella Focaccia
Thinly sliced pistachio mortadella, arugula-hazelnut pesto, sundried tomato & garlic spread and stracciatella cheese on house baked focaccia bread. $18.99
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Deep Seek Competition Update: We sold 55 cans over the weekend which puts our total at 152. This is our last weekend to really push Deep Seek and get back ahead of the Pub!! Our goal for this weekend is to get to 300 total. Lets get stoked on Deep Seek!
There are now snacks that live in the employee break room that are up for grabs to anyone feel free to snag what you need.
Please make sure that when we are starting to do pre-close/closing tasks before 8pm that it doesn’t make customers feel that they need to rush and leave or take away from our customer service. Even if it is super slow at 7:45 all customers should still get A+ customer service and we should refrain from doing closing tasks that make it feel like we are closed. EX: rolling up mats, putting in blue scrubbies on taps, locking up the chairs outside, etc. Try to save these tasks for after 8pm. There are plenty of things you can do to get ahead on closing that customers won't notice or don’t make them feel uncomfortable (cleaning tap boxes, wiping stuff down, consolidating trash, outside bus station, washing mats, etc.)
December Monthly Specials! Releasing Wednesday, December 6th
Loaded Kimchi
Fries-Beer battered fries, spicy kimchi, house queso, bulgogi bbq sauce, spicy mayo, sesame seeds and scallions. $13.99
Pig & Fig Sandwich
Smoked & chopped pork, nebula stout & fig jam, pickled onions, garlic aioli and melted cheese cheddar on toasted artisan bread. $16.99
Caves UPDATES
Caves is hosting a Belgian Beer Dinner featuring Joel Rea of Corvallis Brewing Supply on December 12th from 6-8pm! This dinner will feature a 5-course meal with hand-picked beer pairings (some from our cellar, and some new offerings). Tickets are $150 and include gratuity. Folks can purchase tickets by going to the Caves website and clicking the “Events” link at the top of the page (or by going to this link https://cavescorvallis.com/events/2023/12/12/belgian-beer-dinner)
Deep Seek Evolution
Quick Hits
Crisp and snappy finish with lightened body
100% NW Malts
Nectaron Hops contributing big tropical and citrus notes
Constant evolution! With Deep Seek and all Block 15 beers
Deep Seek Tasting & Pairing Events
🤿 11/30 at Wildwood Taphouse Hillsboro - 3 - 7 pm
Deep Seek and Oyster Pop-Up from Oregon Fish Co.
Block 15 Beers accompanied by Oysters from Oregon Fish Co.
📍 9345 NE Windsor Street, Hillsboro, OR 97006
🤿 12/5 at Loyal Legion PDX - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & Block 15 Favorites on draft with a pop-up from Câche Câche. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion PDX 710 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
🤿 12/6 at Loyal Legion Beaverton - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & other Block 15 Favorites on draft. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion Beaverton 4500 SW Watson Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Elise Pietromonaco - She communicates really well and always wants things to run as smoothly as possible.
Bailey Birch - For being super flexible and covering shifts when we needed someone.
Gavin Thorud - Gavin really works hard and gets a lot done around the brewery when nobody else is around. I appreciate coming in to find out they've accomplished more than I expected. Thanks Gav!
James Bartholomew - James has been doing a great job in his new role. He approaches things in a very organized and efficient way that we all appreciate.
Tyler Lenz - Tyler is always going the extra mile for everybody and he is always ready to take on a project nobody else wants. He's a positive force around the taproom and I really appreciate everything he does.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Congrats to Wyatt Laramee and Lily Smalling on becoming Leads at the Pub!
SAFETY TIPS
Use the buddy system to lift heavy or awkward objects. A full keg weighs about 134 lbs and is awkward. Even the strongest person can throw out their back moving one. Two people are always required to move kegs.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The People’s Pint Tap for Corvallis Mountain Rescue Ends November 30th
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!
Internal Brewsletter - November 22nd, 2023
General
Holiday Party! RSVP by Nov 30th using the button below
You and one guest* are warmly invited to the annual Block 15 and Caves Holiday party featuring a white elephant gift exchange (more info to come), beverages, appetizers, a photo booth, and good times!
When: Sunday December 10th, 6:30 pm-9:30pm
Where: The Corvallis Marriott Ballroom (400 SW 1st St. Parking available in their garage)
Attire: Many enjoy dressing up, but please wear whatever you are comfortable with!
RSVP**: By November 30th.
The pub and Tap Room will be open until 3:30, and Caves will close at 2:30 after the brunch service.
Discounted Hotel rooms: Call to book (541).753.0199 and tell the front desk representative you would like to use the “Take the Elevator Home” Rate for the Block 15 Holiday Party.
*Adults only. If your guest is a former employee, they must be OK'd through the signup form.
Limits Removed
We have removed all limits on Hoppy Holidays cans and Ol’ St. Nick draft to go at both locations!
Gift Card Promotion
Starting Mon 11/27- 12/24 anyone who purchases a $100 in gift cards will receive an extra $20 gift card!
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 11/24
Super Fly Rye // Pull up a barstool and take a trip down memory lane with this nostalgic throwback RyePA. Amber hued with the gentle spice of rye malt, sappy hop resin, and zesty orange aromas. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Remember the days of amber colored IPA's? This is a throwback recipe pulled from the Block 15 archives, but given a some process and ingredient updates to stand up against contemporary IPA's. A bit old school, but also fresh.
Tasting Notes: Orange Marmalade. Peppercorn. Memory Lane.
Series: Orbital
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - Bottles
RELEASING Friday 11/24
Hair of the Peach // A collaborative blend series from Block 15 and Hair of the Dog encompassing the spirit and creativity of both breweries - 2015 bourbon barrel Peach Fred and specially brewed Block 15 barleywine ale, matured on Willamette Valley apricots. Notes of peach leather, almond pits, and apricot, with layered malt complexity. // 10.40% ABV
Takeaways: Hair of the Peach is the first beer in a collaborative series of Block 15 incorporating a vintage stock of beer from Hair of the Dog. This collaboration encompasses both breweries' spirit and creativity while celebrating the 30 years Hair of the Dog was open and the retirement of Alan Sprints.
Tasting Notes: Almond extract, Stone fruit, Ripe
Series: Cellars, Pick of the Litter - Collaboration with Hair of the Dog Brewing previously of Portland, Oregon
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 11/24
Hair of the Peach // Barleywine Ale Matured in Bourbon Barrels with Peaches and Apricots, collaboration with Hair of the Dog
Super Fly Rye // India Pale Ale
Hop Shuffle: Alora // We're shuffling our deck of hops again to bring you something unique. Mosaic, CTZ, Talus, and HS17701 (just named Alora) combine big juicy notes of stonefruit and citrus with pine resin. Partnered in a hazy fashion. // 7.30% ABV
Takeaways: We're always looking for new and exciting hops to work with, this beer highlights HS17701, just named Alora. It is rich with stonefruit and citrus and is perfect for a juicy Hazy IPA, we're pairing it with some of our other favorite hops to build a uniquely Block 15 IPA.
Tasting Notes: Peach Skin. Tangerine. Fruit Stand.
Series: Emerging
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Ridgeback Red
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Consortium: Strata X Luminosa // West Coast IPA
The DAB Lab: Mo$aic // Hazy IPA
Tangerines & Elephants // Fruited West Coast IPA
The Prophecies // Belgian Quad
Hoppy New Year // Imperial 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
Beer 101: Pick of the Litter Series
Written by Garrison Schmidt, Production Manager
Oregon has a rich history of brewing. Pre-Prohibition, dozens if not hundreds of breweries opened and flourished in the pioneer society. Post-Prohibition, however, only a few breweries had survived. The 80s ushered in the era of craft beer, and other breweries saw the area for the market that it is.
Fast forward to 1993. Portland is littered with flannel shirts tied around the waist, torn Levi’s 501s, and high-top Converse. Hair metal is out, grunge is here to stay, and honestly, folks don’t look much different than they do today.
Enter Alan Sprints. He’s from California, but if anybody is a natural Portlander, it's Alan. He decided to start a brewery based on the premise of originality and didn’t care if anybody had tried it before. He is one of a kind.
Alan founded Hair of the Dog in 1993, and his brewery became the first in the nation to sell high abv bottle conditioned beer, ferment beer in a concrete vessel, and was among the first to age his beer in a barrel. Needless to say, he was incredibly impactful on all brewers to follow, especially those of us growing up in the Pacific Northwest.
Alan always prioritized buying as locally as he could. He proudly boasted that 99% of his ingredients came from within 350 miles of his brewery. He spent this effort to reduce his carbon footprint as well as support his own community. His pub restaurant focused on pairing food with his beer and also sourced locally. Even his bottles were made in Portland.
His beers were unique, and many had never been seen before and never will be seen again.
After the pandemic, he couldn’t keep employees on and was brewing, running the kitchen, and leading the front of the house by himself. He burnt out and sadly closed the business in 2022.
Late that year, brewers at Block 15 received an email from Alan. He admired our barrel aging program and had many left-over full beer barrels that didn’t have a future to speak of. Could we take them off of his hands?
If you are familiar with Block 15’s values, you know that many of the qualities Alan was passionate about line up with our own nicely, and he was influential on almost all of us. In January, Nick and I went to Portland, tasted through a selection of his barrels, and chose our very favorites. The beer was transported back to Corvallis, and we began designing recipes for beer to complement them.
The most important thing about Hair of the Dog’s beer was that it was always something that you’d never tasted anything like. We have designed brews to complement that quality while adding our own sense of intent and direction.
Hair of the Peach is our first offering in this series that we have come to call the Pick of the Litter, but it won’t be the last. We are so excited to show you what else we have in mind to blend with these legendary beers.
PUB UPDATES
Just to clarify since closing hours changed: Corvallis’ Sidewalk Cafe permit (the permit we apply for each year to have the 100’s tables) allows us to serve guests alcoholic beverages until 11pm, and all alcoholic beverages must be consumed by the guest by 11pm or they need to move inside. Whether we close at 10pm or 11pm, this rule will always state that all outside service and consumption of alcoholic beverages must conclude by 11pm.
When starting a tab for a table and entering in the “cover count” (number of guests you are serving in the space/at the table) please enter in the accurate (or as close to accurate) number of guests. This is a key piece of information that we are using to evaluate how the adjustments that we have made to our schedule and hospitality focus are going and where we might need to make adjustments. If folks are filtering in and out for a large Game Room reservation, that number doesn’t need to be continually updated, rather a ballpark figure works. In a similar vein, if you are helping the bar out and guests are looking for beer to go or drinks while they wait, you don’t need to ask how many people are in the party. We’ve seen some numbers in the 100’s for tables that can only seat 4 people, so those would be the numbers making things look funky. If you have questions, feel free to check in with a manager or Goody!
Deep Seek Location Contest Update: We sold 87 cans of Deep Seek over the weekend with a goal of 100. Way to start strong and sling some cans over a busy weekend. We were 10 cans off from the Tap Room, and I know we can pull ahead of them this week. Our new goal to match with theirs will be 175–offer samples, get hyped, and get some Deep Seek in guests hands!
We have 2 basque-style cheesecakes in the freezer that were cut too small when we had it on the regular menu, so we will be running it this weekend as a special for $5! Comes with a Cherry-Bourbon sauce!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Cellar Stash sale 11/24-11/25! Curated list of 500ml bottles all $12. Buy 6 or more and receive 15% off. Also receive 10% off merch if you buy any bottles. Excludes the fall release bottles and Hair of the Peach.
Deep Seek Location Contest Update: We sold 97 cans of Deep Seek over the weekend with a goal of 100. Way to go team for getting so close and really selling those cans!! Going into this weekend our new goal is 175 cans total (so we need to sell at least 78!) Keep up the great work and let’s beat the Pub (we are 10 cans ahead)! You can follow along and see updates at this link!
Thanks to everyone for being flexible, helping cover shifts, and kicking butt this weekend! Your hard work is much appreciated and I am so grateful for you all!
Caves UPDATES
Deep Seek Evolution
Quick Hits
Crisp and snappy finish with lightened body
100% NW Malts
Nectaron Hops contributing big tropical and citrus notes
Constant evolution! With Deep Seek and all Block 15 beers
Deep Seek Tasting & Pairing Events
🤿 11/30 at Wildwood Taphouse Hillsboro - 3 - 7 pm
Deep Seek and Oyster Pop-Up from Oregon Fish Co.
Block 15 Beers accompanied by Oysters from Oregon Fish Co.
📍 9345 NE Windsor Street, Hillsboro, OR 97006
🤿 12/5 at Loyal Legion PDX - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & Block 15 Favorites on draft with a pop-up from Câche Câche. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion PDX 710 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
🤿 12/6 at Loyal Legion Beaverton - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & other Block 15 Favorites on draft. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion Beaverton 4500 SW Watson Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005
HIGH FIVE SECTION
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
STAFF SECTION!
Welcome the following folks to the team!
Griffin Dorris (BOH)
SAFETY TIPS
Hey everyone! We had our Safety Committee meetings for our Downtown and Tap Room locations last week. Linked below are our Safety Notes from the meetings. If you’re interested in joining the Safety Committee or attending our next meeting, 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
November meeting notes for downtown: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MZFODvoodjNakjynpYfoS0j4it32e2ZkhiCQwQozS-Q/edit?usp=sharing
November meeting notes for Tap Room: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SH-WcrorsEYb5Fg_Sy5tJUaGVYTsJaBriujGUwC6aq4/edit?usp=sharing
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The People’s Pint Tap - 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!
Internal Brewsletter - November 15th, 2023
General
Closed Thanksgiving
All locations will be closed on Thanksgiving day, and normal hours will resume on Friday the 24th.
Bottle Limits Lifted
Both locations are lifting all the limits on the fall release bottles! Folks can buy as many as they want starting today!
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 Simon with an assist from Pepper! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Pear and Blue Cheese Turkey Burger, made with garlic aioli, balsamic tossed arugula, fried shallots, turkey patty, blue cheese crumbles, and sliced pear.
If that inspires you, we’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
Deep Seek Evolution
Quick Hits
Crisp and snappy finish with lightened body
100% NW Malts
Nectaron Hops contributing big tropical and citrus notes
Constant evolution! With Deep Seek and all Block 15 beers
Paired Food Special at block 15 locations
Available this Friday-Sunday while supplies last.
Blackened Wild Salmon Bowl
Wild caught Chinook salmon, blackened in Cajun spices, coconut-basmati rice, napa cabbage, pickled red onion, toasted pumpkin seeds, spicy tomato ranch & green onion $16.99
Deep Seek Tasting & Pairing Events
🤿 11/18 at Chill N Fill - 5 - 9 pm (until sold out)
Deep Seek and Oyster Pop-Up Featuring Shigoku Oysters from Taylor Shellfish Farms
📍 5215 North Lombard Street. Portland OR
🤿 11/30 at Wildwood Taphouse Hillsboro - 3 - 7 pm
Deep Seek and Oyster Pop-Up from Oregon Fish Co.
Block 15 Beers accompanied by Oysters from Oregon Fish Co.
📍 9345 NE Windsor Street, Hillsboro, OR 97006
🤿 12/5 at Loyal Legion PDX - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & Block 15 Favorites on draft with a pop-up from Câche Câche. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion PDX 710 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97214
🤿 12/6 at Loyal Legion Beaverton - 5 - 8 pm
Deep Seek & other Block 15 Favorites on draft. Merch/Deep Seek pins will be raffled off/given to everyone drinking Deep Seek.
📍 Loyal Legion Beaverton 4500 SW Watson Ave, Beaverton, OR 97005
UPCOMING PACKAGED BEER RELEASES - cans
RELEASING Friday 11/17
Ridgeback Red // This Red Ale carefully balances a blend of craft malt with an exciting ridge of select NW hops. Enjoy notes of toasted nuts and caramel that transition into layers of pine and citrus hop flavor. // 5.50% ABV
Takeaways: Balancing rustic malt character and NW hops Ridgeback pleases both the hoppy and malty beer lovers.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Peel, toffied hazelnut, off-leash
Series: (Used to be) Perpetual, but is in a transition phase - we’ll update you when the series gets finalized for this special appearance of Ridgeback.
Alt 15 // This Northern German-style hybrid lager is cool fermented with an ale yeast, then given extended cold conditioning. It balances a beautiful caramel-rich malt profile with a crisp and refreshing finish. // 5.00% ABV
Takeaways: Our GABF gold Medal winning Recipe gets the "lagered by the sun" treatment and is now made with nearly 100% PNW ingredients. Classic to the style, this one delivers a rich, but drinkable balance of malty toffee and caramel, with toastier aromas and a light bitterness.
Tasting Notes: Toffee. Fresh Baked Bread. Comforting.
Series: Orbital
Fresh Pow // This wintry Hazy IPA is ready to shred all season long. Pillowy soft, featuring an avalanche of resinous, citrusy, and tropical hop varietals. Brewed often and canned fresh throughout the winter. // 7.00% ABV
Takeaways: Our Winter seasonal IPA, Fresh Pow will be around mid-November into January with multiple batches brewed and distributed.
Tasting Notes: Lime Zest. Mango. Powder Day.
Series: Perennial
COMING UP ON DRAFT
RELEASING Friday 11/17
Ridgeback Red // Red Ale
Alt 15 // Altbier
Fresh Pow // Hazy IPA
CROWLER/PACKAGE SALE
Crowler Sale: Joy
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
Hop Shuffle: Alora // Hazy IPA
Super Fly Rye // India Pale Ale
Consortium: Strata X Luminosa // West Coast IPA
The DAB Lab: Mo$aic // Hazy IPA
Tangerines & Elephants // Fruited West Coast IPA
The Prophecies // Belgian Quad
Hoppy New Year // Imperial 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
Last big game this weekend against UW (the game is sold out and UW is undefeated). We will be rockin’ busy before the game and may see a bit of a pop after. Get ready for one more big one!
Starting this Friday 11/17 we will be running a friendly competition with the Tap Room to see who can sell the most 4pks/cans of Deep Seek! We will run this for 3 weekends (Fri-Sun) in a row and keep track every week so you know where each location stands. The winning location will get bragging rights and a prize that is TBD. Now let’s go sell all the Deep Seek and beat the Tap Room! You can follow along and keep track of how we are doing at this link!
TAP ROOM UPDATES
Last home football game is on Saturday at 4:30 pm (it is sold out!) Be ready for it to be busy and to crush it!
Please talk up the themed nights! Craft night, student night, and game night - spread the word and work it into conversations when you can!
Starting this Friday 11/17 we will be running a friendly competition with the Pub to see who can sell the most 4pks/cans of Deep Seek! We will run this for 3 weekends (Fri-Sun) in a row and keep track every week so you know where each location stands. The winning location will get bragging rights and a prize that is TBD. Now let’s go sell all the Deep Seek and beat the Pub! You can follow along and keep track of how we are doing at this link! https://keepthescore.com/board/qnbvxqzkmbpdr/
If you ever have questions or need clarification on anything TR-related, please reach out to Madie to get answers/clarification.
Caves UPDATES
HIGH FIVE SECTION
Laura Wilson - For rolling with everything and being a boss.
Brana Drummond - Brana helped us out big time on Saturday by jumping in and helping the taproom out when we were slammed, after working her own shift all day at the pub. Thank you for your hard work Brana! We appreciate you. :-)
The Entire Taproom Kitchen - Taproom kitchen crew absolutely CRUSHED it on Saturday. Kept their cool, kept ticket times low, and maintained awesome communication with front of house. Everyone did an amazing job, and we are lucky to have them all out here! Thanks guys!
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
Keep emergency exits accessible, employees need to access exits quickly in the event of an emergency, it is imperative that these be kept clear. Nothing should be placed in front of the exits that would block them or impede them from opening.
THE PEOPLE’S PINT / CHEERS FOR CHARITY / DINE OUT
The People’s Pint Tap - 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!