Internal Brewsletter - July 23rd, 2025
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 Rachel! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Cheesesteak Sandwich!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Kumo // 4.50%
Description: Brewed with NW Pilsner malt and rice, our Japanese-style rice Lager boasts a dry body and a delicate, floral character. It's an exceptionally crisp and sparkling craft beer, featuring pure white foam and a satisfying finish.
Key Takeaway: Every other year, our brewers travel to Japan and bring home trade secrets to keep this beer as authentic as possible. This year we lightened both the malt and hop bill to let the rice shine through, creating a delicate and intentioned drinking experience.
Tasting Notes: Bread Crust • Lemon Rind • Super-Dry
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Japanese Rice Lager
Japanese rice lagers, also known as Japanese lagers or rice lagers, are light-bodied, light-colored beers with a dry finish. They are brewed with a large proportion of rice in addition to malted barley, up to a third of the grain bill. The rice provides fermentable sugars for the yeasts that produce alcohol while also adding crispness and a subtle sweetness to the beer. Japanese rice lagers often have higher carbonation and a delicate malt flavor with subtle hop notes.
Moneta // 5.20%
Description: We used the finest ingredients and meticulous attention to detail while crafting this recipe. Moneta was designed to showcase our favorite Saison characteristics — fruit, earth, and effervescence — while downplaying phenolic Belgian spice. We utilized both traditional and modern ingredients and techniques to bring you the finest blend of the old and new worlds of brewing art and science.
Key Takeaway: Saison means season, and nothing represents each season more than the change from one to another and the continuous marching forward of time. Moneta was designed to showcase the best of traditional brewing and the best of modern influence. We picked and chose the best of both worlds and created this highly impactful saison to bring balance and depth to our brewery's portfolio.
Tasting Notes: Citrus • Jackfruit • Harmony
Format: Draft Only
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: Saison
Historically, saison was a beer of necessity. French for “season,” it is a style rooted in rural farmhouse breweries in Wallonia, a French-speaking region of Belgium. These ales were brewed to offer farmers a safe, low-alcohol beverage to be enjoyed during the warm summer months when brewing was difficult to control, and their labors were called elsewhere on the farm. Typically low in alcohol, light, refreshing, and high in carbonation, this style offers modern brewers a lot of creative license. Modern brewers feel free to push up the ABV and allow much more expression from wild yeast, hopping regimens, and more complex malt bills than our ancestors did.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands: Hang Ten // Hop Experience Ale
Series: Sticky Hands
Releases: August 1st
Format: Draft Only
Description: Ride this wave back to 2015! This tubular throwback brings back our legendary recipe from a decade ago, the first batch brewed on our 20BBL production system. Smooth, balanced, and ready to make some waves.
Space Candy // Hazy IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: August 1st
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed with a galaxy full of delicious and unique hop products. Comet, Galaxy, and Apollo hops bring a tropical, dank, and piney flavor to orbit a silky and lush body. It will blast your palate into outer space.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beers are:
Pub: R&D 2171
Beer Education
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 7/24.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Buzzworks / Chris King collaboration
We’re brewing our second collaboration with Chris King Precision Components today at the Production Brewery. This year, we’re making a West Coast IPA, and have designed the can around a new color product launch. It’s been a super fun project all around, as our can printer got a nice challenge with color matching. :)
The beer will be served at the MADE show up in Portland in August, as well as a pre-show party at Chris King for their friends & industry contacts. A lot of folks in the bike community loved the beer we produced last year, and we can’t wait to debut this year’s iteration.
Sticky Hands Focus in August
We’ll be focusing on Sticky Hands during the month of August, like we did for Green Truck and Deep Seek earlier this year. Look for more information next week as we take a deep dive into our #1 beer.
Corvallis Knights Sponsorship - Last Meet the Brewer Night
Friday, July 25th
Our last Meet the Brewer night is this Friday, with the theme of “Go Beavs”. Join Danny, Colin, and Matt if you’d like to hang out and watch some baseball!
Events
Summer Music Series Continues Through August 27th
At the Tap Room every Wednesday from 6 - 8 pm. Check out the upcoming bands here: https://block15.com/summer-music-series
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
August specials at the pub will begin on 8/6!
Heirloom Tomato & Cappicola Sandwich-Spicy capicola, heirloom tomatoes, basil & fennel slaw, mayo on toasted artisan bread. $15.99
Gulf Shrimp & Apricot Salad Fresh chopped romaine, chilled lime marinated gulf shrimp, Riverland Family Farms’ grape tomatoes, red onion, Peoria Road Farm Markets’ fresh apricots and jalapeno-coconut dressing. Topped with fried wonton strips and cilantro. $15.99
Filet O’ Block House Oregon rock fish & bay shrimp patty, breaded and fried to perfection with tartar sauce, dill pickles, shredded lettuce & American cheese on a toasted brioche bun. $14.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Ryan Larson - To the man of many hats, what is there you cannot do!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Staff news:
Congratulations to Blake Myers for accepting the role of Sales & Distribution Manager 🎉
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be a Dine Out! with the Whiteside Theater on August 19th.
Internal Brewsletter - July 16th, 2025
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 Simon! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Korean Short Rib Tacos!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Hammock Daydream // 5.50%
Description: Float away on clouds with our XPA's abundant new dimension of experimental hop HBC 1019's peachie-o hop aromatics, and featherlight body - the perfect companion for sunny days and cosmic journeys. Turn on, tune in, hop out.
Key Takeaway: Featherlight body but explosive hops, featuring experimental hop HBC 1019, peachy-o aroma extravaganza
Tasting Notes: Stone Fruit • Pink Starburst • Ethereal
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: XPA - Extra Pale Ale
An XPA is lighter in body and ABV than a standard pale ale, but deeper in hop character and expression. A perfect summer crusher for IPA lovers who are looking for something that leaves them feeling a little lighter.
Dry Town Incognito // 6.90%
Description: Brewed with our friends at Dry Town Tap Station in Monmouth, this Hazy IPA was developed to capture the spirit of brotherly love. Made with a wealth of advanced hop products, it bursts with citrus and tropical flavors, complemented by the creamy, round mouthfeel of a hazy we all know and love.
Key Takeaway: Fun-focused Hazy with lots of incognito to drive fruity hop goodness.
Tasting Notes: Citrus • Tropical • Laid back
Format: Draft Only
Series: Synergy
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Kumo // Japanese Rice Lager
Series: Perennial
Releases: July 25th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed with NW Pilsner malt and rice, our Japanese-style rice Lager boasts a dry body and a delicate, floral character. It's an exceptionally crisp and sparkling craft beer, featuring pure white foam and a satisfying finish.
Moneta // Saison
Series: Emerging
Releases: July 25th
Format: Draft Only
Description: We used the finest ingredients and meticulous attention to detail while crafting this recipe. Moneta was designed to showcase our favorite Saison characteristics — fruit, earth, and effervescence — while downplaying phenolic Belgian spice. We utilized both traditional and modern ingredients and techniques to bring you the finest blend of the old and new worlds of brewing art and science.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beers are:
Pub: Beer Walker, Fog Filter
Beer Education
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 7/24.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Turbulent Consequence Brewing at the Pub
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Buckle up, mother-scratchers, Gary’s on a tirade this week.
In the next few weeks, you’ll see more of us brewing downtown at the pub. We are building up our stock of Turbulent Consequence. After a slowdown period during and after the pandemic, we are ready to start adding to our stash of barrels in the bomb shelter. Here’s a refresher on TC, the turbid mash, and spontaneous fermentation.
I like to tell the story of lambic brewing as a series of happy accidents, creating a perfect environment to brew a particular beer.
When we brew TC, we use an old-fashioned Belgian brewing technique known as a turbid mash. This means that we use as little water as possible to mash in, then use a series of washing back and forth to the boil kettle to extract the most sugars with as little water as we can. The reason that turbid mash became a staple of Belgian brewing is that at one time, Belgian brewers were taxed on the size of their mash tun, which led to them packing it as full as they could and making an incredibly thick, porridge-like mash.
Normally, when we brew, we want to convert all of the complex, hard-to-digest starches into simple, easy-to-digest sugars. This lets our favorite brewing yeast, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, easily metabolize said sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, creating the delicious, clean beer we brew 99% of the time.
The turbid mash does a bad job of converting those starches into sugars. Many long, complex starches are left over when the beer is finished in the brew house and sent to ferment downstairs. All of this is due to weird Belgian tax laws from 300 years ago—happy Accident #1.
The Belgians knew that if they sent the beer directly into barrels to ferment, it would fail. This is because the hot wort would sterilize the inside of the barrel and render the whole thing sterile. However, they found that if they let the wort cool overnight in a wide, shallow vessel (the coolship or koelschip), it would ferment happily. What they didn’t realize is that the extended open period exposed it to a myriad of bacteria and wild yeasts in the air, which would each take turns over the next 1-3 years fermenting, souring, and adding their levels of complexity—Happy Accident #2. The complex sugars left over by the inefficient mash would leave plenty of fuel for the different yeasts to eat during the long maturation period.
The hops we use to brew Turbulent Consequence are very different than the hops that we use in other beers. Generally, we use hops that are as fresh as we can buy, and are packaged in inert gas to avoid any oxidation. The hops available to traditional Belgian brewers were harvested in the fall and not used until the weather cooled in the winter, when they brewed the beer. This led to the hops being increasingly oxidized as the winter went on. While the valuable flavor and aroma influencing Ɑ-acids in hops decrease with oxidation, the microbial stabilizing Ꞵ-Acids concentrate and become more effective. This led to the beer being more stable and having a longer shelf life during its extended fermentation—Happy Accident #3.
Lastly, the Belgians needed a place to ferment their beer, and metal containers were rare and expensive. What was readily available and cheap were used wine barrels. The wood inside the barrels is porous and serves as a perfect habitat for the various microbes that ferment Lambic beer. Some of them even use the wood fibers as a nutrient during their metabolism—Happy Accident #4.
So, as you can hopefully see, the combination of undersized mash-tuns, open coolship spontaneous inoculation, aged hops, and wooden fermentation vessels has led to a beer that is a perfect medium for microbes like Brettanomyces, Pediococcus, and Lactobacillus to make a beer that is truly unlike any other. While considered by some to be an acquired taste, Lambic style ales contain arguably the deepest expression, the widest breadth of character, and the most depth of complexity of any beer style brewed. We at Block 15 continue the tradition of brewing these historic beers because, well, we can. We have the equipment, skill, space, and understanding to be a part of keeping this art alive, and I, for one, would be ashamed if we were part of letting it die. Turbulent Consequence brews are part of who we are, and they always will be.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Corvallis Knights Sponsorship - Upcoming Events
Meet the Brewer Nights
Fridays: July 18th & 25th
Our next Meet the Brewer night is this Friday, with the theme of “Groovy Night”. Join us if you’d like to hang out and watch some baseball! Next week’s theme is “Go Beavs Night”, a great time to wear your orange.
Events
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We will be running a Mango Lemonade special this weekend (Friday until we run out) to help move through some backstock of a Mango Puree Product. We will use this just as we do with the Smix and Passion fruit - as a flavoring for House Made Lemonades or Fruit Vodka Lemonade!
Say goodbye to the Pink Moon! As soon as we run out of our current stock of Pink Moon we will be phasing it out for a Watermelon Gin Fizz brought to you by inspiration from Bre! This cocktail will be made with our Crater Lake Gin, Watermelon Juice, Lime, and is topped with Prosecco!
Kira is going on vacation from 7/18 - 7/27! We will take a bye-week on the Quiz next week, but promise me you’ll still read the Brewsletter! MANAGERS: If there is anything you’d like on the Pub Updates for the Brewsletter next week, please connect with Holly before noon on Wednesday to have that added. I’ll miss you all and be good while I’m gone! ♥️
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Wiley - Such a hard worker and grade A communicator. He’s very attentive and quick to help out wherever is needed. We appreciate you!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be a Dine Out! with the Whiteside Theater on August 19th.
Internal Brewsletter - July 9th, 2025
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 James W.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Pulled Pork Borscht!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Group Ride // 6.75%
Description: Rally up a group of friends and ride into the summer with this crisp and refreshing IPA that is geared up with floral, citrus, and ripe mango hop character.
Key Takeaway: A refreshing, fruit-forward IPA, Group Ride is an approachable lower-strength IPA designed for your post-ride gatherings.
Tasting Notes: Mango • Citrus • Hit the Trail
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: India Pale Ale
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Hammock Daydream // XPA - Extra Pale Ale
Series: Emerging
Releases: July 18th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Float away on clouds with our XPA's abundant new dimension of experimental hop HBC 1019's peachie-o hop aromatics, and featherlight body - the perfect companion for sunny days and cosmic journeys. Turn on, tune in, hop out.
Dry Town Collab // Hazy IPA
Series: Synergy
Releases: July 18th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Brewed with our friends at Dry Town Tap Station in Monmouth, this Hazy IPA was developed to capture the spirit of brotherly love. Made with a wealth of advanced hop products, it bursts with citrus and tropical flavors, complemented by the creamy, round mouthfeel of a hazy we all know and love.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
Pub: R&D
Tap Room R&D and Beer Walker
Beer Education
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 7/10.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Events
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Due to our cups not arriving yet we put off the launch of the strawberry sundae until this Friday, along with a fresh summer appetizer!
Tap Room New Menu Items! Friday July 11th
Strawberry Shortcake Sundae (replaces cookie sundae) Creamy vanilla soft serve sundae with Block 15 bakery pound cake, fresh Oregon strawberries, house strawberry sauce & whipped cream. $7
Marinated Tomatoes & Burrata (new addition) Riverland Family Farms grape tomatoes, halved & marinated in olive oil, balsamic, garlic & herbs. Served with fresh burrata cheese & toasted house-baked artisan bread. $9.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
New pub monthly dessert is dropping on Friday: Nebula stout brownie with whipped cream and raspberries.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Nothing to report!
Tap Room Updates
Music on Wednesdays! This week 6pm - 8pm is The Flat Stanley Incident, a Country/folk band. Come check them out!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Matt B. & Ian H. - Thanks for counting all the things and making them look purdy! Appreciate you guys.
Camden - Absolutely crushing it at the taproom, your work ethic is amazing and I love how educated you are about our beer selection even though you can’t drink it (yet!), keep killing it!
Helen! - Helen is constantly killing the game. She goes above and beyond for her tables and is always willing to go the extra mile to help out!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Sophia Keplinger - Pub Server
Hannah Regitz - Pub Host
Other staff news
Congratulations to Donlon, our new FOH manager, and Luke, our new Caves AGM!
Charitable Programs
Dine Out! for Marys River Watershed Council - July 15th
Dine Out is next Tuesday! We’ve partnered with Marys River Watershed Council (MRWC) because we support the things they’re doing in our local community. Familiarize yourself with who they are and what our donation will be used for, and get ready to share this information with our guests on Tuesday, the 15th, when they dine with us.
We host Dine Out events to benefit local, community-minded organizations as part of our ongoing charitable programs. One of the cool things about this is that folks don’t need to mention the Dine Out to participate–they just show up! 10% of the day’s food sales from both locations will be donated.
💵 What will the donation go towards?
Restoration projects that improve stream health, water quality, and habitat for native species.
Youth Watershed Council, where high schoolers explore science and stewardship through immersive fieldwork and community events.
Public education efforts like project tours and Ecology Tap Talks, which have brought hundreds of community members together to learn about the plants, animals, and ecosystem processes of our region.
🏫 About Marys River Watershed Council
MRWC works to restore local ecosystems, connect youth with the outdoors, and build a community that cares for the land and water we share. From native plant restoration and fish passage projects to hands-on youth science programs and community education events, they’re making a real difference right here in the Marys River Watershed.
Internal Brewsletter - July 2nd, 2025
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 Tate! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Hawaiian Haystack!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Fog Filter // 7.00%
Description: Capri yeast meets Nelson Sauvin Abstrax in this next-level hazy that's all tropical vibes and white wine complexity—pure passion fruit energy with a creamy finish that hits differently every time.
Key Takeaway: Fog Filter is a graduation of one of our R&D batches made with I22 Capri yeast from Imperial with Talus, Citra, Citra Incognito, El Dorado, Nectaron, and Nelson Abstrax hops to amplify juicy and tropical fruit-forward notes.
Tasting Notes: Gooseberry • White Wine • Dreamy
Format: Draft Only
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Group Ride // IPA
Series: Perennial
Releases: July 11th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Rally up a group of friends and ride into the summer with this crisp and refreshing IPA that is geared up with floral, citrus, and ripe mango hop character.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
Tap Room: Beer Walker
Pub: Beer Walker and Summer Knights
Beer Education
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 7/10.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Fog Filter
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week we packaged a new IPA, Fog Filter, a hazy that is a reenvisioning of Future Focus: Hygher, an experimental beer that we released in May of 2024. Hygher was developed to highlight the use of Capri yeast, which is a product of two incredible parent strains, Juice and Loki. Juice yeast is what we use to create hazy IPA. It creates esters through fermentation that complement fruity, aromatic new school hops, and creates the round mouthfeel that hazies are so loved for. Loki is a strain of Norwegian Kveik yeast. Traditionally used in Nordic farmhouse style ales, this yeast has gained recognition in recent years as it is incredibly versatile and complex, capable of fermenting very clean or very fruity, depending on temperature. Combining these strains, Imperial Yeast developed Capri, which produces amplified juicy, tropical, and citrus esters during fermentation.
This time around, along with the use of Capri yeast, we added Nelson Sauvin ABSTRAX. Abstrax is an advanced hop product distilled from our whole cones, which increases aroma, decreases waste, and lowers our carbon footprint by removing bulk from shipments, storage, and downstream.
Ok, I have to go count inventory. Uncle Danny is getting antsy. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Events
Save the date for Bloktoberfest! - October 17-18
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Pub July Monthly Specials will go live today!
Strawberry & Chevre Bruschetta - Toasted sesame baguette with creamy whipped chevre & cream cheese blend, Riverland Family Farms’ strawberries, balsamic reduction & fresh basil $13.99
STRAWBERRY BRUSCHETTA PROCEDURE
-Vegetarian option BUT really good if you add crumbled bacon!
Oregon Berry Salad - Fresh salad greens, creamy citrus-parmesan dressing, roasted sunflower seeds, fresh Riverland Family Farms’ berries, julienned radishes & basil and balsamic pickled onions. $13.99
-GF and Vegetarian Option! Can be vegan if a vegan dressing is subbed.
Machaca & Chipotle Tamale Pie - NW beef chuck shredded machaca, creamy & spicy chipotle tamale topping, baked to perfection & topped with melted cheddar & jack cheeses, sour cream, fresh jalapeno, crisp radish & crumbled queso fresco. $15.99
-GF option! Contains dairy.
-It does have some good heat to it if people ask!
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
New cookie at the taproom! Oatmeal Maple Creme, officially going on menu Friday but will be available starting Wednesday. It’s like a fancy version of an oatmeal cream pie, made with two soft hazelnut oatmeal cookies, sandwiched together with a maple vanilla bean buttercream.
We will also be featuring a new soft serve sundae at the tap room starting Friday! If will feature a house made Oregon strawberry sauce, Block 15 bakery pound cake, fresh strawberries and whipped cream!
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
As we move forward with a hospitality focus (more to come in the future) think about what it is about eating at your favorite restaurant that makes it your favorite. How can you implement some of those practices into your own service while still making every interaction uniquely your own?
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Wiley - Wiley is always so flexible and helpful. He brings a fun vibe and does a great job!
Kira - What can't she do? Glad we have a wonder woman on our team!
Kelso - He shows a lot of care and dedication to his job. You can tell he's so excited about brewing, and it's infectious.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
Dine Out! for Marys River Watershed Council - July 15th
Our next Dine Out is coming up in a couple of weeks! We chose and have been working with Marys River Watershed Council (MRWC) because we support the things they’re doing in our local community. Familiarize yourself with who they are and what our donation will be used for, and get ready to share this information with our guests on Tuesday, the 15th, when they dine with us.
We host Dine Out events to benefit local, community-minded organizations as part of our ongoing charitable programs. One of the cool things about this is that folks don’t need to mention the Dine Out to participate–they just show up! Ten percent of the day’s food sales from both locations will go toward the donation.
💵 What will the donation go towards?
Restoration projects that improve stream health, water quality, and habitat for native species.
Youth Watershed Council, where high schoolers explore science and stewardship through immersive fieldwork and community events.
Public education efforts like project tours and Ecology Tap Talks, which have brought hundreds of community members together to learn about the plants, animals, and ecosystem processes of our region.
🏫 About Marys River Watershed Council
MRWC works to restore local ecosystems, connect youth with the outdoors, and build a community that cares for the land and water we share. From native plant restoration and fish passage projects to hands-on youth science programs and community education events, they’re making a real difference right here in the Marys River Watershed.
Internal Brewsletter - June 25th, 2025
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 Garrison! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Cheesy Roast Beef! (Keep in mind, Garrison wanted to name this “The Arby Movie”, but for legal reasons, we couldn’t call it that.)
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Shandy River // 4.00%
Description: A collaboration with Sugarpine Drive-In, Shandy River captures summer rays by skillfully blending a crisp rice lager base with our yuzu lemon soda—a lively refresher bound for river, trail, and backyard adventures.
Key Takeaway: A light, spritzy summer crusher, Yuzu Lemonade shandy is crisp with an acidity that keeps your palate clean and refreshed.
Tasting Notes: Meyer Lemon • Rice Cracker • Radiant
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Synergy
Beer Style: Yuzu Shandy
Ice Knife // 7.00%
Description: Brewed with cutting-edge hop technologies, CO2 extracted Salvo™ and cryogenically frozen Strata CGX™. This West Coast IPA amplifies the most vibrant factions of sticky & pungent hop characters with a razor-sharp hop showcase of bright citrus peel oils & dense resin.
Key Takeaway: Crosby's CGX (cryo-processed hop pellets) pack a considerable punch in this west-coast IPA, featuring Comet and Strata.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit Juice • Pine Resin • Razor's Edge
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Fog Filter // Hazy IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: July 4th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Capri yeast meets Nelson Sauvin Abstrax in this next-level hazy that's all tropical vibes and white wine complexity—pure passion fruit energy with a creamy finish that hits differently every time.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
Alpine Ibex: Tap Room
Alumni Club and Beer Walker: Pub
Beer Education
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 6/26.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Sugarpine Drive-in and Yuzu Shandy
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
As you know, we love to take part in collaborative projects both within and outside of our own industry. We recently got the chance to make a special, custom beer for Sugarpine Drive-In in Troutdale. They are a very special, nostalgic, destination restaurant located at mile zero of the Columbia River Gorge Highway. They specialize in making familiar, everyday foods extraordinary. Check out their IG for a taste of their flavor; it seems pretty incredible.
They approached us last year about coming up with a beer to complement their Summer Vacation-themed seasonal menu. Since they are located on the Sandy River, we decided to make them a special beer that we’ve never produced before, Shandy River, a Yuzu lemonade shandy. A shandy is generally any beer mixed approximately half and half with lemonade, a classic British beer cocktail. We took the more German direction, and technically made a Radler, which replaced the flat lemonade with citrus soda, typically grapefruit.
This meant that we got to experiment with making soda in-house for the first time. We made a delicious yuzu lemon soda, sweetened with 100% cane sugar, and blended it with an extra strong rice lager, creating a 4% ABV summer crusher that I am confident is going to be a big hit this summer. Give one a try and let me know what you think!
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Collaboration with Sugarpine Drive-In
As Garrison has mentioned, we are releasing Shandy River, a Yuzu Shandy, this Friday. We made it in collaboration with Sugarpine Drive-In, based in Troutdale, near the Sandy River. Sugarpine is known for its creative and colorful ice cream and sandwich creations, and is a popular destination for folks traveling through the area.
We made Shandy River specifically to complement their summer menu, “Tropical Vacay”, which is inspired by the cookout traditions of Hawaii, the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Indonesia, and California.
We also collaborated with them on a sandwich. This special will launch Friday and run through the weekend at both locations. Sugarpine is releasing theirs on Thursday. Sarah worked with them on the ingredients, which play into their summer menu focus.
IZAKAYA STEAK SANDWICH
Cold-smoked Northwest bavette steak, coated in Sugarpine Drive-In’s Wonder Rub and glazed with okonomi sauce, served chilled with caramelized miso-sesame aioli, grilled zucchini and green pepper–kale salad tossed in yuzu vinaigrette, and a red miso smashed cucumber & corn succotash. Served on a Bread Stop Bakery brioche bun.
Read more about the collaboration on our website.
Corvallis Knights Sponsorship - Upcoming Events
Meet the Brewer Nights
Fridays: June 27th, July 18th & 25th
Our second Meet the Brewer night is this Friday, with the theme of “Gosstoberfest”! The first one last week was a ton of fun and a great opportunity to talk to folks about our beer. Join us if you’d like to hang out and watch some baseball!
Lunch with the Corvallis Knights Team
June 29th, 2025 - 12 - 2 pm @ the Tap Room
Meet the team! The Knights will be joining us for lunch before their game this Sunday, the 29th.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Pub July Monthly Specials will go live July 2nd!
Strawberry & Chevre Bruschetta - Toasted sesame baguette with creamy whipped chevre & cream cheese blend, Riverland Family Farms’ strawberries, balsamic reduction & fresh basil $13.99
STRAWBERRY BRUSCHETTA PROCEDURE
Oregon Berry Salad-Fresh salad greens, creamy citrus-parmesan dressing, roasted sunflower seeds, fresh Riverland Family Farms’ berries, julienned radishes & basil and balsamic pickled onions. $13.99
Machaca & Chipotle Tamale Pie- NW beef chuck shredded machaca, creamy & spicy chipotle tamale topping, baked to perfection & topped with melted cheddar & jack cheeses, sour cream, fresh jalapeno, crisp radish & crumbled queso fresco. $15.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Ryan Larson - Ry Guy brings a calm, cool and collected attitude to work (along with his starbs) that is very appreciated. Thank you for being a bright spot and for communicating kitchen things so well with your bakery friends!
Emily, Nico, & Riley - Thank you for hitting the ground running with the distro team! Y'all have been killin it out of the gates! Keep crushin it!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be in July.
Internal Brewsletter - June 18th, 2025
General
Block 15 & Caves Summer Party Info and RSVP
You’re invited to the Block 15 Brewing Company BBQ at Goss Stadium! This year, we are changing the venue to Goss Stadium for a Knights baseball game. Before the game, there will be a company softball game.
This invitation is extended to your immediate family members, a significant other, or friend.
As this is a ticketed event, you must RSVP by June 24th.
When: Tuesday, July 1st, 5 pm-5:50 pm softball game. 6:35 pm Knights Game begins
Where: Goss Stadium, TNT party deck on the 3rd base side.
What: Summer Block 15 company gathering! Softball, Knights baseball game, beverages, and dinner served!
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 Travis! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Beef & Cheddar Melt!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
R&D 2171 // 6.00%
Description: This R&D batch was created to research a new style for Block 15 and a new hop, too! XPA, or extra pale ale, is an Australian summer crusher that has a lean malt bill to keep the body very light. It's just robust enough to support its hop bill. We also used an experimental hop breed, HBC 1019, which smells just like Peachie O's candies!
Tasting Notes: Peachie O's • Dank • Experimental
Format: Draft Only
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: XPA - Extra Pale Ale (see Garrison’s write-up for information!)
When I Tip, You Tip, We Tip // 6.90%
Description: We brought the forest to your glass. Experience the tell-tale blue raspberry character of wild spruce tips like you've never had it before. Pine and citrus zest are rounded out by a gentle addition of malted oats and wheat that remind you, if you ain't tippin, you must be trippin.
Key Takeaway: Our team hand-picks spruce tips from Starker Forests along the Oregon Coast each year to be added to Hoppy Holidays Imperial IPA in the wintertime. We used a portion of the fresh spruce tips in this Hazy IPA right after they were picked.
Tasting Notes: Blue Raspberry • Pine • Da Dip
Format: Draft Only
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: Hazy IPA with Spruce Tips
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Ice Knife // West Coast IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: June 27th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed with cutting-edge hop technologies, CO2 extracted Salvo™ and cryogenically frozen Strata CGX™. This West Coast IPA amplifies the most vibrant factions of sticky & pungent hop characters with a razor-sharp hop showcase of bright citrus peel oils & dense resin.
Shandy River // Yuzu Shandy
Series: Synergy, collab with Sugarpine Drive-In
Releases: June 27th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: A collaboration with Sugarpine Drive-In, Shandy River captures summer rays by skillfully blending a crisp rice lager base with our yuzu lemon soda—a lively refresher bound for river, trail, and backyard adventures.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
The Beer Walker
Beer Education
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room for an educational session where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome! *Note: If there are no new releases, this meet-up will likely be cancelled that week.
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 6/26.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: XPA - The Summer Session King from Down Under
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
XPA, or Extra Pale Ale, is Australia's answer to the craft beer boom that perfectly captures the laid-back Aussie summer vibe. Think of it as the chill cousin of an IPA - it's got that hoppy character you love but dials back the bitterness, weight, and ABV to create something way more sessionable. Born from Australian brewers wanting to showcase local hops without the intensity of American IPAs, XPAs typically clock in around 4-5% ABV, making them perfect for those long summer arvo sessions at the beach or BBQs that stretch into the evening. The "extra pale" refers to the light malt base that lets the hops shine through with bright, fruity flavors rather than competing with heavy caramel or bread notes.
XPA is distinctly Australian because it embraces the country's unique hop varieties, which bring tropical fruit flavors like passionfruit, pineapple, and citrus that scream summer vacation. Unlike many pine-forward American hops or the earthy English varieties, Aussie hops deliver an incredible juicy character that's refreshing rather than aggressive. The style has exploded across Australia because it hits that sweet spot - hoppy enough to satisfy craft beer enthusiasts but approachable enough to drink more than one without your taste buds, gut, or sobriety giving out. It's become the unofficial beer of Australian summer, perfect for when you want something with more character than a lager but won't leave you too wrecked for tomorrow's surf session.
This week, we are releasing R&D2171, a pub batch we designed to dip our toe in the pool that is XPA. We wrote a recipe featuring a super crushable 5.75% malt base built with subtle grains that don’t overpower our chosen featured hops. The one I’m most excited about is HBC1019, an experimental hop, not yet named, that we think smells freakishly like peachy-O candies. This beer should be approachable for just about everybody, and if it goes well, we will dive into the deep end with a much larger production batch based on the findings we collect with this batch.
I’ll be looking for extra feedback on this batch, so try a sample and gather some thoughts. Don’t be surprised if I ask you for some insight, especially if you’re on the recently 21 side. I want to ensure that we are making beer that is appealing to our recently 21 customers, and you are my best voice of representation for that group.
As always, if you have some feedback and don't get a chance to talk to me, please send it to garrison@block15.com
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Meet the Brewer Nights at the Corvallis Knights Games
Fridays: June 20th & 27th, July 18th & 25th
A couple of our brewers will be at our Block 15 Beer Garden at Corvallis Knights games this season. We’re hosting these as part of being the beer sponsor of the Knights, but also to connect with the folks who love baseball in Corvallis.
The brewers will be running a raffle for Block 15 swag with those who purchase a Block 15 beer, and chatting with folks about one of our new beer releases. If you’re there on those nights, stop by and say hi!
We’ll also be handing out a select number of FREE ICE CREAM cards to be used at the Tap Room. You might start to see these come through after this Friday’s game. They’re good for one free soft serve ice cream cone.
Lunch with the Corvallis Knights Team
June 29th, 2025 - 12 - 2 pm @ the Tap Room
Meet the team! The Knights will be joining us for lunch before their game on Sunday, the 29th.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Pub July Monthly Specials will go live July 2nd!
Strawberry & Chevre Bruschetta
Toasted sesame baguette with creamy whipped chevre & cream cheese blend, Riverland Family Farms’ strawberries, balsamic reduction & fresh basil $13.99
Oregon Berry Salad
Fresh salad greens, creamy citrus-parmesan dressing, roasted sunflower seeds, fresh Riverland Family Farms’ berries, julienned radishes & basil and balsamic pickled onions. $13.99
Machaca & Chipotle Tamale Pie
NW beef chuck shredded machaca, creamy & spicy chipotle tamale topping, baked to perfection & topped with melted cheddar & jack cheeses, sour cream, fresh jalapeno, crisp radish & crumbled queso fresco. $15.99
New menu items at the tap room go live today!
The Z.A.T (Replaces cauliflower grilled cheese)
Roasted zucchini, fresh greens & tomato, melted provolone, avocado & pesto mayo on house baked ciabatta. 11.99
Old Bay Shrimp Salad (Replaces buffalo chicken salad)
Blend of crisp romaine and fresh greens, topped with wild caught Gulf shrimp salad made with red onion, celery, and a creamy Old Bay dressing with fresh dill and lemon. Finished with toasted pumpkin seeds. 11.99
NEXT WEEK!
We will be running a sandwich special at both locations for the weekend to pair with our Shandy collaboration with Sugarpine Drive-In!
Izakaya Bavette Steak Sandwich
Cold-smoked NW bavette steak, coated in Sugarpine Drive-Ins' Northwest Wonder Rub, served chilled on a toasted Bread Stop brioche bun with caramelized miso-sesame aioli. Stacked with a grilled zucchini and green pepper–kale salad tossed in yuzu vinaigrette, and topped with sweet & tangy okonomi sauce, smashed cucumber, red onion, grape tomatoes, and corn, finished with a drizzle of red miso dressing.
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Lemon Cheesecake is returning on Friday 6/20 at both locations! We are replacing our pb pie with a Classic Lemon Cheesecake. A New York-style cheesecake base with swirls of house lemon curd baked in, served with market berries and whipped cream. YUM! This one will stay around for most of the summer.
We are working on a new rotating cookie flavor at the taproom, stay tuned!
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We are getting new taster trays! These are numbered, metal frames designed to hold our 5oz glasses for flights. One important piece that will change is we will now offer flights in sets of FOUR rather than five - this is just because the metal frames only have 4 spaces. We’re working on business card sized slips for you all to keep in your aprons in order to label the trays, so we will be moving away from the dry-erase boards as well.
These are made completely out of metal so they should be pretty easy to keep clean! While they are dishwasher safe, we should use sani-rags to wipe them down unless they get really covered in gunk - then we’ll throw them in the bar dishwasher. They have our logo printed on the middle which could deteriorate slightly if they’re washed too often. Using sani-rags most of the time should extend their lives!
Don’t forget to RSVP for the company picnic before June 24th! You can find this in the “Announcements” tab in Sling or at the top of the Brewsletter :)
Say goodbye to the Earl Grey Paloma! Once we run through our current product we will swap to the Passionfruit Marg for the summer, here is that recipe!
Rim a rocks glass with salt and in a shaker tin combine: ice, 1.5oz Cazadores Tequila, 0.25oz St Germain, 1oz Passionfruit Lemonade, 0.25oz Lime, 0.25oz Simple, strain and garnish with a Dehy Lime Wheel!
Tap Room Updates
The Summer Music Series starts today! Every Wednesday from June 18th- August 27th we’ll be hosting live music from 6 - 8 pm.
Check out the band line up here: https://block15.com/summer-music-series
Check out the new taster trays in the Pub section. These will be available for use soon!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Salem & Dave - Y’all killed it in the dishpit while kitchen only had 2 people working the lunch rush. Thank you so much for being such amazing hard workers, both of you !!!
Lily and Emma - For crushing a two man busy lunch and working together super well, keeping good attitudes regardless of what they were hit with. Major props!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Ari Kawai - TR Server
Camden Namanny - TR Server
Emily Farthing - Distro
Riley Smith - Distro
Welcome back to Mark Dossett - Distro
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be in July.
Internal Brewsletter - June 11th, 2025
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 Simon! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Smoked Lox Roll!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Alumni Club: Sunriver Chapter // 6.80%
Description: Developed in collaboration with our friends and fellow OSU graduates at Sunriver Brewing, this SW IPA features Neo-Mexicanus Medusa and Amarillo hops, along with a touch of flaked Maize—a crisp and aromatic IPA capturing the essence of hot days and cool nights in the high desert.
Key Takeaway: A brand new, never-before-brewed style, Southwest IPA, with neo-mexicanus hops and a touch of corn, inspired by the high desert. Imagine the Mexican lager version of West Coast IPA.
Tasting Notes: Grapefruit • Pineapple • Chaparral
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Synergy, collab with Sunriver Brewing Company
Beer Style: Southwest IPA
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
When I Tip, You Tip, We Tip // Hazy IPA with Spruce Tips
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: We brought the forest to your glass. Experience the tell-tale blue raspberry character of wild spruce tips like you've never had it before. Pine and citrus zest are rounded out by a gentle addition of malted oats and wheat that remind you, if you ain't tippin, you must be trippin.
R&D 2171 // XPA (Extra Pale Ale)
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: This R&D batch was created to research a new style for Block 15 and a new hop, too! XPA, or extra pale ale, is an Australian summer crusher that has a lean malt bill to keep the body very light. It's just robust enough to support its hop bill. We also used an experimental hop breed, HBC 1019, which smells just like Peachie O's candies!
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beers are:
Tap Room: Sol Fresco
Pub: Fresca Pils
Beer Education
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room for an educational session where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome! *Note: If there are no new releases, this meet-up will likely be cancelled that week.
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 6/12.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: We Created A Style
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Last month, Mason from Sunriver came to brew with us for our Alumni Club collaboration day, as he graduated from the same program as Matt, Danny, Mike, and I. When I reached out to him concerning what kind of beer he might like to make, he suggested we use some Neo-Mexicanus (New Mexican) hops, and that he’d like to make an IPA. I took his request, and instead of just making another IPA with his favorite hops, I decided to create something new inspired by the land from which they came and the high desert that Mason calls home.
Neo-Mexicanus hops are a family of hops that were discovered growing wild in the American Southwest, specifically New Mexico and Arizona. The arid climate grows hops with a different character than what we have developed in the PNW or in Europe. My favorite of the family is a Multihead hop called Medusa, named for the snake-haired monster in Greek Mythology.
They have an incredible fruity, citrus, stone fruit quality that is unlike many varieties that I’ve been exposed to. Truly unique and expressive.
From there, we designed a new malt bill, using some flaked maize in the mash to give it a unique mouthfeel, flavor, and experience overall. We then layered in some other Spanish and desert-themed hops, like Amarillo and El Dorado, and included a new type of Salvo we’ve only used once before. Calypso was another feisty woman in Greek mythology, so I thought it’d be fun to throw her in with Medusa and see how they played together. Turns out, it’s a match made in heaven.
Our new Southwest IPA is something that hasn’t ever been brewed before. Think of it as being related to West Coast IPA in the same way that Lager is related to Mexican Lager. Slightly different, and with some new traits, but if you like one, you’ll love the other.
Help me out by asking folks if they’d like to try a sample. I’m pretty proud of this one, and I’d love it if we sold it like hotcakes. As always, I’m looking for feedback all the time. Please reach out to garrison@block15.com anytime.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
OSU Grad weekend is upon us! Here are some very important reminders for service that require your attention in order to have a smooth and successful weekend!
When food running, slow down to pay extra attention to order modifications so that food goes out correctly the first time. With how busy we will be, flying items is not going to be easy for the kitchen. If an item needs to be flown ASAP, let the lead know immediately and write them a ticket on receipt paper with the table number & item details including specs / sauces. While we need food out of the window quickly, it is more efficient to take an extra second to ensure the order is fully complete and accurate. If food leaves the window, it HAS to be marked off on the POS to communicate with people helping out.
Any concerns with tickets needs to be brought to the line lead and communicated concisely.
Keep conversations in the kitchen to an absolute minimum. Help out the team during off time by stocking kitchen plates, running for things others made need, stocking ice / cups, sweeping, doing side work lists, etc. If a particular situation needs to be discussed with another co-worker or manager, please utilize the back server station for these conversations.
A reminder that bar glassware can be brought to the bar if there is space both on the dishwasher and physically on the bar for you to come back and drop them off. It is a tight, busy space so keeping it as open as possible is needed. Pint glasses go in the water glass rack for the dishwasher, wine and coupe (martini / pom drop) glasses go straight to the bar but try to keep traffic light, everything else can go in the grey bar racks. Tell the bartender if they are too full and they can assess when to grab them. DO NOT STACK GLASSWARE!
Please deliver Bar food from behind the seats, DO NOT walk down the length of behind the bar to deliver food!
Longer shifts are to be expected. Any floor decisions are made by the float manager. If you have a suggestion or insight about your section, bring that to the float when appropriate but they will be in charge of the flow of the shift. Shutting down sections, breaks, phasing will be up to that manager.
I am in possession of our company’s season Knight's Tickets! If you’re interested in a particular game please reach out to me (Kira) and I will get you tickets to the game. These will be first come, first serve, but I do hope to allow those who haven’t utilized this opportunity to take precedence as the season goes on.
Tap Room Updates
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Kim Smith - Kim is an absolute machine on the floor and closing the taproom with her is always a total breeze. Bless up 🙏
Cody O - During hard and stressful days in prep, he always keeps a calm and upbeat state of mind. He shows great leadership by keeping the team positive mindset.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Alexander Andresen - TR Cook
Diego Montes - Dishwasher
Welcome back to Sam White - Dishwasher/Host
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be in July.
Internal Brewsletter - June 4th, 2025
General
New Mug Club Year
We've updated some discounts for the Mug Club for this year! 2025-2026 Mug Club Benefits that have changed:
10% off all draft - no longer .50 off, we've moved it to a % to match the packaged beer discount. This means the discount ranges from .55 cents off to .80 off depending on the price. Buttons are all updated already, I am fine with this being a day early as it's when I had time to do it.
10% off packaged beer - same as last year, no change
20% off retail merchandise - increased 10%, and a new discount button is live.
New Mug Club Website to answer questions and see events! (This is password protected. Please ask Holly if you need to access it.)
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 Autumn! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Fig, Brie, & Prosciutto Bruschetta!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Check back next week!
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule. Please keep that in mind!
Alumni Club: Sunriver Chapter // Southwest IPA
Series: Synergy, collaboration with Sunriver Brewing Company
Releases: June 13th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Developed in collaboration with our friends and fellow OSU graduates at Sunriver Brewing, this SW IPA features Neo-Mexicanus Medusa and Amarillo hops, along with a touch of flaked Maize—a crisp and aromatic IPA capturing the essence of hot days and cool nights in the high desert.
When I Tip, You Tip, We Tip // Hazy IPA with Spruce Tips
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Coming soon
R&D 2171 // XPA (Extra Pale Ale)
Series: Pub Life
Releases: June 20th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Coming soon
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
Beer Education
2:30 pm Tuesdays @ the Tap Room
Join us at the Tap Room for an educational session where you can taste and learn about the week’s releases. All are welcome! *Note: If there are no new releases, this meet-up will likely be cancelled that week.
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 6/12.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Kölsch
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Kölsch is one of Germany's most distinctive beer styles, originating in the medieval city of Cologne (Köln) and its surrounding areas. This pale, crisp beer emerged in the early 20th century as local brewers competed with the growing popularity of pilsner-style beers sweeping Germany. I always like to say that Kolsch was Germany’s answer to Czech Pilsner. What makes Kölsch truly unique is its protected designation of origin status, established by the Kölsch Convention of 1986, which dictates that in Germany, only breweries within and around Cologne can produce authentic Kölsch. The beer must be served in the characteristic thin, straight-sided 0.2-liter glass called a Stange, and the brewing process is overseen by the exclusive Kölsch Brewers Association, making it one of the most geographically and culturally specific beers in the world.
The brewing process of Kölsch represents a fascinating hybrid technique that lies somewhere between ale and lager production. Brewers begin with a simple grain bill, creating a golden wort that's fermented with ale yeast at relatively cool temperatures around 60-65°F. However, the magic really happens during the conditioning phase, where the beer undergoes a cold lagering period similar to lager production, typically lasting several weeks at near-freezing temperatures. This unique combination of warm fermentation followed by cold conditioning creates Kölsch's signature clean, delicate flavor profile with subtle fruit esters from the ale yeast balanced by the crisp, smooth finish achieved through cold maturation. The beer is then filtered to crystal clarity, packaged, and enjoyed.
Beyond its technical brewing merits, Kölsch represents the heart and soul of Cologne's social culture, where it's consumed in traditional brewhouses called Brauhäuser that have operated for centuries. The serving ritual is equally important as the brewing process – servers called Köbes carry wooden trays laden with the slender Stange glasses, automatically replacing empty glasses with fresh ones until customers place a coaster on top to signal they've had enough. This beer culture survived both World Wars and Communist occupation, with local breweries maintaining their recipes and traditions through generations of political upheaval. Today, Kölsch serves not just as a refreshing beverage but as an embodiment of Cologne's resilient identity, representing how local brewing traditions can thrive and maintain authenticity in an increasingly globalized world.
These brewing and drinking traditions are the reason that I got into brewing. They connect us to hundreds of years of ancestors who enjoyed the same simple pleasures that we do. They bring people together, and often are the most enduring and resilient forms of cultural expression because, well, they’re fun. Anything that we can do these days to remind us to stick together and keep fighting the good fight is important, even if it’s just enjoying a beer and reminding yourself that it comes from generations of folks keeping the tradition going, through good times and bad.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Block 15 + Corvallis Knights
Each year, we brew Summer Knights Kölsch to celebrate our partnership with the Corvallis Knights baseball team, made up of collegiate players primarily from the West Coast. A favorite summer pastime for those in the area, this year’s season runs from June through August with themed nights and plenty of fun to be had. The first home game is next Wednesday, June 11th!
As the official beer sponsor of the Corvallis Knights, we provide a variety of our beers in both can and draft offerings at the locations within the stadium that sell adult beverages.
Block 15 Beer Garden @ Goss Stadium all Summer
We have a dedicated spot to play shuffleboard, watch the game, and grab a beer on the third baseline.
Events
Meet the Brewer Nights
On June 20th and 27th, and July 18th and 25th, we’re hosting Meet the Brewer Nights at our Beer Garden at Goss Stadium, where folks can hang out with one of our brewers, taste a new seasonal beer, and join a raffle for Block 15 swag or gift cards.
Lunch with the Corvallis Knights
June 29th, 2025, 12 - 2 pm @ our Southtown Tap Room
Meet the team! The Knights will be joining us for lunch before their game.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
PUB June Monthly Specials! Launch June 4th!
Hummus Platter - Ultra creamy hummus made with tahini, garlic& lemon, served with fresh carrots, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas, mixed olives and house baked flatbread. 13.99
-Vegan and can be GF without the flat bread.
Peanut & Ginger Chicken Sandwich - Soy and ginger marinated & grilled chicken thigh,napa cabbage slaw, house peanut sauce, and mayo on a toasted sesame baguette. $14.99
-Dairy free. Can be GF without a GF bun subbed. Contains soy and peanuts!
159 Mile Salad - Oregon dried blueberries, Face Rock 24 month aged cheddar, Freddy Guys’ toasted hazelnuts, Riverland Family Farms’ salad greens & our fresh herb vinaigrette. $13.99
VEGETARIAN AND GF (Can Be Vegan if cheddar is held or subbed for vegan cheddar)
This is a throwback to a salad that we had on the menu YEARS ago called the 185 Mile salad, where all the main ingredients were sourced within 185 miles of the downtown pub! It consisted of dried cranberries, hazelnuts, Willamette Valley Cheese Co. aged gouda and an herb vinaigrette! I made some minor changes, which brought our sourcing bubble even closer!
Reminder
A quick reminder that anytime you’re making food for yourself off the line, please be sure to account for and pay for all ingredients used. This helps us manage food costs and keep things fair for everyone.
If something you need isn’t already in the system or requires a button to be put in Toast, let me know and I’ll take care of it!
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub June Monthly Dessert!
Replaces the pineapple upside-down cake.
Strawberry-Passionfruit Pavlova
Crisp & airy meringue shell with tart, tropical passionfruit curd & Riverland Family Farms' strawberries. Topped with fresh whipped cream. $8
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
As we move into consistently nicer weather and folks being excited to sit outside, I wanted to make sure we are all on the same page by using the signs posted on our tables. The corral signs should always show “Please Order At The Bar,” unless we have assigned a dedicated server to that section, it is then the responsibility of that server to flip the signs to say “Please See Host Inside For Table Availability.” This is to avoid any customer confusion and prevent folks from seating themselves in that space. The signs on the 100s should always show “Please See Host Inside For Table Availability.”
Employee Provision Reminder! I know there are a lot of new faces and new leads as of late, so I wanted to gently remind everyone that the employee whose provision gets picked DOES NOT pay for their meal. The benefit of submitting an idea that gets chosen by Simon is that you get it for free! So, submit those ideas and get your creation on us!
We have re-vamped our Mug Club perks! Please take a look at this list of frequently used discounts/benefits for the members in our Mug Club and make note of any that have changed:
10% off all draft - no longer .50 off, we've moved it to a % to match the packaged beer discount. This means the discount ranges from .55 cents off to .80 off depending on the price. Buttons are all updated already.
10% off packaged beer - same as last year, no change
20% off retail merchandise - increased 10%, and a new discount button is live.
First pint free within the new Mug Club year - A welcome beer is always nice!
Mug Club Mondays (additional $1 off pints - Monday’s Only)
$50 birthday gift card
Exclusive bottle pre-order opportunities
Early access tickets to Block 15 events
Exclusive Mug Club gatherings (like the Knight baseball game)
Option to purchase a Mug Club Souvenir Mug
New Website with information Hub
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Cedar Nelson - Who doesn’t love Cedar??? Icon alert keep up the great job! I always appreciate feedback and a good spirit followed with a smile.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Jacob Gordon- Dishwasher
Kenzie Whaley- Caves Host/Server
Micayla Tourtillott- Caves Host/Server
Charitable Programs
Our next event will be in July.
Internal Brewsletter - May 28th, 2025
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 Maggie! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Mushroom & Pesto Melt!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 30th
Summer Knights // 5.30%
Description: Brewed as the MVP for the season roster, celebrate the summer under stadium lights with this kölsch. Crisp hops and a smooth lager finish makes this brew a home run for any occasion.
Key Takeaway: Brewed to celebrate our partnership with the Corvallis Knights Baseball team, this Kolsch is brewed to be imminently drinkable, a perfect balance of malt sweetness, hops, and smooth lager character. Light, crisp, refreshing.
Tasting Notes: Biscuit • Crisp • Grand Slam
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Kölsch
Kolsch is a lager-like style named for the region in which it is traditionally brewed, Cologne, Germany. It is pale yellow in color and light in body, with crisp old world hop character. It is always a very refreshing beer, and finishes clean. It is lager-like in the fact that it is fermented warm with ale yeast, but conditioned cold like a lager. The brewing process is similar to altbier.
Cassidy // 8.40%
Description: Inspired by my daughter, Cassidy is matured in Sauternes wine barrels and conditioned on spring flowers and honey from her grandpa's hive. Blended every spring since 2015, each bottle contains a portion of all previous years' blends.
Key Takeaway: A lovely and robust Wild Farmhouse Ale, Cassidy finishes pleasantly dry with a floral kick. A unique staple in our wild lineup.
Tasting Notes: Floral • Rustic • Celebratory
Format: Draft & Bottles
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Wild Ale with Honey, Hibiscus and Rose Petals
Upcoming Releases
Check back next week!
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Green Truck
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 5/29.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Collaborations
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Collaborations are one of the curiosities of the brewing industry. Not uncommon among public institutions, educational institutions, or businesses in separate fields, it is almost unheard of for competing companies to work together in collaboration on a shared project. This, however, is a common occurrence in the brewing industry.
Part marketing opportunity, part information exchange; collaborations are a unique place where competitors come together and actively divulge their production practices with each other, this information exchange helps collaborators grow in technical knowledge and creates a tight social network among brewers.
Collaborations can arise in a number of ways, often brewers just like what other brewers are doing or already have friendships that give them the incentive to work together. Beers are conceptualized, recipes are written, and passed back and forth with notes for improvement. Beer naming and branding decisions are sometimes done collaboratively and sometimes the host brewery just takes that on as they would a regular beer.
Typically the collaborating brewery is there on brew day with the host brewery, but it’s not a matter of using their labor. Usually, you just hang out and exchange information, have a few beers and discuss how you make them, then take some photos. It’s hard to quantify, but everyone gets something out of it. It’s important to be a good host. Releasing a collaboration beer often comes with hype and increased demand from normal releases, it’s important for them to be both unique and high quality, they should represent the best of what both collaborators do well.
Another type of valuable collaboration is outside the industry. Today, we collaborated with Sugarpine Drive-In on a yuzu lemonade rice lager shandy called Shandy River. Their kitchen, bar managers, and entire company seemed to have constructive input that has made this a really promising concept. I love working on collaborative projects, as they open my eyes to new ideas, directions, and skillsets. Check out Sugarpine on the Sandy River next time you’re in the area, and keep an eye out for Shandy River, a 4% fruit-forward summer crusher!
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
A quick reminder that anytime you’re making food for yourself off the line, please be sure to account for and pay for all ingredients used. This helps us manage food costs and keep things fair for everyone.
If something you need isn’t already in the system or requires a button to be put in Toast, let me know and I’ll take care of it!
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
The Pub’s June dessert is dropping Friday 6/6: Pavlovas! Pavlovas are a baked meringue (egg whites and sugar) that have a crunchy shell and melt-in-your-mouth chewy center. We are serving ours this year with a sunny and tart passionfruit curd, fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
The meringues are very fragile and cannot be refrigerated! Please handle like you and smeagol and it is the one ring. Snarling and growling at anyone who comes near optional.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Nothing new to report! Keep up the good work and if you haven’t received your Quiz Completion Goody-Bag please check in with Kira next time you see her to claim your prize!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Beer updates:
While Nebula is taking a vacation (will be back mid- June on draft) we will have Cosmic Cold Brew on to support those Stout lovers!
We are on the last keg of Queens Head on Nitro (will also be replaced by Nitro version of Nebula mid- June)
Fluff’s Travels and Alpine cans are about out of stock, Board Shorts cans are officially gone and Caves 004 cans are going to stick around a while to create variety in the cooler.
We have gotten excellent feedback so far on the new BBQ menu (Thanks Sarah for working so hard to create all these new options!!!) remember to take opportunities to upsell when you have the chance. Whether that be an upgrade to a fun new side like Elote salad, beer to go or a dessert. You never know what someone is craving!
As we make minor tweaks to the Soft serve recipe, please deliver any feedback about this directly to Sarah through a sling message!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Taproom employees, you are all so fantastic in your own individual ways. Keep being your genuine selves. You could really make someone's day! Remember, grow when you have the opportunity; and always be kind, at the end of the day it’s just (delicious) burgers and (damn good) beers! <3
Kitchen Staff - Thanks for your hard work as always. It’s not an easy gig but you guys make it look that way! The Thursday night crew handled a massive party during dinner with positive attitudes and efficiency. You guys rock. I admire your ability to cook an over easy egg. That’s crazy. We <3 you all.
Kim S.- Thank you for all your hard work and great attitude! We appreciate you
Donlon - He covers shifts so often, helps everyone, & is a great server and trainer. We love and appreciate you. And being there on Monday opens. You’re so brave for that.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
Check back soon!
Internal Brewsletter - May 21st, 2025
General
Dress Code Reminder
With summer time just around the corner, we want to revisit the dress code to ensure that we are all rocking super cool AND work-appropriate fits. A couple of important notes:
No graphic T-shirts, this includes brand logos and lettering.
No work-out/athleisure attire including leggings and running shorts (tennis skirts are okay if appropriate in length).
Sleeveless shirts are acceptable but must cover all undergarments, no “wife beater” tanks.
No midriffs, please make sure our shirts are long enough to fit under our aprons and over your waistline.
No holes/rips in jeans.
A Block 15 logo must be present (in the correct orientation) at all times: this could be a t-shirt, pin, or apron.
Branded aprons are on their way! Everyone will be issued a new apron with a Block 15 patch
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 Salem! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Shirazi Salad, a popular Persian dish!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 16th
Fresh Flow // 6.50%
Description: Ready to float into beer taps and coolers around the Pacific Northwest, this summertime Hazy IPA features a soft malt base beneath a tidal wave of exotic tropical and juicy citrus hop varietals.
Key Takeaway: Summer is nearly upon us and that means our summer seasonal IPA, Fresh Flow is hitting the market for the season.
Tasting Notes: Clementine • Papaya • Chasing Waterfalls
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Cassidy // Wild Ale with Honey, Hibiscus and Rose Petals
Series: Cellars
Releases: May 30th
Format: Draft & Bottles
Description: Inspired by my daughter, Cassidy is matured in Sauternes wine barrels and conditioned on spring flowers and honey from her grandpa's hive. Blended every spring since 2015, each bottle contains a portion of all previous years' blends.
Summer Knights // Kölsch
Series: Perennial
Releases: May 30th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed as the MVP for the season roster, celebrate the summer under stadium lights with this kölsch. Crisp hops and a smooth lager finish makes this brew a home run for any occasion.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
PUB: Future Focus: Fonio and Direct Flight
TAP ROOM: Fresca Pils and Direct Flight
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 5/15.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Summer Knights Kolsch
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Summer Knights Kolsch is a beer that we have brewed for many years as the official beer of the Corvallis Knights, our town’s West Coast League baseball team. I have a ton of memories working for Block 15 at the Knights games, handing out raffle tickets to everyone who purchased a Summer Knights. I now love taking my kids, who are both avid Knights fans. It was a blast, and I’m so glad that we’re making a return to Goss Stadium this summer. This Kolsch strikes a perfect balance between bready malt character, crisp hops, and refreshing lager-like fermentation character from its cold conditioning. Paired with a ballpark dog, it’s as close to heaven as I’m probably going to get. This is another beer that we are going to be brewing often throughout the summer, as we also supply the ballpark with it for the duration of the season. Look forward to having one after work, at home, and in the stands. Knights tickets are notoriously cheap, and it’s a really great time. Keep an eye out for increased and improved Knights focused marketing, as well, including fresh videos and B15 branding around the park, and our own beergarden by the banner deck If you haven't been to a game, or it’s been a while, I can’t recommend it enough. Look for me at the game, or at work, and let me know what you think of the beer.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Green Truck Promotion Party: May 26th
🥳 We're throwing a Green Truck party at our Southtown Tap Room this Memorial Day from 11 am - 9 pm! To celebrate Green Truck, our American Light Lager, getting promoted to a year-round beer, we'll have $4 pints and $8 4-packs all day, PLUS the debut of our new BBQ menu.
Party with us throughout the day with:
🟢 Mini remote-controlled forklift races on the hour, starting at noon. Win Green Truck merch!
🟢 Live bluegrass music from Tuesday String Band between 4-7 pm
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Tap Room
Taproom has some VERY exciting menu changes happening Monday 5/26 that coincide with our Green Truck party!
Chips will now come standard with sandwiches and our burger! Guests will have the option to upgrade to our other side options! This will drop our price on all items that come with fries as a standard size, increasing our perceived value! Chicken tenders will still come standard with fries.
BBQ IS BACK! A BBQ plate will be added to the menu!
Brisket burnt ends, smoked & chopped pork or Pepper Tree Sausage House hot links as our protein options!.
Each plate will come with Texas toast, house pickles and choice of side and sauce(s)
1 Protein-$15, 2 Proteins $21, 3 Proteins $27
Ribs available as an option Friday and Saturday Nights after 5pm!
Our Smash Burger will be our only burger option moving forward. We will offer it as a single patty, with the option to add a patty. Earth burger and Turkey burgers will no longer be available.
House Smoked BBQ Sandwich (Replaces Torta)
Choice of House smoked Kansas City brisket burnt ends or Carolino Gold Chopped pork served on a toasted Brioche bun with pickled red onion & jalapenos, creamy mayo and crisp lettuce. $12.99
Elotes Salad (Replacing sweet potato fries as a side option. Sweets will no longer be available)
Roasted sweet corn in a creamy lime & tajin dressing with fresh jalapeno, queso fresco, garlic, green onion & cilantro.
Elotes Dog- (Replaces Kiger Island Dog)
All beef hot dog in a warm potato bun & topped with our house elotes salad, queso fresco & fresh jalapeno.
Monthly specials will fall off for now and be replaced by “seasonal flavors” in July!
The Cold Cut Baguette will be added to the permanent menu!
Soft Serve is here!!! Vanilla bean soft serve cones will also be available Monday! For now we will have 1 cone option (with sprinkles if you’re feeling fancy!” and it will also replace the ice cream on the cookie sundae currently on the menu!
We're incredibly excited about these upcoming changes, and we truly believe they’ll bring a fresh, vibrant energy to the taproom. That said, we understand that not everyone will be thrilled with every change, and some guests may let us know. It's our job to stay positive and help convey the excitement behind these updates.
The taproom vibe should remain casual, fun, and full of life and the new direction we're taking with the menu really reflects that spirit! Please reach out if you have any questions, as I know this is a lot of info! Please keep an eye on your sling notifications, as I will continue to share important information as we get closer!
Pub
June Monthly Specials will go live June 4th!
Hummus Platter - Ultra creamy hummus made with tahini, garlic& lemon, served with fresh carrots, cucumbers, radishes, sugar snap peas, mixed olives and house baked flatbread. 13.99
Peanut & Ginger Chicken Sandwich - Soy and ginger marinated & grilled chicken thigh, sesame-napa cabbage slaw, house peanut & red curry sauce, and mayo on a toasted baguette. $14.99
159 Mile Salad - Oregon dried blueberries, Face Rock 24 month aged cheddar, Freddy Guys’ toasted hazelnuts, Riverland Family Farms’ salad greens & our fresh herb vinaigrette. $13.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henriksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Get excited about the Summer Music Series coming up! This summer we are going to feature bands every WEDNESDAY starting June 18th through August 27th, and possibly 1 last artist to say farewell to summer the last weekend of August! Come support these amazing bands, bring your friends, drink some damn good beer and enjoy some awesome BBQ!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Chris G - Great energy & always fun to have on the floor!! Keep up the good work!
Katie Davis - Always being amazing!
Ben lieb - Nonchalant attitude nice dude
The pub prep crew! - Working through a construction project can be super stressful and annoying, but our crew kept it super positive and absolutely crushed it! Thank you all! Special shout to Tivey for putting the kitchen back together looking better than ever and to Stirling for joining the team amidst the chaos and having a great attitude!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
AJ - line cook
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in May with Green Truck
We’ll be supporting CASA - Voices for Children of Benton and Lincoln Counties through all of May by donating a portion of every pint and can purchase of Green Truck to them. In a nutshell, our donation is going towards supporting children with essential clothing items and activity fees, as well as advocacy for their best interests.
About CASA - Voices for Children
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy on behalf of children in foster care. They are built on the foundation of everyday people contributing to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. CASA - Voices for Children trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for children within legal custody of the state in Benton & Lincoln Counties.
When a child in care is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively. Without the powerful voice of an advocate, children too often return to unsafe homes or languish in long-term foster care, risking future abuse or neglect.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - May 14th, 2025
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 Aubrey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Caprese Sandwich!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 16th
Sticky Vortex // 7.70%
Description: Part two of our Fort George Collaboration, this brew pulls you into a pine, citrus, and diesel vortex crafted with the best parts of two iconic IPAs: Vortex and Sticky Hands.
Key Takeaway: Brewed in collaboration with our friends over at Fort George, Sticky Vortex is our version of the mashup of our 2 flagship beers, Sticky Hands and Vortex.
Tasting Notes: Diesel • Ripe Kiwi • Kaleidoscope
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Synergy, collab with Fort George Brewery
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Fresh Flow // Hazy IPA
Series: Perennial
Releases: May 23rd
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Ready to float into beer taps and coolers around the Pacific Northwest, this summertime Hazy IPA features a soft malt base beneath a tidal wave of exotic tropical and juicy citrus hop varietals.
Summer Knights // Kölsch
Series: Perennial
Releases: May 23rd
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed as the MVP for the season roster, celebrate the summer under stadium lights with this kölsch. Crisp hops and a smooth lager finish makes this brew a home run for any occasion.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is:
Taproom: Sol Fresco
Pub: Future Focus: Fonio
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 5/15.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Summer Knights Video Ad
We have the opportunity to showcase a Block 15 video ad during the Knights baseball games, and their livestream this summer. Ryan has been working on producing this for us, and we’ll be filming segments next week at both locations. I’ve been coordinating with our location managers on the logistics, and you’ll see some information very soon.
We’re in need of “actors” to fill the tables, extras, and set crew. Keep an eye on sling for the details!
Green Truck Focus in May
Keep up the good work sharing information about Green Truck! We’re less than two weeks away from our party on Memorial Day, too. I’m keeping information about the party & beer in this week’s brewsletter so that it’s easy to find.
Green Truck Promotion Party
When: Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day), 11 am - 9 pm
Where: Southtown Tap Room
Green Truck discounts: $4 pints and $8 4-packs
Debut of our new BBQ Menu.
Live Music 4 - 7 pm from Tuesday String Band (they played for us at Bloktoberfest last year and fit the vibe we’re looking for! Local band from Monmouth who play lively bluegrass.)
Mini remote-controlled forklift races on the hour, starting at noon, with the last race at 8 pm.
About Green Truck
Beer Info
Our take on the classic American Light Lager, 4.20% Green Truck is brewed always with the best Pacific Northwest grain, hops, and water. Work hard, drink easy, this beer is crafted for the crew.
Tasting Notes: Clean • Crisp • Classic
Dig Into the Details
The inspiration for the name Green Truck came from our first forklift, “Clark,” who put in a lot of hard work over the years and is still going strong. The beer is a symbol of simple, hard work. It might not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and is there for those hot days working in the yard, a refresher at the end of a long shift, and bringing along camping with the crew.
Green Truck is a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, representing our commitment to sustainable brewing practices by sourcing local and regional ingredients, utilizing solar energy in the lagering process, and implementing mindful brewing practices extending to the shelves and taps. Green Truck is made primarily with Pure Idaho Pilsner malt, a 100% Idaho-grown barley from Great Western Malting.
Green Truck is a high-gravity brew watered back with filtered and deaerated water. The water we use at our Production Brewery in Southtown Corvallis comes from the Taylor Treatment Plant and the Rock Creek Treatment Plant. Taylor, located in Southeast Corvallis, draws water from the Willamette River, accounting for approximately 69% of our total water supply. 31% comes from Rock Creek, which draws from the east side of Mary’s Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range.
We chose Contessa hops for Green Truck, a United States-grown hop variety with Noble hop characteristics developed in Yakima Valley, Washington. The beer also features a strain of yeast tailored explicitly for light-lager production. All together, the ingredients in Green Truck add subtle notes of green tea, pear, and lemongrass to a crisp malt base.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Wednesday 5/14 Menu Updates!
At the tap room, we will be replacing our krab rangoon dip with our Pacific Clam Dip!
Pacific Clam Dip Cool & creamy clam dip made with NW clams, shallots and parsley. Served with house-made sea salt and black pepper potato chips. $9.99 PROCEDURE
Wednesday 5/21 Menu Updates!
At the tap room we will be replacing our chopped sesame salad with a chopped Italian Salad!
Chopped Italian Salad Fresh chopped romaine & iceberg lettuce, grape tomatoes, sweet onion, Genoa Salami, Kalamata olives & heirloom Flagleolet white beans, tossed in our Italian vinaigrette and topped with grated parmesan. $9.99
The pub will also have a handful of changes on the 21st.
Oregon Pesto Pasta (Replaces Bucatini Parma Rosa) Cavatappi pasta, basil-pine nut pesto cream sauce, fresh garlic, white wine, local snap peas & grape tomatoes and parmesan $15.99
Snap Peas will come on our pub greens salad for the season!
Fish & Fries will now come in 2 sizes! Procedure provided next week.
Chickpea & Avocado Salad (Replaces shawarma salad) This salad will become our spring/summer seasonal salad taking the place of the shawarma salad until the fall! In the past we did the Oregon Berry salad, but have decided to shift that into a summer monthly special instead.
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
New Mojito Cookie on at the taproom. Same chewy sugar cookie base as the lemon lavender but with a refreshing lime, mint and rum flavor! Let’s keep the procedure the same, serve at room temp.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Nothing new to report! Keep working on those up-sales: protein, fry seasonings, packaged beer, desserts. I’m holding off for another big weekend (probably memorial weekend) to run another competition so work on your sales pitches until then!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
As we switch to our new spring/ summer hours take note that Happy Hour is now featured Sunday through Thursday 2- 5 PM. Please make sure we are remembering to apply those discounts as we ring those items in and have Happy hour menus out accordingly 🙂
Please remember to bring all personal belongings, including cell phones to the upstairs breakroom at the start of each shift. (Managers not included for work purposes only) 🔑🕶💸🎒
Live music will be hosted every Wednesday night starting June 18th through the end of August! It's going to be a blast, so invite your friends and family and come down for some awesome new menu items and drinks at the Taproom and enjoy some excellent artists! 🎶
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Aubrey - Thank you for always going the extra mile and taking time with the little details! You rock!
Nico - Nico is the man! He may break some hearts but he NEVER breaks the dishes. He shows everybody the respect and kindness and overall adds nothing but pleasant and positive vibes to the environment. We could all use a little more Nico and a little less poverty and war in this world.
Ben - Ben is always covering shifts and killing it on the line. We couldn’t do it without you Ben, don’t think your work ethic goes unseen or under appreciated. We appreciate you!!!
Makayla K - Shes simply amazing, and always a joy to work with
Maxwell - Always so kind, helpful, and communicates like no other! Always makes me feel a part of the team and appreciated!
Kim smith - Such an amazing coworker, im always really excited to see her on the schedule
Makayla - Big high five to Mak for being such an outstanding trainer! Her patience, knowledge, and willingness to tackle every question thrown her way make learning a breeze and the workplace better for all of us!
Mak - Always has a great attitude and is so helpful. We appreciate you!
Helen - Shoutout to Helen! I love that she is very diligent, on task, and always cracks smiles and jokes. It’s very fun to work with someone who can be very distinct and specific and also be relaxed and fun too! Both can go hand in hand.
Nicole - She is always working so hard, and in the most positive mood!
Kitchen - You all rocked the busy family weekend!
Bre - For always going above and beyond to provide coverage and flexibility when our schedule goes bananas
Trinna Conroy - She’s the best!
Salem - This dude moves like an absolute veteran. Even at the peak of rush, Salem goes above and beyond, hands full and still taking time to pick up after other people and do things to make my life easier. 10/10 would recommend working with this GOAT.
Makayla Karnowski - Mak is always keepin it cool and casual through busy times while supporting everyone on the floor. Thanks dog
Trinna - She worked long shifts back to back on mother’s day weekend and took it like a champ
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Stirling Gorsuch - Prep Cook
Other staff news
Congrats to Chris M. for accepting the Tap Room Assistant Kitchen Manager position and to Jon C. and James W. for accepting lead positions at Caves! Thanks for crushing it y’all!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in May with Green Truck
We’ll be supporting CASA - Voices for Children of Benton and Lincoln Counties through all of May by donating a portion of every pint and can purchase of Green Truck to them. In a nutshell, our donation is going towards supporting children with essential clothing items and activity fees, as well as advocacy for their best interests.
About CASA - Voices for Children
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy on behalf of children in foster care. They are built on the foundation of everyday people contributing to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. CASA - Voices for Children trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for children within legal custody of the state in Benton & Lincoln Counties.
When a child in care is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively. Without the powerful voice of an advocate, children too often return to unsafe homes or languish in long-term foster care, risking future abuse or neglect.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - May 7th, 2025
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 Ewan! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Carnitas Torta!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 9th
Caves Saison No. 004 // 7.00%
Description: Created for our sister restaurant, Caves Saison uses a solera method starting in our oak cask. We remove a fraction of the volume when peak character is reached; then, new beer is added and allowed to mature, increasing complexity with age. Batch 004's mother portion spent 24 months in the cask molding it into a lovely, fruit-forward saison.
Key Takeaway: Brewed for Caves in a historic solera manner, using a portion of the original brew as a mother to be split in two, one portion to be blended with fresh beer for next year, one portion to be packaged for this year.
Tasting Notes: Stone Fruit • Lemon Zest • Ripening
Format: Cans & Draft
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Farmhouse Ale
The Beer Walker // 8.50%
Description: We brewed this beer for our longtime friend and customer, Gary, "The Beer Walker.” This year, to celebrate his 80th birthday, we amplified it to an Imperial West Coast IPA with vibrant hops and a lush malt base that balances with a pleasant dryness.
Key Takeaway: An old school west coast beer for an old school west coast guy. We updated Gary's beer to an Imperial IPA for his milestone 80th birthday this year. We held true to focusing on making this beer a more classic style IIPA with modern adjustments.
Tasting Notes: Orange Peel • Cannabis • Museum-Quality
Format: Cans & Draft
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.
Fresca Pils // 5.30%
Description: A crisp, hop-forward Italian-style pilsner brewed with Northwest pilsner malt and generously hopped with European Styrian hops, lending zippy notes of citrus, berries, and fresh-cut grass.
Key Takeaway: This year we employed Lemon Drop and Bavarian Mandarina hops to really push the dry-hop character of this delightfully dry pilsner.
Tasting Notes: Marmalade • Elderflower • Enrapturing
Format: Draft Only
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Italian Pilsner
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Vortex // West Coast IPA
Series: Synergy, collab with Fort George Brewery
Releases: May 16th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Part two of our Fort George Collaboration, this brew pulls you into a pine, citrus, and diesel vortex crafted with the best parts of two iconic IPAs: Vortex and Sticky Hands.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Alpine Ibex
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 5/15.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Caves Saison and a Refresher on the Solera Method
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week, we’re releasing Caves Saison #4 in cans and on draught at our locations.
Caves Saison, first brewed in August of 2011, was originally brewed as a house table-style beer for our sister restaurant, then called Les Caves Bier and Kitchen. It was a mildly funky, easy-drinking saison brewed using the solera method. As a reminder, the solera method is a type of conditioning in which a portion of the current batch of a beer is held back to be added to the net batch, ever-increasing depth, complexity, and personality. If you are familiar with sourdough mothers, this is the same idea.
In the summer of 2022, we decided to breathe some new life into the program and started from scratch at our production facility. We began that summer with 40 Barrels of Caves saison #1, which was a “clean” batch, meaning it had no wild microorganisms at play. We packaged 10 barrels of it into cans as it was, and put the remaining 30 barrels into our large-format casks at production, which are rife with microbial life. In the summer of 2023, we pulled 15 barrels out of the cask, canned them, and brewed another 15 barrels to replace it with. This year’s will be the fourth evolution, and it is proving to get better every time. It’s light, refreshing, complex, and highly drinkable. Lots of fruity wild character, perfect for enjoying as the heat ramps up. I hope you try it and enjoy, even if you haven’t liked saisons that you’ve tried in the past, I think that this one is approachable.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Green Truck Focus in May
Party details have been finalized! Please mention this to our guests as we’re all excited to celebrate Green Truck’s promotion to a year-round beer.
Green Truck Promotion Party
When: Monday, May 26th (Memorial Day), 11 am - 9 pm
Where: Southtown Tap Room
Green Truck discounts: $4 pints and $8 4-packs
Debut of our new BBQ Menu.
Live Music 4 - 7 pm from Tuesday String Band (they played for us at Bloktoberfest last year and fit the vibe we’re looking for! Local band from Monmouth who play lively bluegrass.)
Mini forklift races on the hour, starting at noon, with the last race at 8 pm.
About Green Truck
As I mentioned last week, we’d love to have you give samples of Green Truck to those you’ve verified as 21+. Use the information below to dazzle our guests :) Pick a point or two to highlight when you chat with people. Again, it’s also our People’s Pint beer and marked on menus, giving you an easy talking point.
Beer Info
Our take on the classic American Light Lager, 4.20% Green Truck is brewed always with the best Pacific Northwest grain, hops, and water. Work hard, drink easy, this beer is crafted for the crew.
Tasting Notes: Clean • Crisp • Classic
Dig Into the Details
Clark
The inspiration for the name Green Truck came from our first forklift, “Clark,” who put in a lot of hard work over the years and is still going strong. The beer is a symbol of simple, hard work. It might not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and is there for those hot days working in the yard, a refresher at the end of a long shift, and bringing along camping with the crew.
Green Truck is a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, representing our commitment to sustainable brewing practices by sourcing local and regional ingredients, utilizing solar energy in the lagering process, and implementing mindful brewing practices extending to the shelves and taps. Green Truck is made primarily with Pure Idaho Pilsner malt, a 100% Idaho-grown barley from Great Western Malting.
Green Truck is a high-gravity brew watered back with filtered and deaerated water. The water we use at our Production Brewery in Southtown Corvallis comes from the Taylor Treatment Plant and the Rock Creek Treatment Plant. Taylor, located in Southeast Corvallis, draws water from the Willamette River, accounting for approximately 69% of our total water supply. 31% comes from Rock Creek, which draws from the east side of Mary’s Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range.
We chose Contessa hops for Green Truck, a United States-grown hop variety with Noble hop characteristics developed in Yakima Valley, Washington. The beer also features a strain of yeast tailored explicitly for light-lager production. All together, the ingredients in Green Truck add subtle notes of green tea, pear, and lemongrass to a crisp malt base.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
May Monthly Specials will go live at both locations today!
Tap Room
Cold Cut Baguette - Salmon Creek Farms artisan ham, Genoa salami, and provolone layered with shredded lettuce tossed in a tangy oil & vinegar blend. Finished with sweet onion, tomato, and creamy mayo on a freshly baked sesame baguette. $15.99
Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich - Huli Huli marinated and grilled chicken thigh, creamy jalapeno-mango slaw & sriracha mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $16.99
Pub
Loco Moco - Coconut rice with rich mushroom gravy, a quarter-pound seasoned beef patty, and a sunny side up egg. Topped with house truffle hot sauce and green onion. $15.99
Smoked Salmon Spread House - smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion & capers, served with fresh veggies, lemon-black pepper marmalade, fried capers, and toasted artisan bread $14.99
Chickpea Salad Sandwich - Spiced chickpeas, celery, onion & pickles in a creamy vegan dressing, romaine lettuce & fresh tomato on lightly toasted artisan bread. $13.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Mother’s day dessert special Taproom only: Lemon Lavender Cookie Sundae! Caramel sauce only, no chocolate. We’ll have about a dozen of these available.
Next week we will switch to a Mojito sugar cookie as our rotating taproom cookie flavor!
Reminder: Pineapple upside down cake starts at the pub on Friday 5/9.
Check out our new sesame baguette, featuring our sourdough starter! It’s debuting this month at the taproom with the cold cut sandwich.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
You all did an incredible job handling the Family Weekend mayhem! Keep your seatbelts buckled because we’re heading into Mother’s Day Weekend next!
Remember to encourage those upsales: desserts, appetizers, and packaged beer are effective, but are the more difficult ones to sell. Suggesting protein add-ons, fry seasonings, and burger toppings are sure-fire ways to add to our bill totals, go get em Tigers!
We will be phasing out Candied Lemon Peels as a garnish on the Pear Flower. What we have left is what we will run with, after that we’ll switch to garnishing the Pear Flower with the same lemon wheels as all other cocktails!
Our new leads have had lots of practice in their new roles, so it’s time to add on to their responsibility! We’ve been working on encouraging you all to lean on your leads more than anyone else on the floor. To help you all get used to seeking out your leads, each week every lead will pick one question from the weekly quiz to randomly check in with their servers, hosts, and food runners on. Weekly quizzes contain the vital information you all need to stay up to date in this fast paced environment, so this Lead Check-in will act as a double-authentication to those getting completed.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
SUMMER HOURS ARE HERE! 🙂
Sunday through Thursday: 11 AM - 9 PM
Friday & Saturday: 11 AM - 10 PMNow that we are in Spring/ Summer hours, please make sure to check your schedule on a regular basis due to start times changing too!
Happy hour has expanded: Still Sunday through Thursday
New Hours: 2 PM to 5 PMIn the front of the White Binder, all batching info is now PRINTED to make it easier on everyone rather than having to use sheets on the Ipad 🙂
New cocktail: Pear flower is selling well, so that will move from a special to permanent on the summer draft menu, next print.
Added N/A option: Canned Sprite is now available for $2.50 a can, like Diet Coke.
All servers will soon be trained to dual open, so we can all have more flexibility with our schedules! Woot woot!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
Everyone absolutely killed it this family weekend! Nearly 400 covers in 2 days!
Let’s be just as awesome for Mother’s day weekend and get ready for some busy brunches!
We will be having a tasty blackberry mojito for Mother’s Day brunch so get your muddlers ready, bartenders!
Caves Saison #4 is COMING SOON! Keep an eye out!
Upcoming new Kombucha flavor from Billion New Friends: Pomegranate Cardamom
Make sure we are checking / tasting all our new beverages to show off our excellent service and knowledge!
High Fives
Katie Davis - She was an awesome trainer! Super supportive, gave great advice, and gave me some great server one-liners!
Drivers & Warehouse - Just a HUGE shoutout to the Distro Drivers and Warehousers! They have been absolutely CRUSHIN IT the last couple weeks with some long hours, and big routes! We appreciate all you do to make sure that our beers get in the hands of our fans in Oregon! Cheers Fellas!!!!
Kira - She’s killing it at her promotion to general manager!
Caves - For their delicious brownie scraps!
Paul - He's so steady and patient, and a great leader. Thanks for putting up with us!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in May with Green Truck
We’ll be supporting CASA - Voices for Children of Benton and Lincoln Counties through all of May by donating a portion of every pint and can purchase of Green Truck to them. In a nutshell, our donation is going towards supporting children with essential clothing items and activity fees, as well as advocacy for their best interests.
About CASA - Voices for Children
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy on behalf of children in foster care. They are built on the foundation of everyday people contributing to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. CASA - Voices for Children trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for children within legal custody of the state in Benton & Lincoln Counties.
When a child in care is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively. Without the powerful voice of an advocate, children too often return to unsafe homes or languish in long-term foster care, risking future abuse or neglect.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - April 30th, 2025
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 Kelsey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Loaded Smoked Potato! (It’s a baked potato but smoked)!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, May 2nd
Fluff’s Travels // 6.80%
Description: Set sail with Fluff as we chart a course through world hop territories. This latest voyage takes us to France, bringing back Barbe Rouge hops. Zesty citrus aromas of orange and kumquat sail with ripe currant and strawberry hop characters.
Key Takeaway: A variant of our favorite hazy IPA, which remains focused on structure and drinkability but is made with select hops from a different part of the world.
Tasting Notes: Strawberry • Lemon Peel • Worldly
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
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.
Direct Flight // 5.30%
Description: Amidst months of gray skies, short days, and winter showers, we're ready for a direct flight to a tropical getaway. This tart IPA will take you there on waves of guava, strawberry, and a zesty dry-hop with Belma and Citra. Bright, tropical, and refreshingly tart—find your paradise with Direct Flight.
Key Takeaway: Designed after a trip to the tropics, this IPA is tart, hazy, and loaded to capacity with strawberry and guava.
Tasting Notes: Tropical • Tart • Non-stop
Format: Draft Only
Series: Pub Life
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 flavor-wise.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Caves Saison No. 004 // Farmhouse Ale
Series: Cellars
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Created for our sister restaurant, Caves Saison uses a solera method starting in our oak cask. We remove a fraction of the volume when peak character is reached; then, new beer is added and allowed to mature, increasing complexity with age. Batch 004's mother portion spent 24 months in the cask molding it into a lovely, fruit-forward saison.
The Beer Walker // Imperial IPA
Series: Orbital
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: We brewed this beer for our longtime friend and customer, Gary, "The Beer Walker.” This year, to celebrate his 80th birthday, we amplified it to an Imperial West Coast IPA with vibrant hops and a lush malt base that balances with a pleasant dryness.
Fresca Pils // Italian Pilsner
Series: Perennial
Releases: May 9th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: A crisp, hop-forward Italian-style pilsner brewed with Northwest pilsner malt and generously hopped with European Styrian hops, lending zippy notes of citrus, berries, and fresh-cut grass.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Joy
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 5/1.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Beer and Terroir
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Terroir is the French concept that a food or drink can be influenced by the land in which it was raised. It is most commonly used to describe the relationship between wine grapes and the region in which they were grown.
All agricultural products theoretically have the potential to be affected by terroir. Environmental factors influence us all, after all. Quality of soil, availability of water, length of growing season, average daily and nightly temperatures, wind, rain, flooding, smoke, and nutritional chemistry all vary from one square mile to another, worldwide. When we started our wine program, I was given the opportunity to select grapes from different areas of the same vineyards, and can tell you from experience that different lots in the same area can taste vastly different.
The same can be said for hop selection. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to select our hop lots each year, and it is one of the reasons that our beer performs so well within our markets.
Barley also expresses different qualities when grown in different regions, but is so highly modified during processing for brewing that only the basest of varieties are discernible from one another. Variance in malt is greatly affected by the maltsters themselves rather than by growing conditions and terroir.
For many generations, certain wild yeasts and bacteria used to spontaneously inoculate beers were believed to only reside in specific world regions, but modern biotechnology has proven this to be a myth. The same microbes that blow off the Senne in Pajottenland through dusty romantic barn attic coolships reside under an alley in Corvallis, just off the Willamette, in a slightly less romantic but still dusty coolship. Keep in mind that for ages, they thought that real sourdough could only be started in San Francisco. Gatekeeping, though understandable, isn’t constructive.
Water is tricky, because as brewers we generally strip it to perfectly pure via filtration, then treat it with salts and minerals to either imitate other regions' profiles or nudge our beer in the direction that we want it to go. As far as beer’s ingredients go, this one is least influenced by terroir.
I will argue that hops provide modern beer with the biggest sense of terroir that we can experience as drinkers. We currently have four different representatives of the worlds hop growing regions available to taste side by side, which is super fucking cool and I hope you take advantage of the opportunity. Check out
Sticky Hands - Joker’s Jest, Brewed with Harlequin Hops from Herefordshire, UK
Fluff’s Travels - Barbe Rouge, Brewed with Barbe Rouge from Alsace-Lorraine, France
45 Below, Brewed with Wai-iti, Pacific Jade, Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka, and Superdelic hops from the Nelson region of New Zealand
Deep Seek, Brewed with Citra, Chinook, El Dorado, Amarillo, and Simcoe hops from the Pacific Northwest
Let me know which region is producing which hop character that you love the most!
I’ll finish by stating that while I do believe that terroir influences the beer that we make, and as a maker, I take that into consideration, I don’t know that it’s necessarily the most exciting part of being someone who is passionate about beer. The best part of being a beer drinker, in my opinion, comes more from the place in which you enjoy the beer. Knowing that New Zealand hops are more tropical than UK hops is great, don’t get me wrong, but that knowledge isn’t half as valuable as our friendly servers, great quality food, dependable service, and welcoming establishments. For beer, in my opinion, the place in which it is enjoyed is by far more important than the place in which it came. That’s where you come in! Keep doing your best to make this place warm, welcoming, and enjoyable in every way, and people will keep coming back for another round.
Hilariously, here are two articles for further reading, one titled “There’s no such thing as terroir in beer” and one titled “Hops have Terroir.”
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Green Truck has been Promoted to a Year-Round Offering (woo!)
Similar to how we promoted Deep Seek last month, for May, we’re focusing on Green Truck. Not only are we sharing some additional information about this beer, but we’re celebrating that it’s been promoted to a year-round beer (or Perpetual).
At Our Locations During May
We’re planning a party to celebrate Green Truck’s promotion, which will be held on Memorial Day, May 26th, at the Tap Room. Beer, BBQ, Games… it’ll be fun! More details to come as the plans get finalized.
As with last month, we’d love to offer folks a taste of Green Truck. Use the information I’ve provided below to share additional details about the beer. It’s also our People’s Pint Tap this month, which should give you plenty of things to mention!
For merch, we have stickers to hand out to guests. T-shirts and Trucker Hats are available too!
Beer Info
Our take on the classic American Light Lager, 4.20% Green Truck is brewed always with the best Pacific Northwest grain, hops, and water. Work hard, drink easy, this beer is crafted for the crew.
Tasting Notes: Clean • Crisp • Classic
Dig Into the Details
Clark
The inspiration for the name Green Truck came from our first forklift, “Clark,” who put in a lot of hard work over the years and is still going strong. The beer is a symbol of simple, hard work. It might not be the flashiest, but it gets the job done and is there for those hot days working in the yard, a refresher at the end of a long shift, and bringing along camping with the crew.
Green Truck is a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, representing our commitment to sustainable brewing practices by sourcing local and regional ingredients, utilizing solar energy in the lagering process, and implementing mindful brewing practices extending to the shelves and taps. Green Truck is made primarily with Pure Idaho Pilsner malt, a 100% Idaho-grown barley from Great Western Malting.
Green Truck is a high-gravity brew watered back with filtered and deaerated water. The water we use at our Production Brewery in Southtown Corvallis comes from the Taylor Treatment Plant and the Rock Creek Treatment Plant. Taylor, located in Southeast Corvallis, draws water from the Willamette River, accounting for approximately 69% of our total water supply. 31% comes from Rock Creek, which draws from the east side of Mary’s Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range.
We chose Contessa hops for Green Truck, a United States-grown hop variety with Noble hop characteristics developed in Yakima Valley, Washington. The beer also features a strain of yeast tailored explicitly for light-lager production. All together, the ingredients in Green Truck add subtle notes of green tea, pear, and lemongrass to a crisp malt base.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
May Monthly Specials will go live at both locations Wednesday, May 7th!
Tap Room
Cold Cut Baguette - Salmon Creek Farms artisan ham, Genoa salami, and provolone layered with shredded lettuce tossed in a tangy oil & vinegar blend. Finished with sweet onion, tomato, and creamy mayo on a freshly baked sesame baguette. $15.99
Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich - Huli Huli marinated and grilled chicken thigh, creamy jalapeno-mango slaw & sriracha mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $16.99
Pub
Loco Moco - Coconut rice with rich mushroom gravy, a quarter-pound seasoned beef patty, and a sunny side up egg. Topped with house truffle hot sauce and green onion. $15.99
Smoked Salmon Spread House - smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion & capers, served with fresh veggies, lemon-black pepper marmalade, fried capers, and toasted artisan bread $14.99
Chickpea Salad Sandwich - Spiced chickpeas, celery, onion & pickles in a creamy vegan dressing, romaine lettuce & fresh tomato on lightly toasted artisan bread. $13.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Pineapple upside down cake is replacing carrot cake at the pub on Friday 5/9! A square slice of cardamom spiced rum cake, with the ubiquitous pineapple ring and cherry on top. Served with whipped cream.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
OSU Family Weekend is upon us! Remember to stay busy, stay positive, and tell your friends that they’re killing it any chance you get.
Please lean on your Lead Servers! They are your best resource for questions, comments, and concerns. 90% of your floor questions can be brought directly to a lead for much faster and more efficient resolution. Our leads are incredibly well versed and knowledgeable, take their feedback to heart!
Pomegranate Martini was a hit, so we will continue to run this special cocktail! We will drop the Pom Mimosa for now.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
It's going to be a hella fun and busy weekend! Stay hydrated and sling that beer/ food my friends!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Jack Derbenti - Taproom Cook
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in May with Green Truck
We’ll be supporting CASA - Voices for Children of Benton and Lincoln Counties this May by donating a portion of every pint and can purchase of Green Truck to them. In a nutshell, our donation is going towards supporting children with essential clothing items and activity fees, as well as advocacy for their best interests.
About CASA - Voices for Children
CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, provides advocacy on behalf of children in foster care. They are built on the foundation of everyday people contributing to make a difference in the lives of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. CASA - Voices for Children trains and supports community volunteers to advocate for children within legal custody of the state in Benton & Lincoln Counties.
When a child in care is going through the trauma of the court system, a CASA advocate is tirelessly working to guide them through safely, quickly, and effectively. Without the powerful voice of an advocate, children too often return to unsafe homes or languish in long-term foster care, risking future abuse or neglect.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - April 16th, 2025
General
Employee 4-pack Sale - Still Going…
Hey all! We slightly overproduced cans of Rocky Shores American IPA and Liquid Opulence Hazy IPA. As such, we will have 4 packs of these available to employees only for $8 a 4 pack. The beer is still super fresh and tasting great, just trying to move a few extra cases.
You must buy them as a set, no single cans. These are available at both the Taproom and Pub for folks to purchase. No limit!
*These can also still be sold to the public at FULL PRICE as long as they are in stock!
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 Alex S.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Lomo a lo Pobre!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, April 18th
Alpine Ibex // 7.00%
Description: 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.
Key Takeaway: Built on a PNW-grown Pure Idaho pilsner malt base, this Maibock is brewed to respect the tradition and classic attributes of this historic style but with a move to more sustainable sourcing of our ingredients. It's a part of our Lagered by the Sun program, using 100% PNW ingredients.
Tasting Notes: Graham Cracker • Noble Spice • Equinox
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Maibock
Bock is a family of dark, malty lagers originating in Germany. Maiock is the lightest, most hop-forward of all the beers in this category. Brewed late in winter, Maibock is traditionally released in May as a spring celebratory beer. Bock is also the German word for goat, which is why many bock-style beers traditionally have a picture of a goat on the label, and why ours is named Alpine Ibex. An Alpine ibex is a large mountain goat with huge arching horns found in the European Alps.
Sticky Hands: Joker’s Jest // 8.10%
Description: Our hop experience ale dosed with a twist of trouble. Harlequin Hops adds mischievous notes of strawberry guava and sweet tarts to our resinous and punchy Sticky Hands base.
Key Takeaway: Jokey Jokey Joke, here's a little toke. Add some harlequin to the mix, give it stir around times six. Calypso Salvo to the brew, new hop HBC-630, too. Take a card, read it twice, joker's jest is thrice as nice.
Tasting Notes: Dank • Grapefruit • Disobedience
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Future Focus: Fonio // 6.90%
Description: Future Focus is an experimental IPA brewed with an eye on tomorrow, allowing us to trial new products and brewing methods. For this batch, we made a Hazy IPA with the new malt, Fonio, a highly sustainable and gluten-free unmalted grain that produces flavors and aromas of tropical fruit and white wine.
Key Takeaway: We're always looking for new products to help advance our beers, which also add depth and complexity. Utilizing a new product in a novel manner is an excellent way of experimenting in that realm.
Tasting Notes: Nectarine • White Wine Grape • Novel
Format: Draft Only
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 h
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Board Shorts: Next Set // West Coast IPA
Series: Perennial
Releases: April 25th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed in memory of our dear friend and original bar manager, Seth. Notes of tropical and citrus fruits represent his bright and easy-going spirit, like rocking a pair of colorful board shorts. A portion of beer sales will be donated to the OHSU Brain Institute.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
We’re running this weekend’s sale Friday-Sunday!
This week’s beers are:
Pub & TR: Animal Cookies
TR only: Illuminated
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 4/17.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Joker’s Jest
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
This week, we’re releasing Sticky Hands, Joker’s Jest. Another variant on everybody's favorite Imperial IPA, Joker’s Jest was designed around a hop that’s completely new to us, Harlequin, grown in Castle Frome, Herefordshire, UK. The farm that these particular hops were selected from has been owned and managed by the Barrett family since 1860.
Goodrich Castle, Herefordshire
Bromyard Hop Festival, celebrating England's most prolific hop cultivating region since 1577
More commonly known for hops used in traditional English Ales, UK hops are famously spicy, woody, herbal, and earthy. Harlequin is one of the UK’s first attempts at cultivating an aromatic, fruit-forward hop meant to be used in modern American-style IPAs. Although marketed as tropical fruit forward with notes of peach, berry, and pineapple, we have found them to be more dank, resinous, and savory, with tropical and stone fruits taking a back seat.
Another cool addition to this beer is Calypso Salvo. Salvo, an advanced hop product consisting of CO2 hop extract with bitter Alpha acids removed, is great for adding hop aroma and flavor without adding bitterness. Calypso is a hop grown here in the USA, named for the mythical sea nymph who detained Odyseus for seven years, is known for its pear, apple, melon, stone fruit, citrus, herbal, and most interestingly black pepper character.
I’m happy with this beer, however, because I feel like all IPAs are slowly drifting toward tasting the same. We keep driving further from the depth of complexity, sturdy bitter backbones, and punchy hop characteristics to obtain as much drinkability and tropical fruit character that we can, and I think it’s robbing us of the beer we all fell in love with. Joker’s Jest is a great step, in my opinion, in the right direction. Getting IPA back to a place that isn’t only about explosive tropical fruit aroma is something that I’d like to work on going forward. After all, Sticky Hands is an Imperial IPA. It’s not supposed to be a sessionable beer. It’s supposed to be a hop experience. So, experience some new hops, and as always, let me know what you think.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Coming In May… Green Truck Graduates to a Perpetual Brand
Green Truck American Light Lager is getting a promotion to being a year-round beer! To celebrate, we’re highlighting it during May. Look for event details and talking points in the coming weeks.
Green Truck shirts will be on sale for employees next week, made in the same illustrative style as Deep Seek. The brewers helped me pick out the elements in the design, see if you can tell what they all are! They’re $20 retail and $16 with your employee discount. We also have Trucker Hats on the way, which will be here in May.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
May Monthly Specials will go live at both locations Wednesday, May 7th!
Tap Room
Cold Cut Baguette - Salmon Creek Farms artisan ham, Genoa salami, and provolone layered with shredded lettuce tossed in a tangy oil & vinegar blend. Finished with sweet onion, tomato, and creamy mayo on a freshly baked sesame baguette. $15.99
Huli Huli Chicken Sandwich - Huli Huli marinated and grilled chicken thigh, creamy jalapeno-mango slaw & sriracha mayo on a toasted brioche bun. $16.99
Pub
Loco Moco - Coconut rice with rich mushroom gravy, a quarter-pound seasoned beef patty, and a sunny side up egg. Topped with house truffle hot sauce and green onion. $15.99
Smoked Salmon Spread House - smoked salmon with cream cheese, red onion & capers, served with fresh veggies, lemon-black pepper marmalade, fried capers, and toasted artisan bread $14.99
Chickpea Salad Sandwich - Spiced chickpeas, celery, onion & pickles in a creamy vegan dressing, romaine lettuce & fresh tomato on lightly toasted artisan bread. $13.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Pomegranate Special! While we 86’d Rosemary Gin for the Sprig n Seed, we still have a decent backstock of Pomegranate Juice and Pomegranate Simple Syrup - so, let’s run a few special cocktails this week!
Pomegranate Mimosa: just like an OJ mimosa, but with Pom Juice instead.
Pomegranate Fruit Drop: a standard lemon drop, but made with Pom Simple instead of regular simple syrup.
You will see Pomegranate as a “Lemonade Flavor” in toast. This was just for ease in implementing “Pomegranate” to the current “Fruit Drop” button under “Cocktails,” please DO NOT use it for Fruit Lemonades or Fruit Vodka Lemonades! The Pomegranate Mimosa has its own button.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Please continue to promote Deep Seek with tastes (y’all have been doing excellent, I have gotten great feedback so far!) and encourage people, especially kids to “find Nemo” and explain the simple game!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
All of Block 15 for winning best regional brewery for the Willamette Valley at the Oregon Beer Awards!
Rachel - This super human has been doing an amazing job with scheduling. And she’s a badass bartender!
Levi- Thanks for always helping out where ever is needed and going above and beyond when doing projects around the Taproom. We appreciate you!
Spencer Gunn- Thanks for being amazing coverage in distro while Mike enjoys his vacay! You’re killing it!
James B.- Master juggler! Thank you for always working so hard and juggling so many projects. You lead such a great team, and your team hella loves you!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please continue to mention this program when you’re interacting with our guests!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - April 9th, 2025
General
Employee 4-pack Sale
Hey all! We slightly overproduced cans of Rocky Shores American IPA and Liquid Opulence Hazy IPA. As such, we will have 4 packs of these available to employees only for $8 a 4 pack. The beer is still super fresh and tasting great, just trying to move a few extra cases.
You must buy them as a set, no single cans. These are available at both the Taproom and Pub for folks to purchase. No limit!
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 Holly! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Goat Cheese & Jam Beef Sliders!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, April 11th
Deep Seek: Beer Pageant // 6.50%
Description: Deep Seek all dressed up for the big show. This version of Deep Seek had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Simcoe, Nectaron, and El Dorado added on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Deep Seek will surely be a crowd-pleaser.
Tasting Notes: Papaya • Orange Peel • Rosemary
Format: Draft Only
Series: Perpetual
Beer Style: West Coast IPA
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sticky Hands: Joker’s Jest // Hop Experience Ale
Series: Sticky Hands
Releases: April 18th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Our hop experience ale dosed with a twist of trouble. Harlequin Hops adds mischievous notes of strawberry guava and sweet tarts to our resinous and punchy Sticky Hands base.
Alpine Ibex // Maibock
Series: Perennial
Releases: April 18th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: 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.
Future Focus: Fonio // Hazy IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: April 18th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Future Focus is an experimental IPA brewed with an eye on tomorrow, allowing us to trial new products and brewing methods. For this batch, we made a Hazy IPA with the new malt, Fonio, a highly sustainable and gluten-free unmalted grain that produces flavors and aromas of tropical fruit and white wine.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
We’re running this weekend’s sale Friday-Sunday!
This week’s beers are:
TR: 45 Below and Rocky Shores
Pub: 45 Below and Cosmic Coldbrew
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 4/17.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Deep Seek Month
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
As we all know, this month, we are making a real effort to push Deep Seek to its rightful level of recognition within our fanbase. Sticky Hands gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so! Sticky is a badass beer. However, Deep Seek is a much better choice as a daily drinker. It has less alcohol, fewer calories, and just as much flavor and character as its imperial friend. It’s packed with uber-modern and expressive hops and advanced hop products on the bleeding edge of development. It is current, yet classic, and is as exciting as it is easy to enjoy. It’s approachable but refined. We’ve all been versed in Deep Seek’s deep and complex yet easily accessed brilliance, but I think the most important part of getting to know Deep Seek is finding what is exciting about it to you personally.
One of my favorite things about Deep Seek is its place as the perpetual West Coast IPA of a West Coast brewery. As far as culinary destinations go, the West Coast is a relatively young one. Places that have existed for far longer have a much more established identity associated with their food and drink. Think New Orleans, and your mind is filled with Cajun, Creole, and Bourbon. Think of France, and you likely think of fine wines, delicate pastries, and Coq au Vin. When I say India, I think of curries, samosa, and chai. The West Coast doesn’t yet have that world recognition of our signature dishes and beverages because they’re honestly still being cemented. But, if I was asked to design a meal around that idea, a West Coast IPA would be the drink I would choose to represent us, and I think a lot of folks would agree.
It is a beer invented at the end of the Oregon Trail, where people take the lessons learned by those before us and try to make improvements. Hops grown here are danker and more aromatic because our soil is so rich, and it translates into a more flavorful beer. We never had any rules placed on us by preexisting tradition, and we wouldn’t care if we did. The West Coast is the home of the weirdest, boldest, and bravest Americans alive, and it shows in the beer we brew and drink.
So, next time you are asked for a recommendation on a beer, remember that West Coast IPA is a part of our regional identity. It’s part of who we are. It’s not for everybody, but neither is hiking, whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, or most of the other things that make West Coast people so damned cool. It's for the bold.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Keep Highlighting Deep Seek
You all have done a great job highlighting the beer so far - keep it up! Beer Info will be here all month so you can find it easily.
⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Beer Info
Deep Seek is our 6.50% year-round West Coast IPA brewed with mountains of pungent, resinous hops. It captures depths of dank pine and bright citrus to complement your next adventure.
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, tangerine, mango, pineapple, fruit candy, iris, spruce, lemon rind
Take a Deep Dive 🤿
We explored the modern West Coast IPA recipe with Deep Seek, continually developing it over time to drive intense, punchy hop flavor and aroma that complement a crisp, lighter-bodied beer with balanced bitterness.
As we evolved Deep Seek over the last year, we introduced a new hop product, HyperBoost, a concentrated hop oil extract intended to amplify hop aromatics and increase yield. We really like how the Simcoe variety added brightness and intense aroma without affecting the body or bitterness of the beer.
We made Deep Seek West Coast IPA with primarily West Coast ingredients. Our focus on NW-grown malts, in particular, provides balance and body to this beer without it feeling heavy or overwhelming. Deep Seek has classic West Coast hop characteristics of pine, tangerine, and lemon rind, which come from a recipe of NW hops, Simcoe HyperBoost, and the New Zealand variety Nectaron. It’s bitter but not astringent, hoppy but not palate-wrecking.
Drinkability is key, and Deep Seek has become a hallmark of the Pacific Northwest beer landscape. It delivers an iconic West Coast IPA experience that pairs with many occasions.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We’ve had some incredibly busy days this past week and you all killed it! Game days can be bustling and overwhelming, but remember to lean on one another, be proactive, and always keep your eyes open for ways to help out the team!
If you haven’t yet claimed your prize for being a consistent quiz completer, come see Kira as soon as possible! The next opportunity for a reward will come up fast, so do your best to keep up with your quizzes!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Hey friends! We are replacing our canned offering Spiced Apple Cosmic Crisp with a more springy option! Pineapple Cosmic Crisp. Same price point but it is 8% ABV
At the Tap Room only, we are offering OSU Grad Appreciation Week! Just like the prior discount, we'll offer a free beverage (Up to $8 in value) with the purchase of any food item. Must present student ID to redeem. One redemption per person between April 7th and 13th.
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Maggie Speed - Maggie is always a joy to work with. She consistently has an amazing attitude and takes on every challenge with grace. The pub wouldn’t be the same without her!!
Autumn & Lindsey - For the amazing ongoing work in the bakery, the delicious cakes, cookies, and bread (and peanut butter pie, who are we kidding!), that keep people coming back to Block 15. Love you guys!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Charlotte Basura - Host/Food runner
Sophia Solares - Host/Food runner
Frederick Leake - Taproom Server
Everett Kupillas - Caves cook
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please let people know about this during the month, so there’s awareness for who we’re supporting!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - April 2nd, 2025
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 Tivey! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for Cottage Pie!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
No new releases this week!
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Deep Seek: Beer Pageant // West Coast IPA
Series: Perpetuals
Releases: April 11th
Format: Draft Only
Description: Deep Seek all dressed up for the big show. This version of Deep Seek had its dry hop cranked up to 11. With copious additions of Simcoe, Nectaron, and El Dorado added on top of our standard dry hopping regime, this version of Deep Seek will surely be a crowd-pleaser.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
We’re running this weekend’s sale Friday-Sunday!
This week’s beers are:
Illuminated and Rocky Shores
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 4/3.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
We Now Have Beer on Our Website
You can now learn about our beers, our beer series, and our beverage programs on our website. These pages are useful for fans looking to learn more about what we make, for our sales team to share information about our products easily, and for people who’ve never heard of us to find us when searching for local craft beer. Check out the pages when you have time! I gave you links for a couple of them to get you started.
April is Deep Seek Month!
Hi all, I hope you’re excited about Deep Seek :) I’m going to keep the information about the beer in here as the month goes on so that you have it available to you. If you haven’t picked up the Deep Seek shirt you pre-ordered, go get it! I dropped off a handful at the Pub for those who requested it. Otherwise, they’re at the Tap Room.
Beer Info
Deep Seek is our 6.50% year-round West Coast IPA brewed with mountains of pungent, resinous hops. It captures depths of dank pine and bright citrus to complement your next adventure.
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, tangerine, mango, pineapple, fruit candy, iris, spruce, lemon rind
Take a Deep Dive 🤿
We explored the modern West Coast IPA recipe with Deep Seek, continually developing it over time to drive intense, punchy hop flavor and aroma that complement a crisp, lighter-bodied beer with balanced bitterness.
As we evolved Deep Seek over the last year, we introduced a new hop product, HyperBoost, a concentrated hop oil extract intended to amplify hop aromatics and increase yield. We really like how the Simcoe variety added brightness and intense aroma without affecting the body or bitterness of the beer.
We made Deep Seek West Coast IPA with primarily West Coast ingredients. Our focus on NW-grown malts, in particular, provides balance and body to this beer without it feeling heavy or overwhelming. Deep Seek has classic West Coast hop characteristics of pine, tangerine, and lemon rind, which come from a recipe of NW hops, Simcoe HyperBoost, and the New Zealand variety Nectaron. It’s bitter but not astringent, hoppy but not palate-wrecking.
Drinkability is key, and Deep Seek has become a hallmark of the Pacific Northwest beer landscape. It delivers an iconic West Coast IPA experience that pairs with many occasions.
At Our Locations
Offer folks a small taste of Deep Seek! Please suggest this beer as an option to those you’ve verified are 21+ at either the table (Pub) or counter (TR). There’s a ton of good information above for you to use when talking to our guests about Deep Seek.
Deep Seek stickers are being handed out for free to the first 100 people who order Deep Seek at The Pub and Tap Room.
Our little diver helmet, Nemo, has been hidden for a fun scavenger hunt at the Tap Room. Check out Elise’s notes in the Tap Room section for more!
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
April monthly specials go live today!!!
PUB
Pina-Pepper Burger-Caramelized pineapple, pepper jack cheese, gochujang mayo & jalapeno chimichurri $17.99
Potato & Green Chile Flautas-Creamy, spicy potato and green chili wrapped in flour tortillas and fried crispy. Served with salsa borracha, sour cream, queso fresco & fresh radishes $12.99
Chickpea & Avocado Salad-Tender greens & romaine blend, julienned watermelon radish, crispy chickpeas, avocado and mint-chevre vinaigrette. Finished with crumbled chevre goat cheese & fresh basil. $12.99
TAP ROOM
Toasted Italian Eggplant Sandwich Breaded and fried eggplant, melted fresh mozzarella, Mama Lils’ sweet & hot peppers and basil mayo on house-baked ciabatta. $15.99
Bay Shrimp Hushpuppies Oregon bay shrimp hushpuppies fried golden with our apricot pepper jelly. $11.99
Shaved Ham Replacing Turkey
Starting today at the pub along with our monthly specials, we will be switching our turkey to a NW sourced shaved ham that is a far superior option! It is the same delicious ham we use on our ham benedict at Caves! The rest of the sandwich will remain the same and sliced turkey will no longer be available.
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Springtime brings us new desserts starting Friday, April 4th! Peanut butter pie will be replacing the cheesecake at both locations. Peanut butter mousse topped with our dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of peanuts around the edge. This is a fan fave, it’s basically a no-bake cheesecake that resembles a giant Reese’s!
Pub only: Carrot cake is on for April! Our same recipe in a new format (no more bells). Lightly spiced carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of candied walnuts.
TR only: We will be starting a rotation of cookie flavors in addition to the chocolate chip. First up is a delightfully springy Lavender Lemon cookie.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We should be making our switch to our new Rose this Week! Once we finish our last bottle of Anne Amie, we will switch to Dunham Cellars Rose. This is a fairly similar offering - a very approachable Rose with subtle sweetness.
Block Water and Cosmic Coldbrew have been temporarily cellared to make space for last week’s beer releases. As we see the Selection Series fall off, expect those spots to be filled back in with those offerings. We should also be seeing Joy back on our tap list in the near future!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
April is the month for Deep Seek! We will be featuring a fun little game called “Finding Nemo”, Nemo as you may know is the name of our cute little diver (helmet) that matches the Deep Seek logo. This guy has been apart of Block 15’s merch, the beers logo, and art around the restaurants for years. Every few weeks I will change the location of Nemo, for kids to find it within the restaurant (maybe outside at times once the weather is nicer) and as a reward for finding it, they will receive a piece of candy. Just good, silly fun! Nemo is currently hidden in plain sight, atop the Soup & Specials board. As time goes on I will make the hiding place more difficult, but we also want the kids to be able to find it. We will have a sign promoting this on top of the bar near the register, but feel free to promote it as you see families with kiddos!! 🥽
Block water has been temporarily cellared until there is tap space again, which should be in the next week or so. Stay tuned! 💧
Joy, our perpetual Hazy Pale Ale will return in draft and can format this Friday 4/4. You’ll see a lot of excitement around this, especially from some of our regular guests. 🥳Just to prevent confusion, 45 Below will not be out but moved to the second tap box, so Joy can live with the other standards in tap box 1.
For quality, sweet vermouth for things like a Manhattan cocktail should always be refrigerated. The Sweet vermouth now lives in the wine fridge on the bottom shelf with the open bottles 🍸
Every Thursday, Levi will be posting a physical copy of the Read and Sign document in the Taproom kitchen by the roster board. It will be a required read like the Brewsletter so please review this document at the beginning of your shift following the posting! Drop your initials clearly so you can get credit for staying up to date! This document will regard policy changes, upkeep of the restaurant, reminders, and more detailed feedback from managers. Should usually be pretty short! ✅
If you ever have any suggestions or questions, I would love to hear them! My email is elise@block15.com and I am (almost) always available for one on one conversations when in the office if you need support. 🍻 Cheers!
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Whoever decided to bring back Peanut Butter Pie!!! - For obvious reasons! Our PBP is fire!!!!
Ben Lieberthal - Ben has been picking up a ton of shifts lately and always does a great job! Thanks for everything you do to help out. We appreciate you!
All of BOH - Thank you all for being so flexible and understanding when it comes to FOH needs, mistakes, and shenanigans! We love you and we see how hard you work!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please let people know about this during the month, so there’s awareness for who we’re supporting!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - March 26th, 2025
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 actually be the Pasta a la Vodka Gochuchang, brought to you by Ryan L.! Swing by the Pub this Thursday!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, March 28th
Demo Tape - Side A // 7.00%
Description: Sometimes, a side of a tape is so good you've got to play it again. Rewound and cranked up, Side A features the dynamic duo of Talus and Krush hops, blasting notes of citrus and tropical fruits dripping in hop resin. Smash that play button.
Key Takeaway: Our favorite of the two-sided mixtape we recorded last year, we decided to bring back the West Coast version. HBC-586 hops received a name, Krush, and shows off piney, dank herb and spice notes that balance with tropical fruit and citrus. Talus is there in support.
Tasting Notes: Mango • Grapefruit • On Repeat
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Sol Fresco // 5.25%
Description: Brewed for warm days in the sun and packaged fresh for your enjoyment. This golden-hued lager balances gentle corn sweetness, light hop bitterness, and aroma with a crisp, clean finish.
Key Takeaway: Our take on mexican lager, this falls neatly between the two extremes of the styles spectrum. From Negra to Clara, Sol Fresco pours a medium amber and showcases the very best of both worlds. Brewed with 100% domestic malt and 100% PNW hops.
Tasting Notes: Crisp • Add a Lime • Crusher
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Perennial
Beer Style: Mexican Lager
Established by Austrian and German immigrants to Texas and Mexico, these beers were originally Vienna-style lagers brewed with Maize. The style is controversial, though, as it can refer to a lot of different beers. Generally, the name is given to a low IBU lager with a clean fermentation profile and extremely high clarity. Macro breweries use corn in their mash to achieve a highly crisp drinking experience at low cost, but craft brewers sometimes prefer to use flaked maize in its place as it has had proteins, oils, and other components removed and is generally a higher-quality ingredient.
Prickle // 6.00%
Description: A complex Oud Bruin aged for 5 years in white oak barrels and conditioned on blackberries and raspberries. Tart yet balanced, with notes of dark fruit, vanilla, and wild funk. The extended aging creates extraordinary depth and a refreshingly dry finish. A celebration of brewing patience rewarded.
Key Takeaway: Extraordinarily aged Oud Bruin made from 3 select white oak barrels, stored at least five years in our subterranean wild cellar in Downtown Corvallis.
Tasting Notes: Summer Berries • Oak • Longevity
Format: Draft Only
Series: Cellars
Beer Style: Oud Bruin
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Check back next week!
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
We’re running this weekend’s sale Friday-Sunday!
This week’s beers are:
TR: Selection Series, Centennial & Citra
Pub: Selection Series, Simcoe & Strata
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 4/3.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
April is Deep Seek Month!
During April, we’re focusing on Deep Seek company-wide. I shared this information about the beer last week, but I’m keeping it in this week so it’s easily found.
About the Beer (Study this!)
Deep Seek is our 6.50% year-round West Coast IPA brewed with mountains of pungent, resinous hops. It captures depths of dank pine and bright citrus to complement your next adventure.
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, tangerine, mango, pineapple, fruit candy, iris, spruce, lemon rind
Take a Deep Dive 🤿
We explored the modern West Coast IPA recipe with Deep Seek, continually developing it over time to drive intense, punchy hop flavor and aroma that complement a crisp, lighter-bodied beer with balanced bitterness.
As we evolved Deep Seek over the last year, we introduced a new hop product, HyperBoost, a concentrated hop oil extract intended to amplify hop aromatics and increase yield. We really like how the Simcoe variety added brightness and intense aroma without affecting the body or bitterness of the beer.
We made Deep Seek West Coast IPA with primarily West Coast ingredients. Our focus on NW-grown malts, in particular, provides balance and body to this beer without it feeling heavy or overwhelming. Deep Seek has classic West Coast hop characteristics of pine, tangerine, and lemon rind, which come from a recipe of NW hops, Simcoe HyperBoost, and the New Zealand variety Nectaron. It’s bitter but not astringent, hoppy but not palate-wrecking.
Drinkability is key, and Deep Seek has become a hallmark of the Pacific Northwest beer landscape. It delivers an iconic West Coast IPA experience that pairs with many occasions.
At Our Locations
We’d like to offer folks a small taste of Deep Seek. Please suggest this beer as an option to those you’ve verified at 21+ at either the table (Pub) or counter (TR). There’s a ton of good information above for you to use when talking to our guests about Deep Seek.
Deep Seek stickers will be handed out for free to the first 100 people who order beer at The Pub and Tap Room.
Ian (COO) has a little diver helmet he’s lent us for a fun scavenger hunt at the Tap Room. (see below) We’ll be moving this guy around periodically throughout the month, and the kids who spot it get a prize (candy).
If you have a chance, help us name it! Check the Sling newsfeed under Marketing Updates to submit a name or vote by Friday!
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
April Monthly Specials Preview!!!
PUB
Pina-Pepper Burger-Caramelized pineapple, pepper jack cheese, gochujang mayo & jalapeno chimichurri $17.99
Potato & Green Chili Flautas-Creamy, spicy potato and green chili wrapped in flour tortillas and fried crispy. Served with salsa borracha, sour cream, queso fresco & fresh radishes $12.99
Chickpea & Avocado Salad-Tender greens & romaine blend, julienned watermelon radish, crispy chickpeas, fresh avocado, and mint-chevre vinaigrette $12.99
TAP ROOM
Toasted Italian Eggplant Sandwich Breaded and fried eggplant, melted fresh mozzarella, sweet & hot peppers and basil mayo on house baked ??? (still testing which bread to use) $15.99
Pimento Cheese Fritters w/ apricot pepper jelly $11.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Springtime brings us new desserts starting Friday, April 4th! Peanut butter pie will be replacing the cheesecake at both locations. Peanut butter mousse topped with our dark chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of peanuts around the edge. This is a fan fave, it’s basically a no-bake cheesecake that resembles a giant Reese’s!
Pub only: Carrot cake is on for April! Our same recipe in a new format (no more bells). Lightly spiced carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of candied walnuts.
TR only: We will be starting a rotation of cookie flavors in addition to the chocolate chip. First up is a delightfully springy Lavender Lemon cookie.
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We have made our switch from the Weihenstephaner NA to Fieldwork’s NA Hazy! If you have any feedback on this product from guests, please pass it along to Kira. Fieldwork has a few other NA offerings that we may explore if we have positive feedback on this product.
Be on the lookout for a new GF offering as we phase out of Mutantis - we loved working with this company, but unfortunately their storefront is closing which means we’re on the hunt for a new product!
Rose will also be getting an update! As soon as we run through our current stock of Anne Amie, we will be shifting into Dunham Cellars’ Rose Wine from Walla Walla Valley! This is a 100% Cabernet Franc Rose with a subtle sweetness that provides an extremely approachable flavor.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Grad Student Appreciation! Like we did a few weeks ago for the Honors College, April 7th- 13th we will be providing the same discount for a free beverage up to an $8 value with a purchase on a food item $5 or more, students just have to show their ID for the discount! Make sure to provide them with their stand too :)
Our new Nitro tap has been working great! It does have a delicate system where you pour for 10-15 seconds at a 45 degree angle with the glass, turn off, let settle for 10 seconds so the system can reprime and pour for another 15 second increment. Continue this process until you have a beer with about ¾ inch head on it. Please reach out to management if you need help practicing!
We are temporarily out of Block Water until we can make space for it again with the addition of the nitro tap.
It's the return on the Read and Sign! We will be starting back up the Read and sign document published once a week where managers deliver specific feedback and content on focuses or improvements to be made week to week. Just like the Brewsletter it is required to stay up to date on and is jam packed with everything you need to know to help you be successful as an employee of Block 15 :)
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
James B - You are such an incredible kitchen manager! Thank you for always being 5 steps ahead and often seeing things that might be missed otherwise. For fixing all the problems we face without complaint (like 2 pieces of equipment dying on us in the same week!) And juggling so much in our little taproom kitchen. This place would not be the same without you. Thanks for all the hard work you put in, each and every damn day.
Holly Amlin - You are so incredible at what you do! Your content creation is amazing and we are so lucky to have you managing the success of marketing Block 15, along with Caves. It's a big job, but in the hands of yourself and now Ryan, who is also killing it, we know we will continue to be successful in the online and print world which is important to the success for our restaurants as a whole.
Rachel Z- For killing scheduling even with all the requests you constantly receive, juggling last minute coverage and always having your gameface on behind the bar too!
Myles - Dude, keep being the ray of sunshine that you are. Thank you for always being so fun and positive to work with, even on the long days!
Spencer G - The team would not be the same without you, thank you for always seeing what you can help with, and providing well thought through, positively delivered feedback to continuously improve all of our jobs. You are exceptionally great at following policies and setting a great example for others in a way to complete each task to the fullest and not leaving it for the next. You ALWAYS go the extra mile and it does not go unnoticed. The amount of kindness you show others day to day in every interaction is unmatched. Keep being a bad ass!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Check back next week!
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please let people know about this during the month, so there’s awareness for who we’re supporting!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - March 19th, 2025
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 Ryan Larson! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a Pasta a la Vodka Gochujang!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, March 21st
Animal Cookies // 7.00%
Description: Brewed for the hop-loving animal inside of you, this can is packed with sticky, pungent hops. Unleash a swirling circus of pineapple, tangerine, mango, pine, and dank herb hop characters.
Key Takeaway: The very best that hazy IPA has to offer. Balanced with plenty of structure to prevent flabbiness often associated with the style.
Tasting Notes: Ripe Papaya • Navel Orange • Unchained
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Illuminated // 8.90%
Description: 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.
Key Takeaway: 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 • Clove • Enlightened
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Queen’s Head // 4.00%
Description: This beer showcases the depth that a careful selection of specialty malt can obtain. Not overly hopped but balanced, it drinks light and refreshing, with the fans of malt in mind. Offered solely on cask and nitro, we designed this beer to be the perfect springtime classic to welcome back our two favorite alternative serving styles, which have been out of commission since 2020.
Key Takeaway: Brewed with a cacophony of specialty malt, this beer shows complexity doesn't always have to carry weight.
Tasting Notes: Toast • Nutty • Classic
Format: Draft Only (Nitro & Cask)
Series: Pub Life
Beer Style: English Mild
See Garrison’s Beer 101 for more info.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Sol Fresco // Mexican Lager
Series: Perennial
Releases: March 28th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed for warm days in the sun and packaged fresh for your enjoyment. This golden-hued lager balances gentle corn sweetness, light hop bitterness, and aroma with a crisp, clean finish.
Demo Tape - Side A // West Coast IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: March 28th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Sometimes, a side of a tape is so good you've got to play it again. Rewound and cranked up, Side A features the dynamic duo of Talus and Krush hops, blasting notes of citrus and tropical fruits dripping in hop resin. Smash that play button.
Prickle // Oud Bruin with Blackberries and Raspberries
Series: Cellars
Releases: March 28th
Format: Draft Only
Description: A complex Oud Bruin aged for 5 years in white oak barrels and conditioned on blackberries and raspberries. Tart yet balanced, with notes of dark fruit, vanilla, and wild funk. The extended aging creates extraordinary depth and a refreshingly dry finish. A celebration of brewing patience rewarded.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Rocky Shores
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is this Thursday, 3/20.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: The Queen’s Head and the History of Cask, Nitro, and English Mild Ales
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Cask-conditioned ale represents one of brewing's most venerable traditions, dating back centuries to when British publicans would receive beer in wooden casks where it would continue fermenting and developing complex flavors. This traditional method—where beer naturally carbonates in the vessel it's served from—creates a distinctively smooth, lightly carbonated brew with nuanced flavors that can't be replicated through modern kegging. The 1970s saw the formation of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) in the UK, dedicated to preserving this brewing heritage that was being threatened by mass-produced, filtered beers. Meanwhile, nitro beers emerged as an innovative variant in the 20th century, most famously pioneered by Guinness in 1959 with their iconic nitrogen-dispensing system that produces that mesmerizing cascade effect and velvety mouthfeel we've come to love.
Today, craft breweries worldwide are rediscovering these time-honored techniques, recognizing that cask and nitro methods offer unique expressions of their brews that can't be achieved through standard carbonation. The lower carbonation levels allow subtler malt characters to shine through, while the nitrogen-infusion creates an unparalleled creamy texture that transforms the drinking experience. We're thrilled to announce the return of our cask and nitro programs featuring The Queen’s Head - English Mild—a perfect showcase for these traditional serving methods that highlight the beer's intricate malt backbone and delicate balance without overwhelming carbonation. Join us in celebrating these brewing traditions that connect us to centuries of craft and community!
English Mild History
The English Mild has roots stretching back to the 1800s, though it wasn't always the lower-alcohol, malt-forward beer we know today. Originally, "mild" simply meant young, fresh beer that hadn't aged or soured—contrasting with "old" or "stale" ales popular at the time. By the early 20th century, Mild had evolved into the working-class beer of choice across England—a nourishing, affordable pint for coal miners and factory workers at the end of their shifts. Though its popularity waned in the post-war decades as lagers began dominating the market, Mild has experienced a renaissance in recent years. Today's versions, like our Queens Head English Mild, honor this heritage with their subtle complexity, gentle roasted notes, caramel sweetness, and remarkable drinkability that makes them perfect session beers. Though modest in alcohol and assertiveness, these beers offer a depth of character that rewards the attentive drinker.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
April is Deep Seek Month!
Over this year, we’ll be spending some dedicated time with a few chosen Perpetual beers for one-month periods of time. During April, we’re focusing on Deep Seek company-wide. This means that everyone is highlighting it across the board. The brewery has planned to keep us stocked with fresh beer, sales are planning events with it, and at our locations, we have special merch to hand out.
About the Beer
Deep Seek is our 6.50% year-round West Coast IPA brewed with mountains of pungent, resinous hops. It captures depths of dank pine and bright citrus to complement your next adventure.
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, tangerine, mango, pineapple, fruit candy, iris, spruce, lemon rind
Take a Deep Dive 🤿
We explored the modern West Coast IPA recipe with Deep Seek, continually developing it over time to drive intense, punchy hop flavor and aroma that complement a crisp, lighter-bodied beer with balanced bitterness.
As we evolved Deep Seek over the last year, we introduced a new hop product, HyperBoost, a concentrated hop oil extract intended to amplify hop aromatics and increase yield. We really like how the Simcoe variety added brightness and intense aroma without affecting the body or bitterness of the beer.
We made Deep Seek West Coast IPA with primarily West Coast ingredients. Our focus on NW-grown malts, in particular, provides balance and body to this beer without it feeling heavy or overwhelming. Deep Seek has classic West Coast hop characteristics of pine, tangerine, and lemon rind, which come from a recipe of NW hops, Simcoe HyperBoost, and the New Zealand variety Nectaron. It’s bitter but not astringent, hoppy but not palate-wrecking.
Drinkability is key, and Deep Seek has become a hallmark of the Pacific Northwest beer landscape. It delivers an iconic West Coast IPA experience that pairs with many occasions.
At Our Locations
We’d like to offer folks a small taste of Deep Seek. Please suggest this beer as an option to those you’ve verified at 21+ at either the table (Pub) or counter (TR). There’s a ton of good information above for you to use when talking to our guests about Deep Seek.
Besides posters, table tents, and a piece of wall art, we have Deep Seek stickers to hand out for free. The Pub and Tap Room each get 100, making these an exclusive little token to those who order Deep Seek (while sticker supplies last).
We have Deep Seek t-shirts landing, too! I’ll hold aside sizes for those who have expressed interest in one already.
Ian (COO) has a little diver helmet he will lend us for a fun scavenger hunt at the Tap Room - more on that next week.
Out in the Wild
Our sales team has been pre-selling Deep Seek with what’s called “Stack Designs.” These are larger pieces of branded posters and signs that you see with beer in stores. Keep an eye out for them!
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
April Monthly Specials Preview!!!
PUB
Pina-Pepper Burger - Caramelized pineapple, pepper jack cheese, gochujang mayo & jalapeno chimichurri $17.99
Potato & Green Chili Flautas - Creamy, spicy potato and green chili wrapped in flour tortillas and fried crispy. Served with salsa borracha, sour cream, queso fresco & fresh radishes $12.99
Chickpea & Avocado Salad - Tender greens & romaine blend, julienned watermelon radish, crispy chickpeas, fresh avocado, and mint-chevre vinaigrette $12.99
TAP ROOM
Toasted Italian Eggplant Sandwich Breaded and fried eggplant, melted fresh mozzarella, sweet & hot peppers and basil mayo on house baked ??? (still testing which bread to use) $15.99
Pimento Cheese Fritters w/ apricot pepper jelly $11.99
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week!
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Buckle up for some more Drink Menu changes! First things first, we are going to be changing our well tequila offering from Altos Reposado to Cazadores Reposado. Cazadores has a rich history dating back to 1922 in Jalisco, Mexico. “Cazadores,” which translates to “The Hunters,” represents the journey one man made as he set out to develop the world’s best tequila, a recipe that was passed down from generation to generation. If you guys are curious and would like to learn more, please check out the Cazadores website linked here!
This change will occur gradually as we move through our current stock of Altos.
Two more new cocktails for you all!
Whiskey A Goji will replace the Current Mood
Bourbon cocktail with Cocchi Rosa and Goji tea infused simple syrup
Painkiller will replace the Sprig & Seed
Appleton and Flor De Cana Rum blend featuring orange, pineapple, and coconut cream
Time to sell those Super Nebula bottles! Beginning on Sunday, March 23rd, Super Nebula and all of its variants (Breakfast with Hayden, Ceylon Praline, and Kriek) will be eligible for our 20% off Sunday Discount. There are folks that have been waiting for these bottles to go on sale, so it’s important to advertise this update. It’s also important to note that bottle limits have been lifted, so sell those bottles, team!
With the release of Queen’s Head this week, I wanted to make extra clear how this beer will be sold. We’ve had a nitro tap installed as well as repairs made to our cask system, so this beer will be offered in both of those styles! Cask will be poured as 20oz ONLY.
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
High Fives
Chris Heuchert - Chris expertly installed a phone mount in my car. I had been putting this chore off for AGES! Thanks Chris! You Rock!
Salem - Bless your soul for taking care of the urinal disaster of 2025. You were very brave. I’m so sorry. It shouldn’t have been like that, but it was, and we appreciate your efficient use of bleach. :/ and we appreciate you for lots of other reasons, too.
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Rylan Vaughn–Dish
Jenna Joham–Prep
Robert Fisher–Dish
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April with Deep Seek
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them. Please let people know about this during the month, so there’s awareness for who we’re supporting!
About Grace Center
They provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of older adults and adults with a disability so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes. The center specializes in both memory care and post-rehabilitation, serving adults with dementia, those recovering from strokes or brain injuries, and others. Grace Center’s services also provide vital respite to caregivers.
What is The People's Pint?
We strive to make a positive impact on the community by supporting local non-profit groups focusing on issues such as health and wellness, education, and environmental sustainability. The People's Pint program allows us to contribute to the overall well-being of our community.
Internal Brewsletter - March 12th, 2025
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 Murphy! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for a French Dip Sandwich!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, March 14th
Ancient Grove // 5.00%
Description: Our GABF Gold-winning recipe, Ancient Grove, is brewed in the German Altbier tradition with extended cold conditioning. Beautiful caramel-rich malts are balanced with a crisp and refreshing finish.
Key Takeaway: Gold Medal winning recipe blending the styles of lager and ale. using top fermenting yeast at lower than normal temperatures we are able to capture the mouthfeel and depth of an ale with the crisp clean finish of a lager.
Tasting Notes: Toffee • Fresh Baked Bread • Tradition
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Orbital
Beer Style: Amber Ale (traditional Altbier - See Garrison’s Beer 101 for more info)
45 Below // 7.00%
Description: Hemispheres collide. Southern hops meet northern ambition, unleashing waves of tropical lychee and citrus flavors from Superdelic, Riwaka, and Nelson Sauvin that dance across 90 degrees of latitude.
Key Takeaway: Uses the best of both worlds, NW grains and NZ hops to create a light, clean flavorful NZ IPA
Tasting Notes: Lychee • Candied Fruits • No Worries
Format: Draft & Cans
Series: Emerging
Beer Style: New Zealand IPA
Lighter in body and ABV, these beers are sessionable. Lots of hop character without much bitterness and a lot of tropical and white wine hop aroma from exotic NZ hops like Riwaka, Rakau, Pacific Jade, Pacific Sunrise, Superdelic, Nectaron, Motueka, and more.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Queen’s Head // English Mild
Series: Pub Life
Releases: March 21st
Format: Draft Only (Nitro & Cask)
Description: This beer showcases the depth that a careful selection of specialty malt can obtain. Not overly hopped but balanced, it drinks light and refreshing, with the fans of malt in mind. Offered solely on cask and nitro, we designed this beer to be the perfect springtime classic to welcome back our two favorite alternative serving styles, which have been out of commission since 2020.
Animal Cookies // Hazy IPA
Series: Perennial
Releases: March 21st
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Brewed for the hop-loving animal inside of you, this can is packed with sticky, pungent hops. Unleash a swirling circus of pineapple, tangerine, mango, pine, and dank herb hop characters.
Illuminated // Belgian Tripel
Series: Orbital
Releases: March 21st
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: 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.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Cosmic Coldbrew
All Super Nebula and Kriek 2025 release bottles will now be available for the Sunday 20% off discount starting this Sunday, March 16th.
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is Thursday, 3/20.
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Altbier
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
Altbier, originating in Düsseldorf, Germany, is a traditional copper-colored German ale dating back to the 13th century. This top-fermented beer persisted even as bottom-fermented lagers gained popularity throughout Germany, with "alt" meaning "old" in German, referencing its ancient brewing style. Characterized by its clean, crisp profile with a moderate maltiness and pronounced hop bitterness, Altbier undergoes a cold conditioning (lagering) period after primary fermentation, giving it a smooth character that marries ale complexity with lager drinkability. The style presents a medium body with caramel and toasted malt flavors, balanced by spicy, herbal hop notes, and moderate bitterness. The long and short is that Altbier is a combination of ale and lager brewing styles, and represents a relic of the past that persists to this day.
Ancient Grove, our Great American Beer Festival gold medal-winning Altbier, is themed after the native oak savannahs that covered the hilltops of the Willamette Valley lowlands. The image on our can depicts an oak, showing its roots as well as its branches, inspired by traditional illustrations of the Tree of Life. This image is associated with the archetype “as above, so below,” which ties in nicely to the beer's top-fermenting vs. bottom-fermenting nature.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Check back next week!
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
Don’t sleep on getting your food feedback written down and sent to me!
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week!
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick's Day! Let’s show some team spirit and come dressed and accessorized in green, remember to encourage Green Truck (draft and cans) as well as Charmed Life (cans) to help people celebrate!
April is the month of Deep Seek! To help us all hone our skills and get back to our roots, we’re going to spend dedicated months this year focusing on one of our beers from our Perpetual Series. Our perpetual beers (Sticky Hands, Nebula, Ridgeback Red, Fluffhead, Joy, and Deep Seek) are beers of all different styles that almost never leave our tap list. These are offerings that guests from all over the country have come to associate with Block 15, so we should be as knowledgeable as we can on these. Look forward to fun facts, fun merch, and lots of Deep Seek in April!
New cocktails are coming to the Pub! For the next two weeks expect some cocktails to fall off and their replacements to come on. For now, here are your two changes:
Earl Grey Paloma replaces the Ginger Spice Hot Toddy
This is a tequila cocktail infused with grapefruit, orange, Earl Grey tea with lime juice
Don’t Panic replaces the Hot Spiked Cider
This is a gin cocktail featuring Blueberry Lavender Lemonade and a spritz of absinthe topped with Prosecco
With those menu changes also comes our seasonal rotation of our lemonade flavor. We will phase out Marionberry and switch to a Blueberry Lavender. Most of these changes should take place on Friday, March 14, but some may come once their predecessor falls off for good - make sure to check those pre-shift boards!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick's Day! Let’s show some team spirit and come dressed and accessorized in green, remember to encourage Green Truck (draft and cans) as well as Charmed Life (Draft) to help people celebrate!
On that note, Charmed life is gone in distribution, so we are going to keep Charmed life 86’d on draft until St. Paddy’s Day to save the half keg we have left for the holiday! Sadly, we are already out of cans! 🍀
April is the month of Deep Seek! To help us all hone our skills and get back to our roots, we’re going to spend dedicated months this year focusing on one of our beers from our Perpetual Series. Our perpetual beers (Sticky Hands, Nebula, Ridgeback Red, Fluffhead, Joy, and Deep Seek) are beers of all different styles that almost never leave our tap list. These are offerings that guests from all over the country have come to associate with Block 15, so we should be as knowledgeable as we can on these. Look forward to fun facts, fun merch, and lots of Deep Seek in April! 🍻
Stay tuned for a new cocktail in the next few weeks created by Mak 🍹
As we gear up for Spring & Summer, please let your management team know if you see anything that needs improved, replaced, or guests request something we don’t have. While not all these requests will be fulfilled, it's really nice to get an idea of what people are looking for that we are missing! (Cornhole bags went missing at some point this Winter, but they have now been ordered and are on the way!)
Focus this week: 86 communication & waste logging📝
Caves Updates
By Aidan Welch, General Manager
One more week until Spring! As we get into the much needed warmer weather, we’ll be opening our streetside windows and having some exciting new items for both dinner and brunch!
Here are some fun new drinks that have just joined the menu or will be very soon!
Isenhower Malbec from Walla Walla, WA.
Some delicious dark berries, notes of dry herbs and cracked pepper
Malvasia from Pago Casa Gran in Spain.
An ancient white wine varietal from the Mediterranean. Very unique rustic fruit that will be an excellent pairing with the Spring weather and bright sunshine!
Bourbon Barrel Aged - Flander’s Red from Dirt Road Brewing
N/A Fluff and Ease
Using our N/A Ritual Gin and blackberry puree, this is an excellent chance to try out our most popular cocktail with an N/A spin on it!
We have an upcoming new Hash on our brunch menu!
There will be some busy weekends coming up this season, so definitely snag a reservation to join us for some kickass brunches and tasty dinners!
And shout out to Luke as he steps into becoming one of our kickass bartenders!
High Fives
Murphy! - Murphy is just a joy to work with! She is always on top of things and is a hard worker!
Levi S. - Thank you for coming in on your days off to make sure things are cleaned and well maintained! Your hard work never goes unnoticed or unappreciated.
Kylie! - Whenever I work with Kylie I always have a great time! She is sweet and always gets things done!
Goodie - You are one of a kind—an incredibly complex, kind, intelligent, respectful, and beautiful individual. You will go so far in this life. I hope you don't forget about us too fast. We won't forget about you. It's been great growing up with you. Love forever, your B15 brother. p.s. bad pancake no crying in the walk-in.
Whitney - Where have you been all my life?
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Faith Holmes–Host
Christopher Gorton–TR Server
Charitable Programs
People’s Pint Tap in April
We’ll be supporting Grace Center for Adult Day Services this April by donating a portion of every pint and can purchased of Deep Seek to them.
Grace Center sent this along about who they are:
The only certified adult day center in Linn, Benton, and Polk counties, Grace Center is a unique and needed service for the community. We are a non-profit organization with the mission to provide day services that optimize the cognitive and physical abilities of seniors and adults with disabilities so they can remain as independent as possible and in their homes.
More details to come!
Internal Brewsletter - March 5th, 2025
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 Patience! Swing by the Pub this Thursday for an Italian Grinder!
We’re always looking for more submissions, so send in those ideas!
This Week’s Releases
Releasing Friday, March 7th
Selection Series // 7.00%
Description: See Garrison’s Beer 101 for the farms & tasting notes
Key Takeaway: 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.
Format: Draft & Cans
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.
Upcoming Releases
*This list is subject to change based on the production schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Ancient Grove // Amber Ale
Series: Orbital
Releases: March 14th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Our GABF Gold-winning recipe, Ancient Grove, is brewed in the German Altbier tradition with extended cold conditioning. Beautiful caramel-rich malts are balanced with a crisp and refreshing finish.
45 Below // New Zealand IPA
Series: Emerging
Releases: March 14th
Format: Draft & Cans
Description: Hemispheres collide. Southern hops meet northern ambition, unleashing waves of tropical lychee and citrus flavors from Superdelic, Riwaka, and Neleon Sauvin that dance across 90 degrees of latitude.
Queen’s Head // English Mild
Series: Pub Life
Releases: March 14th
Format: Nitro & Cask Only
Description: This beer showcases the depth that a careful selection of specialty malt can obtain. Not overly hopped but balanced, it drinks light and refreshing, with the fans of malt in mind. Offered solely on cask and nitro, we designed this beer to be the perfect springtime classic to welcome back our two favorite alternative serving styles, which have been out of commission since 2020.
Crowler/Package Sale for Sippin’ Sunday
20% off all packaged beer to-go, $5 Crowlers, and $10 Growler fills all-day Sunday of a specific beer.
This week’s beer is: Rocky Shores
Change of discount rule across all locations: All Super Nebula and Kriek 2025 release bottles will NOT be available for the Sunday 20% off discount until mid-March.
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!
4:00 pm Every Other Thursday @ the Pub
The next Happy Hour is this Thursday, 3/6!
Join us every other Thursday in the Game Room at the Pub to taste through beers, discuss our beers, brewing, or any other related topics you have questions about. This is a casual session, and anyone is welcome to attend. If you have an interesting bottle of beer you would like to taste/share with the group, bring it in. Your first beer is on us if you attend.
Beer 101: Selection Series
By Garrison Schmidt, Head Brewer
It’s that time of year! Our brew team is wrapping up packaging one of our favorite releases of the year, the Selection Series. Each year we travel to Yakima, in the heart of Washington’s hop country and the densest hop cultivation region in the world, to select lots of our most used hops. Not all breweries, especially our size, get the opportunity, which is one reason our beer stands out in the crowd. We choose hops not only to get the most interesting, aromatic, and delicious hops that we can but also to play defense against bad lots that can lead to off and undesirable characteristics. It is an important exercise that we take seriously, and are excited to showcase each year when the new lots finally arrive.
This year, we showcased Citra, Strata, and Centennial, but as always, we left the last choice up to our fans. They picked Simcoe, and we’re finally ready to release the mixed four packs to the world. Here are three of my tasting notes on the final products and the farm they came from.
Centennial: CLS Farms, Yakima WA - Lemon Rind, Rose Water, Pine Pitch
Strata: F&D Farms, Woodburn OR - Grapefruit, Strawberry Candy, Lemon Diesel
Simcoe: Double R Ranch, Harrah WA - Red Lifesaver, Lychee, Blue Spruce
Citra: BT Loftus Farms, Yakima WA - Fresh squeezed Orange juice, Dole Pineapple cup, lime dumdums
Be sure to try each and compare them. These are single-hop beers that share an otherwise identical recipe. That is a great opportunity to experience each of these legendary hops in their purest forms. Talk about them with other folks around your same tasting level, and with folks who seem to have more advanced palates.
Drinking beer with folks who have more advanced palates is the absolute best way to develop your own. Feel encouraged to engage with customers who are trying flights and see which are their favorites, what distinct aromas and flavors they can discern, etc. This is a really fun project that takes a lot of work on our side, so please have fun with it and use it to your advantage. As always, I’d love any feedback at garrison@block15.com.
Marketing Updates
By Holly Amlin, Marketing & Creative Manager
Selection Series Release this Friday
Garrison dropped in some great information above for you ahead of the beer release. Make sure you’re ready with some talking points for when customers ask about the program!
Like I mentioned last week, you’ll have printouts for the taster glasses (below), which include these tasting notes. There are also informational cards with information about the program if people want to know more. I can’t wait to hear what people think about each variety and to see which one is the fan favorite!
I’m adding information on our website today (linked bleow) with a list of places that people can find the Selection Series around Oregon. We’ve already had a few people asking through social media, and if it comes up for you, you’ll have a place to direct our customers.
From the Executive Chef
By Sarah Farey, Executive Chef
March Monthly Specials
March Monthly Specials are set to come out today at both locations!
PUB
Japanese Pork Katsu & Rice Bowl - Panko breaded and fried pork cutlet served over a bed of steamed coconut basmati rice with our Japanese curry sauce, shredded napa cabbage, and quick citrus pickled cucumbers. $16.99
Dairy Free. Tempeh can be subbed BUT the curry sauce DOES contain chicken stock!!!
Honey-Chili Shrimp Po Boy - Sweet & spicy grilled wild Gulf shrimp, shredded lettuce, sweet onion, fresh tomato & chipotle-lime remoulade on a house baked baguette. $16.99
Dairy free.
Sweet Potato & Romesco Dip - Creamy sweet potatoes, romesco, almonds & cream cheese dip served chilled with veggies and toasted bread. $11.99
Vegetarian. Dip is gluten free, and DOES contain almonds!
TAPROOM
Asparagus Melt - Tender roasted asparagus, melted provolone & creamy goat chevre, honey mustard and toasted pumpkin seeds on toasted artisan bread. $14.99
Vegetarian. Can be GF when gf bun is subbed.
Stout Sausage & Potato Rolls - Flaky puffed pastry rolls filled with stout sausage & creamy potatoes. Served with house pickles and pub mustard. $11.99
Has all the things.
Bakery
Notes from Lindsey Henricksen, Bakery Manager
Check back next week!
Pub Updates
By Kira Sciarrotta, General Manager
We are looking to add to our FOH staff! Check out the newsfeed channel “Downtown Pub Updates” in Sling to sign up for an internal interview. That link will lead to “Server” interviews, but we will also use this for Host/Foodrunner opportunities. If there is not a sign-up slot that works for you, please reach out to Kira to get you scheduled!
Lead Server Promotions are out! Please congratulate Kaidyn, Salem, Helen, Paige, and Nicole next time you see them!
Now that we are out of Bourbon Month, we are going to offer the Blood Oath Pacts as single 1.5oz pours rather than the flight (though the flight button is still in if someone wants one while supplies last). Let folks know about the fun bourbons that we have when they are looking for something special!
Tap Room Updates
By Elise Pietromonaco, General Manager
If you haven’t already done so, please review the Taproom message sent out for info on proper usage of our Soda water Tap!
With the sun coming out a bit more, we may start seeing busier days and longer pops! Remember our top priority is customer service and teamwork! Please deliver feedback to management if you are feeling understaffed on certain days or time frames so your scheduling managers and other department managers can do their best to support you.
Caves Updates
High Fives
ALL Taproom staff- You have been coming together as such an excellent team! Thank you for welcoming our new staff with such open arms and working your butts off on the first busy days of, dare I say Spring? 🙂 Very proud of all of you, keep up the excellent work!
Travis Smith - Travis has played a huge role in mentoring me as a trainer and a friend. He has accepted new responsibilities as the head chef at caves and he will thrive in the new position. I wouldn't be where I am as a line cook or a person without Travis' advice and genuine feedback. He's the hardest worker I know and the best person to have in your corner, he deserves a shout-out and all of the support in the world
Trinna - Every time I work with Trinna, she reads my mind and I never even have to ask her for help because she already knows! Trinna you're best!!
Nico Campbell - Nico always comes to work with a smile on his face! He’s so nice and always super helpful!
Scott Dolsen - The man the myth the warehouse czar thanks for showing us the ropes in warehousing, and thank you for everything!!
If you have kudos or kind words you want to share about your co-worker anonymously in the Brewsletter, use the button below!
Human Resources
Staff Section
Please welcome the following folks to the team:
Emma Krumbah - Pub Line Cook
Charitable Programs
Dine Out! for Linus Pauling Middle School - This Tuesday, March 11th
Our next Dine Out will be held this coming Tuesday while we’re open at both locations to support Linus Pauling Middle School. Folks don’t need to mention the event in order to participate. We tally the total food sales from the day and cut a check for a percentage to give to our partner organization.
What do you need to do as an employee that day?
If you’re working front of house, please try to mention the event in some way as you interact with our guests. It can be as easy as “Thank you for joining us today as we’re donating part of our sales to Linus Pauling Middle School, just down the street, to help them pay for their 8th-grade graduation trip.” Mentioning the event can lead to more questions and information shared, which is great for gaining awareness. They listed four things they’re raising money for, so you have options!
Here’s a refresher about the donation and the school:
What will our donation go towards?
The Linus Pauling PTO has been organizing this with us to help raise money to benefit the commissioning of an interactive art mural on campus, the 8th-grade graduation trip, the 8th-grade dance, and the establishment of an after-school STEM club.
Learn about Linus Pauling Middle School
Their mission is to provide a community of equity, compassion, growth, and opportunity for all students by preparing lifelong learners for success in education and careers as engaged citizens and leaders in a global society.
Their school serves over 800 students from a wide range of backgrounds. Along with comprehensive core instruction, they offer various opportunities through electives, early bird offerings, after-school athletics, and learning clubs. Linus Pauling is Corvallis School District’s host middle school for the dual immersion (DI) program. About one-fourth of our students participate in DI, which includes at least two periods of instruction each day in Spanish.
