Block15

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas?

2009-11-02T17:58:12Z

I don’t have many pet peeves, at least I don’t think I do, my wife may argue otherwise. It’s November 1st and I noticed about three weeks ago stores lining their shelves with Christmas, or “Holiday” to be politically correct, items. Now don’t get me wrong, I am no Scrooge, I love the winter Holiday season. But I really love the fall as well. Why it is that society wants to skip right over this amazing season and go straight to late December? Of course we are a consumer driven nation, and many stores rely on big sales this time of year.

I have noticed the beer shelves mimicking these early isles of ornaments, lights, stockings and trees. Already at my local bottle shop, Corvallis Brewing Supply, winter warmers and festive ales have hit the shelves. Every year these beers seem to appear earlier and earlier, pushing out the small selection of fall brews. So, inevitably, I get asked the question “when does Ol’ St. Nick come out?” And my answer is always the same; according to the calendar, winter solstice is December 21st, we release our first winter beer around December 5th just before winter’s start (St. Nick’s Day). Until then, we have an amazing line up of fall inspired brews; Super Fly Rye, Chocolate Porter, Jack Straw Pumpkin Ale, and Fat Monk Belgian Dubbel(reappearing mid November), and our Dunkel Weissbier.

However, just to entice your winter wonder I will share with you what’s going in our cellar. This year we are releasing not one, not two, but four holiday Winter Warmers for your enjoyment. I’m coining this years winter ales, “Winter Holiday Ales from Three Countries”.

First we have our American inspired “Ol’ St. Nick”, 9%alc/vol. This is our big bold hoppy and malty mahogany brew. We also are ageing a batch on American oak, “Oaked St. Nick”. The majority of Oaked St. Nick will make its way to Portland for their Holiday Ale Festival.

From Germany comes a traditional holiday brew, Weizenbock (8%alc/vol). A strong version of a Dunkel Weissbier, brewed with dark German wheat malt, noble hops, and a Bavarian yeast strain. This ale is big and complex with notes of banana, clove, raisin, & cocoa.

And from Belgium; Winter Quad (11%), spiced Belgian Quadruple. This huge ale is brewed with Belgium Pilsner malts, specialty malts, Trappist yeast, and large amounts of Belgian Candi Sugar. The spices are secret, complementing the ale but not cloying to the point of recognition.

And those are just the holiday ales. This Winter, which runs through March ( I googled it), we have several more big brews for your warming pleasure, Super Nebula (bourbon barrel Imperial Stout), Pappy’s Dark (bourbon barrel specialty ale), Doppelbock (Strong dark German Lager), Trubbled Monk (Belgian Strong Ale) & more.

So get out there and enjoy the rest of the beautiful fall colors and a pint of fall ale, pissing cold rainy months are just around the corner, and when that comes we will have your winter warmer waiting.

Being Belgian #3

2009-10-26T17:26:14Z

I don’t think there was a better way to spend a dreary Sunday afternoon than drinking great beer and eating great food with 25 adventurous craft beer lovers.

We already are planning a our next event, a Belgian Christmas beer extravaganza complete with beer and traditional holiday foods. Tentatively the date is Sunday December 20th. Keep on the look out for more info and be quick to grab tickets as these events always sell out!

Below is the line up and food menu from Being Belgian #3, which was just fantastic.

The Beer:
Chimay Tripel, Wesvleteren 12, Westmalle Dubbel, Rochefort 6, Achel Trappist Extra, Koningshoeven La Trappe Quadrupel, Orval, Rodenbach, Cuvee de Ranke, Mikkeller It’s Alive, De Proef Surly Bird, Fantome Special de Noel, Dark Brut. Also we took a bonus trip down to the Block 15 cellars barrel room and sampled our in progress “Mysticgold” and “Illusions” wild ales.

The Food:
~Willamette Valley Cheese Co.’s Fresh Mozzarella, Horseradish
Havarti, & Borenkass, Twedts Farms Apples, Grapes, Rustic Bread

~Pommes Frites, Mayonnaise, Oregon White Truffle Aioli

~Beer Braised Rabbit Quarters with Bacon, Prunes, and Roasted Seasonal Vegetables

~Chocolate Stout Mousse, Shaved
Belgian Chocolate.

Illusions of Bottling

2009-10-22T00:44:55Z

Today we hand bottled four bottles of Illusions straight from the barrel. Now don’t get too excited, this fine wild ale is months away from its matured glory.

I sample from the barrel about once a month to track the flavor, aroma, and structural changes of the beer. These tasting give us great insight into the road wild ales take to maturity (and a great way to end a day!) The one big piece missing while tasting is the presence of carbonation. Carbonation is a huge ingredient in beer. It provides additional structure, mouth feel, aromas and flavors. I love the way a fresh poured pint bubbles up sending the amazing aromas to my olfactory before hitting my lips.

So today we gravity fed four beautiful 750ml bottles adding a spritz of Belgian yeast and sugar. Of course I had to go all out using champagne corks and wire hood cages. Through the next two weeks the fresh yeast will consume the sugar creating natural carbonation. After another week in the cold cellar the bottles should be ready for a testing. I can’t wait to pop the cork and try the carbonated version of young Illusions which will make a great Brewer’s Brain entry.

The picture is our cellar man/keg wrangler, Matt Williams, filling the bottles.

Bloktoberfest Review [1]

2009-10-12T19:19:31Z

900 Beer Lovers, 300 Sausages, 200 Bier Pretzels, 21 Kegs of Bier, 3 Bands, 1 Helluva Time! Wow, Bloktoberfest was amazing! The turnout nearly doubled our expectation, creating an absolutely wonderful fall day. A huge thanks to all of the Brewer’s who came and participated in our “Dunk a Brewer” Charity Dunk Tank. Also, thank you to everyone who patiently waited in line for beer and food. We are already planning for next year; bigger tent, more food and beer lines, more tables and chairs. I’m pretty sure we’ve created a yearly beast here whose appetite can only be satisfied with Corvallis’ own Bloktoberfest celebration!

For the Love of a good Party

2009-10-03T14:28:12Z

I have plenty of work to do these days. Block 15 is staying very busy, beer is being brewed at record amounts, our food is evolving into amazing local & regional pub food, new fermenters are on their way, a cellar expansion is in the works, new cask lines are being ran, more barrels to pick up for round #2 of wild ales, new shipments of keg shells, Belgian beer event #3 is coming up, students are back, football is here, beer to drop off in Portland for a special event, three brewfest in the last three weeks and two on the way, and the list goes on and on.

As my alarm spouts off its funky beat this morning at 6am (very early for me), I briefly wonder why in the hell I decided to put on our first annual Bloktoberfest celebration. But I quickly know the answer, I love a good party.

The events we plan are just the same as Block 15, they are what we would love to do. I remember thinking at a past brewfest, “I’m tired of drinking these 4 ounce samples, give me a full beer and some fun things to do.” Well, I have never been to the real Oktoberfest, but I have seen plenty of photos, and the ones that I really love involve those huge 1 litre tankards while people are smiling ear to ear enjoying the music and company of others.

Bloktoberfest will not be just about the drinking of great beer. It has evolved into an event to celebrate the season, community, arts, and games. I am excited by the number of local brewers who are donating their time today in the “Dunk a Brewer” charity dunk tank. This really is a cool industry with very cool people. We are pleased to feature food made locally, our own beer pretzels, sausage handmade by the cranky wiener man Michael over at Pepper Tree, NW grown chicken from our smoker, house made beer chips, local wines and house made root beer. Our music lineup consists of all local bands and musicians, brining in the flavor of our music community.

Am I tired? Well maybe a bit, but my excitement for Bloktoberfest will keep me moving until that 1 litre tankard hits my lips tonight. Now please excuse me, I need to fill up that dunk tank (with 105 degree h2o from our kettle!)