Pub #23 -- Block 15, Corvallis, November 3

Block 15 Brewing Co. is, in our opinion, Corvallis's flagship brewpub, and our all-time favorite. Soon after Block 15 opened, in October 2008, folks from our congregation who value a locally-crafted ale started to gather for Friday happy hour (or Hoppy Mennonite Hour, or a number of other names that didn't stick).  Inspired by Bob Bontrager, a wonderful man who left this mortal plane way too soon, we still gather occasionally, although not with as much regularity as we did 10 years ago. Still, the memory of those early years, stuffed into corners in Block 15's upstairs loft, with big wooden beams running this way and that, yelling at each other to be heard over the din of an overfull, happy restaurant, are some of my fondest in Corvallis.

Block 15 has many great beers that we love, including Dark Matter (their chocolate porter), Love Potion #9 (raspberry porter), and many, many creative Belgians and fruit-forward ales.  (They also specialize in IPAs, and usually have way too many on tap (for my taste), which makes other people happy, I guess.)

A few years ago (2015?), B15 opened a Southtown Tap Room along with their much-expanded brewery.  Those first few years were wonderful, since its newness kept it slightly under the radar.  Sitting on the patio, gazing across open fields to the silhouette of Marys Peak, fine ale in hand -- what could be better?  Now that it's no longer a secret, it can be tricky to get a table outside, but it's still a fun place to go.

On this Sunday afternoon in November, I got the Framboise White, a raspberry wild ale matured in oak barrels, and C got the Bourbon Pumpkin Pie.