For those that might not be aware, Block 15 Brewing is located in Corvallis, Oregon, which is also the home of Oregon State University, the state’s largest university. OSU also happens to have a strong Fermentation Science program. Many graduates of that program go on to become brewers, and it’s not uncommon for some to start their brewing careers at one or more of the Corvallis breweries.

So it makes a certain kind of sense that Block 15 would have brewed some “college” themed beers over the years. Or at the very least, last year, when I found three beers that were all tied to OSU or “college” in some way. Naturally, I couldn’t resist grouping these reviews under this theme and so, we have Block 15’s college beers.

I wrote last month that I think Block 15 is currently one of Oregon’s best breweries, and these three beers I’m reviewing here continue to shore up that notion. Let’s get to it.

Alumni Club, Brooklyn Chapter

Block 15 introduced this new Alumni Club collaboration series last September, as “an annual collaborative beer release that highlights some of the brightest graduates of Oregon State University’s Fermentation Science Department.” This first Alumni Club, Brooklyn Chapter, found Block 15 partnering with Other Half Brewing:

For our inaugural brew, we partnered with Sam Richardson, OSU alumnus and co-founder of Other Half Brewing Company to create the “Brooklyn Chapter”, a New England-style IPA made with the best west coast ingredients.

In addition to pairing university alumni to create the recipe for this beer, locally-sourced hops were chosen from nearby Coleman Agriculture in the Willamette Valley. Citra and Strata hop varietals were chosen by Block 15, with Simcoe hops selected by Other Half, delivering delightful notes of orange peel, passionfruit and strawberry. A silky mouthfeel provided by flaked oats and soft Oregon water rounds out your experience of higher learning.

This NEIPA is 7% ABV, with no IBUs specified.

Appearance: Golden color, translucent, glowy hazy body. Good creamy white head.

Smell: Light tropical juice, pineapple, guava, tangerine, with some spicy lupulin that makes me think “hop burn.” Soft maltiness.

Taste: Spicy citrus peel and wheatgrass bitterness, with a nice POG-like juice followed by some of that hop burn at the back. Soft, creamy malt that’s gentle and silky with a bit of light toasted breadiness. Good balance all around.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, soft medium body, the oats have it smooth and clean in the finish. Light lingering bitterness.

Overall: Quite nice, well-brewed and balanced with a good drinkability.

College Cream Ale

Simplicity. Simplicity is hard when it comes to beer, especially if you want the beer to taste good. Block 15 hits the mark with this 4.5% ABV cream ale, and I’d love to see this become a year-round beer. The brewery says:

Cream in name only, this bright, refreshing ale is the perfect crusher on gamedays or anytime in-between. College is a crisp, malt-driven beer Complimented with Crystal hops to provide a floral/fruity aroma. A portion of flaked maize helps round out the body for a full, complex profile, while extended cold conditioning provides a clean finish. The result is an easy-drinking ale, brewed for any occasion.

Appearance: Bright, brassy gold, decent clarity. Crisp white head.

Smell: Clean, crisp, light corn character, grainy, low (almost no) earthy hops. Very “beer.” Slightly sweet note.

Taste: Light, with a lightly husky graininess with a touch of grassy hop that ends in a crisp snap with a hint of corny sweetness. Touch of earthy bitterness to balance but just a nice, light and straightforward cream ale.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, crisp, decently dry finish.

Overall: Crushable, as the kids say, and and good example of the cream ale style.

Blacklight Black Lager

This 5.25% ABV seasonal schwarzbier is basically another collab brew, with the OSU Fermentation Science program:

Blacklight was designed in cooperation with OSU’s Fermentation Science Program, brewed with specialty dark malts and gently hopped with German hops before extended cold conditioning. Notes of toasted nuts, dark chocolate, and dried fruit makes this black lager the perfect choice for a changing season.

Incidentally, a black light is probably not what you want to use on a college dorm room…

Appearance: Black with dark brown at the edges, a fizzy brown head that rose and fell quickly.

Smell: Clean and lightly malty with a light roasty aroma that’s subtle, reminiscent of cold-brew coffee and cold-smoked malt. Quite mellow, restrained.

Taste: Malty that’s dark but very smooth, no harshness, but good flavors of roasted cocoa nibs, dark/toasted/almost burnt whole-grain bread, subtle coffee sweetness. Super subtle all around, despite all of that. Low-to-no hops except for balancing any malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, sweet-roast malt finish, super clean. Smooth, almost creamy.

Overall: This is what I might use as my new baseline schwarzbier. Very good and easy drinking.