Kudos Block 7.5

If you’re not already, get hip to Block 15 in Corvallis. We haven’t been down since they opened Les Caves next door a year ago, but word is it’s an amazing gastropub. The beers from their barrel program have been nearly-uniformly off the hook; we successfully lobbied for Le Ferme de Demons, a Pinot and Bourbon oaked, dark, cherry Saison, to make a year-end Best Of list. Heretofore, those beers were bottled in 750s and rang up at around $16-17. Recently, they released two coveted sour ales, both with local Willamette Valley fruit, in 375-mL “half” bottles!  Sure, it’d be easy to knock back an entire wine bottle of Strawberry Fields or Framboise White (the use of golden raspberries gives it a lighter flavor and is delectably fragrant), but it’s way better to score a pair of bottles each, both for around 9 bucks, and the extra dollar or two enables us to enjoy one now and cherish the other later. Same great experience, now with plenty of cash left in your pocket for next year’s release.