Block 15 Brewery & Restaurant

yuriruley

Oregon

4.7/5  rDev +14.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75 | $$

The atmosphere is relaxed, and inviting. I really enjoy the upstairs area.

Block 15 seems to have high quality for all of the stuff they make, from their beer to their food. I have yet to get a bad meal, or beer at the pub.

Service is excellent most days, I have only been in once when it was slow, and it was super packed that day.

They always have a good array of their beers on tap.

The food is awesome. They make one of the best reubens I have had, and everything else I have had there is fantastic.

Price is awesome, especially their cask ale.

I love this place, I wish it was closer to home. I visit several times a year even though I have to drive over the mountain.

01-09-2013 23:51:54 | More by yuriruley

JD4003

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've been to Block 15 for dinner a few times now and have never had a bad experience. The restaurant is located in downtown Corvallis, very close to the Oregon State University campus. It is routinely packed with college students and if you go on a Friday or Saturday night expect to wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

I have had a few of the beers available at Block 15, including most of the year-round ones and a few seasonal ones. They have all been quite good in my opinion. With their Ridgeback Red being most to my taste.

The food is some of the best in Corvallis, great burgers and fries as well as soups, salads, and other dishes.

As previous reviews have stated, there is a range of seating options, including outdoors, upstairs, the bar, and a game room in the back.

Overall, I would highly recommend Block 15 to anyone in Corvallis, or anyone driving down I-5 as it's not far from the freeway.

11-11-2012 23:24:06 | More by JD4003

htomsirveaux

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped in here at ~1730 on 31 Aug 2012 for a light dinner. Second non airport Oregon stop on this tour.

Happy hour specials till 1800. No Glo or Kolsch on tap, fresh out. High ceilings, a lot of wood. MDS is a barrel sliced in twain. A TV with the Boise St- Mich St game was on. Most of the staff seems to be comprised of OSU students. Outside and upstairs seating available. Booths are made from 2x6s, slightly uncomfortable as the backs are near vertical. Mom really liked the ambiance. Beer is available to go, got a bottle each of the Provision and Wandelpad.

Definitely the best stop on this trip.

11-11-2012 04:11:47 | More by htomsirveaux

DrKnife

Oregon

4.9/5  rDev +19.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

This is my local brewery. I love it. The staff is friendly and the bartenders have a strong knowledge of their beer and other beers in general.

The food is typical for a northwest brewpub. The have food specials that rotate monthly.

In the game room there is shuffleboard and darts.

Plenty of televisions to watch sports, but the sound is always turned all the way down, even for the local college football games. (This is a huge plus for me.)

My favorite part of Block 15 is the fact that they have 6 taps that are their standard (year round production) beers and 6 taps that rotate with seasonal or limited production beers. So as a local I can go in and expect to try a beer I have never had before. In my opinion this is why Block 15 appeals to locals as well as visitors.

09-17-2012 03:27:58 | More by DrKnife

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Located in a fairly busy part of town, relatively speaking, Block 15 is not too hard to find right off the state highway. Just be wary that most of the streets in the area are one way, and keep an eye out for unsuspecting out-of-towners who completely disregard the signs and turn into three lanes of oncoming traffic. Not that I did it, but I heard a story from a friend of a friend... (shifty eyes)

Anyway, a decent vibe to the place, with no real theme going on in particular. A bit of a sterile environment. Medium-sized bar, with plenty of tables to sit at; family friendly for the most part. Service was fine and the staff was generally knowledgeable. There was a good selection of house brews on tap, with a wide range of styles to keep just about anyone happy. A good menu boasted plenty of easy-eatin' options with salads, burgers, and seafood dishes. Prices were decent. As a glassware collector, I had to grimace at the $10 charge for signature glassware here, but the pieces are so nice that I had to get one. The weiss glass was beautiful, with a glass base so thick that if a timberwolf attacked you, you could probably use the glass to bludgeon it to death.

But yeah, definitely a good spot, and well worth the trip. No bottles on sale when I visited, but their beer is definitely worth bottling, and taking home. Not getting a growler was hard to do.

01-05-2012 03:50:25 | More by Rifugium

bbb099

California

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Went here during lunch on October 2011. Atmosphere was pretty good and the service was above average. This was during a weekday however and it seems like space is quite limited considering it says the place only seats ~50 people. Beer selection was impressive considering I was only expecting the regular lager, amber and IPA. They carry about 10-15 different beer types including belgian ones. Food was not bad at all and was fairly priced. They offer beer-battered, garlic and sweet potato fries, which is always a plus. Definitely would come back again next time I'm in Corvallis.

10-29-2011 03:23:47 | More by bbb099

PaulStoneAnchor

California

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I have been to Block 15 several times now since moving to Oregon, and I must say it has some of the best beer I have had in Oregon. Every time I go in there are always really tasty beers on tap and a great atmosphere. The food is also really amazing; their burgers are probably the best I have had in a long time, especially when you add some blue cheese and bacon. The service has been really good each time and the staff always seems friendly. I really enjoy Block 15's beer selection the most; they constantly rotate in new beers along with still keeping the mainstays. The price of the food is pretty reasonable, considering that most of the ingredients seem to come from local farms. Another great thing is that, you can walk in and just find a seat at the bar because it is right in front of the door. The atmosphere is also pretty subdued to where you can actually have a conversation with the person next to you and not have to shout over the background noise. Block 15 is now my go to place when I go to Corvallis or the Oregon area in general.

09-18-2011 04:50:52 | More by PaulStoneAnchor

portlandjeff

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I had been meaning to check out the Block 15 brewery for quite some time after having several of their tasty beers show up on tap here and there around Portland. I finally made the trip, and was glad that I did.

The atmosphere is pretty standard for a brewpub, nothing stood out as new or different, but the place felt comfortable, clean, and inviting; which is all I need.

The quality of everything I had was really good. I tried a few different styles of beer, and felt they did an equally good job with each. Block 15 isn't a one trick pony.

I came for lunch and the place wasn't very busy, so that may have added to my experience, but the bartender was really friendly and attentive, and glad to share her knowledge of their beers and menu; so I was happy with the service on my visit.

The selection here was good, but it looked like I really miss-planned my trip. A lot of the more special beers from their brewers reserve and cellaring projects that I would have liked to try wouldn't be available until a few weeks later. To their credit, I knew this BEFORE I drove down, as their website is well maintained and up-to-date. I still gave high points for selection however. Although some of the bigger more complex beers weren't available, there was a wide range of styles to choose from, ranging from a fantastic 10% imperial IPA, delicious stout, imperial wit, and many others. There's plenty to choose from and something for everyone. They even had a delicious and somewhat hard to find guest tap that I had to try; a cask esb from brewers union local 180.

I liked the food here. It was mostly standard pub-type fare, but there were some higher end options and everything that I saw come out of the kitchen looked tasty and the portions were all generous. I ordered the "brewer's challenge burger". If you finish the burger and the sides that come with it, your first beer is free! I have a pretty big appetite, and easily beat the meal, but it wasn't that huge, and I think most hungry customers could do it. If you want to get filled up, and have a beer on the house, it's a good option.

The value here is about what I would have expected. I didn't think anything was cheap, but it certainly wasn't expensive either. While I'd never mind paying less, block 15's prices seemed just about right.

If it weren't such a drive from Portland, I'd go more often. I'll wait until there's something really special being released before I plan my next trip.

10-19-2010 16:36:03 | More by portlandjeff

nosbocaj

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Block 15's atmosphere is much like any other brewpub; loud and crowded on nights and weekends, and quiet in the afternoons. It's often quite hard to get seating anytime after 5pm, as its not the biggest restaurant. The service has always been top notch. The waiters and the bar tenders are friendly and knowledgeable. They're always quick to place your orders and refill drinks. Block 15 has a great selection of beers, all of which are great. There's usually something for everybody. I can go in there and order a stout, while my friend can order and IPA and my girlfriend can get a strawberry wheat. The food is also pretty good. I've ordered a few different items and have always been satisfied. The beer battered fries are exquisite.

Overall, Block 15 is one of my favorite restaurants in Corvallis. Good food, great beer, and great service.

06-21-2010 16:48:12 | More by nosbocaj

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Based on the beers I've had previously from Block 15 (Fat Monk and the hefeweizen), I was pretty excited about stopping by tonight. Maybe I was just here on an off night, but I really wasn't thrilled with my experience. Not that there was anything terrible about the place, but there was nothing really great about it either.

Block 15, located in downtown Corvalis, has something of a corporate vibe about it. I almost felt as if I was stopping by at a Ruby Tuesday's, except one that just happened to make and serve their own beer. The place is fairly good size, with a decent size upstairs dining area to compliment the lower area dining space and decent size bar. The place still has a "shiny and new" look about it, and the night I was here, there was a youngish crowd feel to the place (fair number of college students I would say). I guess what got things off to something of a bad start for me, is that they had just run out of trubbled monk, a beer I'd wanted to try after getting to try the Fat Monk at the Bailey's Taproom anniversary event. Add to that my bad luck in sitting right next to two of the more arrogant and condescending college professors I've ever been around ("I'm not saying all the students here are bad" was one of the nicer, more gracious comments I was treated to). It just kind of got things off to a bad start.

As for the beer selection, it was OK. However, what kind of annoyed me was the beer board over the bar area, listing all the "extended cellar" and "brewer's reserve" selections not currently available. Most sounded terrific, but unfortunately none of the cellar selections were currently available, and the wait staff could tell me nothing about the reserve line-up (one server mentioned that she thought the barrel aged bock had been on tap a few months back).

With regard to the service here, the staff was very friendly and everything came to my table very quickly. However, it was apparent that they all knew next to nothing about the beer line-up. When I inquired about some of the cellar selections, I could see my server trying to recite from memory what I assume the owner or brewer had told her: "the brewer is trying to make beers that aren't made from typical recipes, and so those are special beers that aren't your everyday beers." Uhuh. I see. Then please explain the current line-up, which today consisted of a very unexciting IPA and pale ale, one of the least impressive scottish ales I've ever tried (I didn't have the heart to review it), and an extremely underwhelming "orginal ale." (whatever that means - it was called the aboringinale). Stuff I didn't try included an irish stout, a golden ale and a wheat ale. The one beer I did really like was the 300, which was a delicious, low alcohol, sessionable hoppy amber. In any event, suffice it to say that I was not overwhelmed by the originality of any of the beers I sampled today (other then the 300).

As for food, I tried a bowl of the swiss cheese, sage and mushroom soup. While not outstanding, along with the 300, it was one of the few hilights of my visit.

I don't know. Maybe I was just here on an off night, so I'll definitely try to stop by again. However, based on what I encountered this evening, it's hard to call Block 15 much a beer destination.

04-05-2010 06:30:36 | More by johnmichaelsen