Let’s start here: the offerings at Eighth State are insanely fun. First off, they arrive like a Technicolor dream. Nothing here is traditional, nor is it meant to be. Some of their sour ale ages over Mezcal staves or smoked oranges, others are blended with whole fruit purees. There’s barleywine at a whopping 13.9% ABV and mead flavored with dragon fruit, grapefruit, and hibiscus (yes, it’s appropriately red). The whole experience is juicy and delicious and no joke. Drinking a naturally green beer is mind-bending and food coloring is not employed.
If you don’t want to sample everything (like we did), try the beautifully balanced The Fiend; it’s a sorbet-sour with soursop, blood orange, and passion fruit or the ethereal peach wheat ale called STOP TRYING TO BE GOD. At 4% it’s a bit of an angel.
This week, the gang gets their spirits license so welcome two rotating frozen cocktails and two tapped keg cocktails, as well as a new fall menu (yep, sammies on stecca). And if you’re wondering about the name, the Eight Circuit Model suggests “eight periods and twenty-four stages of neurological evolution.” Something to consider while you sip really next level beverages.
