The eighth estate is small—very small. The three-barrel, open-vat brewhouse sits adjacent to the dining room, with brewing equipment overflowing on days it’s not open. Barrels pack in every inch of unused space, while an assortment of plants help create a cozier vibe in the small downstairs space. It feels crowded but relaxed – in that suggestive way and creative minds are at work – and co-founder/head brewer Cameron Owens is determined to have some serious fun.

This small brewery has earned an outsized reputation for its flavorful beers, from tart fruit beers to ingredient-rich barrel-aged stouts. Despite the limited capacity, Owens is committed to doing things his way — even if that means more tank time and slower turns — to get the exact flavors he wants.

In this episode of the podcast, focusing on tart fruit beers and ingredient-laden stouts, he explains:

• using a solera process with lacto and sach cultures to create the base of fruity beers
• packing tart fruit with live cultures, but including sulfites to prevent refermentation
• achieve “wild” flavors and minimize sulfur expression without Brettanomyces
• make complex beers more accessible to customers
• mixing fruit for contrast and juxtaposition, finding counternotes while creating tension
• get vegan results without lactose
• build multiple layers of flavor into great barrel-aged beers
• adjust multi-day brew schedule for larger beers, to aid fermentation
• using a two-step process for certain ingredient additions, to increase impact

And more.

At The Eight State, their goal is to stand out. They want to be exclusive but not unobtainable. More importantly, for a brewery of their size, they aim to keep the excitement going and get people to walk through that door. As Owens says, “I really can’t afford to be just average.”

This episode is brought to you by:

G&D coolers
For nearly 30 years, G&D Chillers has been the benchmark for quality equipment you can rely on. G&D stands out from the crowd as the only chiller manufacturer that designs your glycol piping for free. G&D is also the only chiller manufacturer with an in-house team of installers and engineers, with 30 years of real-world experience in breweries, wineries and distilleries. Contact the Total Glycol System Design Experts today at gdchillers.com

Support for this episode comes from BSG and The Malt Haus by Rahr. The Malt Haus is your online source for cool and exclusive Rahr Malting Co. gear you won’t find anywhere else. T-shirts, hoodies, hats, socks, glassware and even gear for your pets. Represent the malt you brew with and look sharp while doing it! Bring tradition home at themalthaus.com

Supply chain challenges are here to stay for a while, so why not trust the experts to handle your ingredient freight? Old Orchard has partnered with a leading logistics company in the craft beverage industry to transport your craft concentrate blends. When you order two or more buckets of concentrate from Old Orchard, you are eligible for freight quotes from various carriers and can stay up to date on the status of your shipment. To get started quoting brewing concentrates today, visit oldorchard.com/brewer

BrewMonitor, from Precision Fermentation, is the first complete real-time fermentation monitoring solution. It works with your existing fermentation tanks to track dissolved oxygen, pH, gravity, pressure, temperature and conductivity in real time, from any smartphone, tablet or PC. BrewMonitor provides detailed information about your fermentations that helps improve beer consistency, reduce vat time and increase overall efficiency, saving your brewery time and money. Get started for 30 days, risk-free. To visit precisionfermentation.com/brewing.

From the rotary pickup tube of Rogue Brewing’s pilot brewhouse to the integrated hopbacks of two Sierra Nevada prototyping breweries, Ss Brewtech has taken the technology they invented in collaboration with world-renowned industry veterans and the has made available to all craft brewers. To learn more about Ss Brewtech’s list of innovations, visit SsBrewtech.com

If you’re looking for a direct partnership with an independent hop grower as fanatical about flavor and quality as you are, join the revolution! Hop Revolution’s sole raison d’être is the sustainable cultivation and processing of New Zealand’s tastiest hops. They understand that good beer is not brewed for a past or future ideal. It is a continuous journey of new thought. Hop Revolution is really only here for your beer. Let them flavor your mind in the USA directly from Hop Revolution, or through Crosby Hops or Mill95. Learn more @ HopRevolution.co.nz. or come and chat at CBC booth 1811.