Tallgrass Brewing 8-Bit Pale Ale Review

Today’s review is for 8-bit Pale Ale by Tallgrass Brewing Company. I first tried this beer a few years ago when I was compiling a list of 15 Great Craft Beers in a Can for and article for Meuism and Huffington Post. Back in 2012 craft beer in cans was much more rare than it is today and it was actually quite difficult to source enough variety of beers.

As a child of the 80s, growing up with Atari and Nintendo, one thing that immediately struck me about 8-bit was the graphics on the can. The fun feelings of nostalgia paired quite well with this hop forward pale ale.

Tallgrass Brewing Company is a regional brewery located in Manhattan, Kansas and has been in operation since 2007. 8-bit Pale Ale is currently a 5.2% ABV beer made with 2-Row Pale, C20, and Carapils malts plus Columbus, Cascade, Centennial, Mosaic hops. It has changed over the years and when I first tried it, the was made with 2 Row, Victory, Vienna & Munich malts plus Magnum, Centennial, Cascade & Galaxy. Even though Galaxy is a great hop, it is hard to come by and Mosaic is also an incredible hop and a wonderful replacement.

Appearance

Crystal clear light orange color. When you pour it, leave the last little bit in the can and it won’t appear cloudy. Egg-shell white foamy head that leaves nice clumps of froth on the top of the beer. The lacing on the glass is thick and clings steadfast to the side. Very nice.

Aroma

The hop aroma has a light citrus lemon bouquet with some hints of orange. It has a floral quality that is slightly reminiscent of jasmine flowers. Usually with Cascade and Cenntenial hops you might get a stung pine needle aroma but instead the wood is a much more mellow, like a balsa wood. Very faint hints of passionfruit from the Galaxy hops. The malt grain aroma is in the back but reminds me of a fresh soft French roll.

Taste/Flavor

This is a very nicely balanced beer. Although the bitterness is at a high 40 IBU, the malt profile is grainy and tasty but not sweet. The bitterness is ever so slightly spicy but has a smooth refreshing citrusy finish. It is bitter yet crisp and refreshing.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied beer that has just the right amount of carbonation and a smooth texture on the tongue.

Overall

This is a fantastic pale ale that is a little more hoppy than sweet yes has a good balance. It has both flavorful, refreshing, well balanced, and quaffable.

Recommendation

Drink it!

Recommendations are on a 3 point scale: “drink it,” “you decide,” and “don’t drink it.”

Disclosure: Tallgrass Brewing provided a sample of this beer and a few others at my request. However that does not influence this review.