Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale

Brewed By: Tallgrass Brewing Company in Manhattan, Kansas  

Purchased: 16oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: American Pale Ale, 5.2%

Reported IBUs: 40

Cot damn, it's been a long time since I've had a straight up American Pale Ale. I would feel ashamed, but I already have enough guilt and the whole point of beer is to drown your sorrows. Unfortunately, you can't drown your sorrows with American Pale Ales because of the ABV. "Oh, but this isn't a session beer." Yeah yeah. About Tallgrass: 

Tallgrass Brewing Company was founded by homebrewer Jeff Gill and his wife, Tricia. Jeff and Tricia committed to starting a brewery, and in early 2007 Tallgrass Brewing Company was born in Manhattan, Kansas, off of Green Valley Road at the edge of the Flint Hills. The brewhouse arrived in June 2007, and the first beer was brewed in August 2007. In 2010, Tallgrass began packaging its beer exclusively in cans. To read more, check out Tallgrass' about page.

Tonight's beer, the 8-Bit Pale Ale, is a hoppy American Pale Ale clocking in at 5.2% and packing 40 IBUs. This beer was first brewed in March of 2012. This beer features the Australian-grown Galaxy Hops, along with Magnum, Centennial, and Cascade hops. The malt base is 2 Row, Victory, Vienna & Munich malts. 

Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale

The appearance is your typical Pale Ale affair: a lightly hazy, can't-make-up-its-mind amber/gold/orange beer. The beer kicked up 3+ fingers of soapy, dense head. The head is all bubble bath foam, and picks up just a hint of off-white tones. In bright light the beer is more of an apple juice color. It retains its haze, has lazy mid-sized carbonation, and there's plenty of sticky lacing where the head was. The head is sustaining nicely.

The cans are retro cool. I'll give this beer that. Also, I love me a 16oz can. I'm drawn to compare this beer to something like the Half Acre Daisy Cutter.

As far as the aroma...this beer is grassy and floral, and features a lot of prominent biscuit on the nose. I'm getting a lot of dry, Pilsner-esque dryness and biscuit, maybe from the Vienna/Munich? There's some grass, light honey, and hints of very faint citrus as well.

Hey...this is kind of like the perfect example of a well-made, American Pale Ale. This isn't overwhelmingly hoppy, and has a nice supporting malt character. I suppose I'd call this balanced, even. I'm getting refreshing grass up front, with some melon, faded tropical fruits/citrus, very mild/faded vegetal hops, a biscuit/bready kick, some honey sweetness, and very mild soap on the finish. 

This is quite pleasant, and stupid drinkable at 5.2% (light-bodied). I suppose that's the point, eh? Palate depth and complexity are nothing out of the ordinary, but the drinkability on this is great. This beer is also balanced and seems to have used a deft hand. You get mild hops/grass/biscuit up front; that rolls into some melon, faded citrus, more grass, and a biscuit/bread kick; the back end is lingering hops, some leafy/vegetal bitterness, and a hint of soap. The finish is dry and biscuity with a slight mineral edge. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this...this is very much "another American Pale Ale," but it's also a very good example of the style and yeah. I think it was priced quite favorably too, at around 8 or 9 dollars for a 4-pack (16oz cans). Not a bad deal, and with that said, if you live in Kansas you should pick this up. If you live in other parts of the country like I do, I wouldn't put this on your high-priority list, but this is certainly a beer worth checking out if you want a refreshing Pale Ale. I'd pair this with some pizza, a burger, or the usual Pale Ale pairings. If you really need tips on what to pair a Pale Ale with, I can't help you.

Random Thought: A twofer? Yessir.