B4TW - Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale

To put it bluntly, I'm a nerd. So when the label for Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale was first released, the NES ROM-playing, Excitebike-revving geek inside of me thought it was great that they were paying homage to old school video games with their newest beer's can artwork. Of course, the beer skeptic inside of me balanced this excitement out, knowing that, ultimately, the cool factor of this beer would lie in how it tasted.

One of the notable things about 8-Bit Pale Ale is that it's brewed with Galaxy Hops. Galaxy Hops are an Australian hop variety known for having a citrusy aroma and flavor. My first experience with Galaxy Hops was in the Schlafly No. 20 Volume 4 Southern Hemisphere IPA. I was very impressed by that beer and really enjoyed the clean citrus taste, so when I saw that 8-Bit was going to use it as well, I looked forward to seeing how it worked in a pale ale in conjunction with other hop varieties (the Schlafly ONLY used Galaxy).

Fast forward to last week when I finally had the chance to try their Galaxy-infused pale ale, and sure enough, the beer impressed me almost as much as the fantastic can. Clean, easy drinking, hoppy with a touch of sweetness and tropical fruit. At 5.2% ABV, this may technically be a touch high to be considered a session beer, but I could definitely see myself having a few cans of this, especially this weekend while being lazy and watching college basketball (and who knows, maybe breaking out Battletoads during breaks).

Tallgrass 8-Bit Pale Ale hit most store shelves in the KC area yesterday, so go out and grab yourself some. Or, if you'll be out and about at the bars watching games, I know it's been spotted at Barley's (note that Shawnee location is currently closed for renovation) so you can go grab one on tap if you prefer.

And until you go pick some up, make sure to check out the video they released yesterday to correspond with the release of the beer. Certainly the best melding of puppets, video games and beer I've ever seen, and just a great promo piece overall.



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