Beer of the Weekend #369: 8-Bit Pale Ale
Here is some good news: last Thursday I restarted my novel. The events of the new I-really-have-no-game-plan version began on the Fourth so I wanted to write it while the day was still fresh in my memory. The heat will play a role.
However, the bad news is I need to concentrate on an upcoming deadline I have for the LV. I may or may not be writing a recommendation for August (I am working on a longer feature that may take its place) but I thought I would cover my bases just in case. Plus, I have been inundated with a million small tasks for work and need some liquid therapy.
The beer tonight is 8-Bit Pale Ale, brewed by the Tallgrass Brewing Company of Manhattan, Kansas.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. There is a cryptic batch code but no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonic pint glass. The color is medium gold with tones of copper/rust. Fittingly, it reminds me of beer commercials from the eighties. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated fairly slowly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: My first impression, after pouring it into the glass straight from the fridge, was dried puke. However, I disregarded it and let the beer sit for a couple minutes to warm. The hop citrus and spice is not as prominent as I would like in an American pale ale; they are a little on the weak side and blend well with a solid base of caramel and warm grains. There are also scents of vanilla, and in that sense it smells a little like cream soda — though with hints of lemon and grapefruit.
Taste: The flavor is light but very smooth and enjoyable. The initial impression is the well-balanced blend of caramel, grass, vanilla, and light hop citrus and spice. The hops creep in slowly and leave a nice, lingering aftertaste coating the tongue and cheeks; it offers hints of lemon and grapefruit.
Drinkability: At first I was a little disappointed. However, it is growing on me; I like it more and more with each sip. It definitely makes up for the three and a half minutes of my life I wasted watching the beer’s YouTube video.
Fun facts about 8-Bit Pale Ale:
-Style: It’s a goold ol’ American Pale Ale.
-Price: $2.99/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: For the style, BA recommends Pan Asian cuisine; earthy, nutty, and tangy cheeses; salad; and poultry.
-IBU: 40.
-Nerdiness from the website:
-I am one of those Millennials who still has my NES (though I think I got it in 1990). I have not played it in forever but may hook it up when I move. However, I am not feeling the whole 8-bit nostalgia, which reached a feverish pitch in the middle of the naughties. People went gaga for it all over again. Not me, though. Sure, I loved Duck Hunt and Tecmo Super Bowl and whatnot with really bad music, but I am more of a Super Nintendo/16-bit guy. Despite my shameful eighties phase, I long ago admitted that the nineties were way better.
-In the tasting notes I mentioned the beer’s YouTube video. The folks at Tallgrass made an 8-bit “video game” to promote the beer. The production is top-notch and I give the artists credit. However, watching it is a complete waste of time. I am not embedding it or posting a convenient link here. Anyone curious enough to watch it will need to find it on their own.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
However, the bad news is I need to concentrate on an upcoming deadline I have for the LV. I may or may not be writing a recommendation for August (I am working on a longer feature that may take its place) but I thought I would cover my bases just in case. Plus, I have been inundated with a million small tasks for work and need some liquid therapy.
The beer tonight is 8-Bit Pale Ale, brewed by the Tallgrass Brewing Company of Manhattan, Kansas.
Serving type: 16-ounce can. There is a cryptic batch code but no discernable freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonic pint glass. The color is medium gold with tones of copper/rust. Fittingly, it reminds me of beer commercials from the eighties. Two fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated fairly slowly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: My first impression, after pouring it into the glass straight from the fridge, was dried puke. However, I disregarded it and let the beer sit for a couple minutes to warm. The hop citrus and spice is not as prominent as I would like in an American pale ale; they are a little on the weak side and blend well with a solid base of caramel and warm grains. There are also scents of vanilla, and in that sense it smells a little like cream soda — though with hints of lemon and grapefruit.
Taste: The flavor is light but very smooth and enjoyable. The initial impression is the well-balanced blend of caramel, grass, vanilla, and light hop citrus and spice. The hops creep in slowly and leave a nice, lingering aftertaste coating the tongue and cheeks; it offers hints of lemon and grapefruit.
Drinkability: At first I was a little disappointed. However, it is growing on me; I like it more and more with each sip. It definitely makes up for the three and a half minutes of my life I wasted watching the beer’s YouTube video.
Fun facts about 8-Bit Pale Ale:
-Style: It’s a goold ol’ American Pale Ale.
-Price: $2.99/can at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 40-45ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.2 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: For the style, BA recommends Pan Asian cuisine; earthy, nutty, and tangy cheeses; salad; and poultry.
-IBU: 40.
-Nerdiness from the website:
Just like those classic video games we all grew up with, 8-Bit Pale Ale is spectacularly simple at first glance yet remarkably fun and complex when you get into it. Our Hop Rocket infuses the character of Austrailian grown Galaxy Hops into an American Pale Ale, giving a unique tropical, almost melon aroma in a classic American style.
-I am one of those Millennials who still has my NES (though I think I got it in 1990). I have not played it in forever but may hook it up when I move. However, I am not feeling the whole 8-bit nostalgia, which reached a feverish pitch in the middle of the naughties. People went gaga for it all over again. Not me, though. Sure, I loved Duck Hunt and Tecmo Super Bowl and whatnot with really bad music, but I am more of a Super Nintendo/16-bit guy. Despite my shameful eighties phase, I long ago admitted that the nineties were way better.
-In the tasting notes I mentioned the beer’s YouTube video. The folks at Tallgrass made an 8-bit “video game” to promote the beer. The production is top-notch and I give the artists credit. However, watching it is a complete waste of time. I am not embedding it or posting a convenient link here. Anyone curious enough to watch it will need to find it on their own.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
