Tallgrass 8 Bit Pale Ale
Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria West

Welcome back, old friend.

8-Bit, in its original incarnation, was the first beer I ever actually liked. I'd gone through various liquors and various cheap flavorless lagers mixed with other drinks in an attempt to make something able to go down my gullet smoothly. Then, an IRC friend told me about this beer, and I gave it a shot. My first sip was the first time beer finally clicked for me, and I credit it with my appreciation of the drink.

Unfortunately, Tallgrass had some mistakes in their business model that made them not appealing to regularly buy (notably cycling out their hits while introducing a fair number of misses, presumably having mistaken the hesitation to buying 4-packs of pints with a hesitation towards the beer itself). Their untimely demise was a tragedy to the beerscape of Kansas.

Finding this at a local liquor store infused me with such nostalgic glee that I snapped it up and cracked open a can as soon as I could, and it's just as I remember. My favorite pale ale of all time has returned.

Pouring a clear orange and smelling and tasting like the Galaxy hops that defined the beer, 8-Bit is a testament to what simple beers can be in the right hands. A medium-bodied texture helps it go down easy, and now that it's back, it's absolutely going to enter my rotation. I didn't know how good I had it until it was gone, and now that it's back, I'm in absolute bliss.

If one of your friends drinks, but isn't that big a fan of beer, let them give this a shot. It may be the one for them like it was for me.

12oz can. Wichita Brewing has revived some Tallgrass regulars. Poured out a clear, golden orange color with a small, white head of foam. It smelled malty with toffee and caramel. Sweet malty taste with caramel and a mild citrus kick. I recall the original having more citrus notes.