Thanks to the Craft Beer Movement™, there are now two sections of your grocer’s/gas station’s/package store’s beer cooler. One is stocked to the gills with Sierra Nevada, Blue Moon and Samuel Adams. The other is loaded up with “macro beer.” You know, the beer that the Budweiser commercial says is for real men and not for the fancy pants that prefer like the flavor of hops and malt. No, these are the beers taste like they were filtered through your undergarments after running a 5K. These are the beers of Real Americans™ from Real America® (known better as the states you fly over en route to Fake American regions like the Pacific Coast, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic). Sure, there are Real Americans™ in Fake America and thank God that there are otherwise the Godless liberals would take away everyone’s guns, rip the Christ right out of Christmas, force everyone to watch MSNBC and make everyone to drink beer with pluots, kumquats and guava.

Let’s take a walk down the Real America® beer section for a moment. These beers fall into a category called pale lagers. Budweiser, Bud Lite, Coors Light, Michelob, Michelobs Light and Ultra, Millers Lite and High Life, and Molson Canadian each fall into this grouping. Labatt Blue calls itself a pilsner, but bears none of that beer’s qualities, so it too is a pale lager.

So, essential, Real American™ beer is all the same. The only variance in flavor, color or aroma seems to be which pair of undies the swill is filtered through.

Speaking of pilsners, Samuel Adams (Brewer. Patriot. Real American™.) rolled another version of the German beer style out this summer in its Beers of Summer variety pack. I dislike the Sam Adams mix packs because the brewer considers its Boston Lager a beer of all seasons and inserts three bottles in the box, when a more appropriate seasonal could occupy those spaces. The 2015 pack includes the ubiquitous Boston Lager and Summer Ale, the mediocre Rebel Rider Session IPA, and the Downtime Pilsner.

It’s unfair to compare this to pilsners like Victory’s Prima Pils or Firestone Walker’s Pivo Hoppy Pils. Simply said, they are different beers. The Downtime is much flimsier in weight than the aforementioned kings of this class. The Boston Beer Company does incorporate Hallertau Mittelfrueh, Hersbrucker Noble, Herkules, Mandarina hops, as well as pilsner malts and lager yeast. The hops and malt contribute a very light bready flavor, but a more floral and lemony hop body. The yeast brings a nice bitterness indicative of a pilsner. What the Downtime does is a achieve a balance of flavors. Nothing is dominant. The flavors are even, moderate and above average.

I’m not telling you that this is the best pilsner money can buy, but this is one of the best beers to roll off the assembly line with a Samuel Adams label in 2015.

Brewer: Boston Beer Company

Beer: Samuel Adams Downtime Pilsner

Style: Pilsner

ABV: 5.0% IBU: 30

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Price: n/a (part of the Beers of Summer pack brought to my house by a friend Point of Purchase: n/a

To The Eye: Golden to amber, and crystal clear with a small head that falls into a slight lacing that hangs out.

To The Nose: Hints of citrus and bread. Unremarkable aroma.

To The Palate: Starts bready and fades into lemon and grass. Floral in the middle and fades into a yeasty bitterness towards the end. High carbonation but lighter body.

Aftertaste: Crisp and bitter.

Boozy Factor: Low.

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as highest: 7.5