So much attention gets pointed at the quality fermentables coming from craft breweries across the country. What gets lost in all the beer chatter is that some of the best beers are made in the nation’s brewpubs.   
 

LowDown Brewery + Kitchen, which is located in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood, makes one of the better craft beers in Denver—and it’s a heaven for food snobs. So when you drop by LowDown for a Patio Pounding Pilz, or PPP, you’re going to be able to pair the Bohemian-style pilsner with some great food.
 

PPP, at 5.2% ABV, is an American version of a style first brewed in Pilsen, Czech Republic, in 1842. American versions of classic styles generally mean the beer’s flavors are amplified and its alcohol content is higher. An American stout, for example, is often maltier, chocolatier or roastier than a Guinness. In the case of PPP, I found it to be slightly more hop-forward than its European brethren. Plaudits are in order for PPP’s brewers, though, for keeping this beer hoppy, but not so hoppy it turns into a session IPA or some other unbalanced hop bomb.
 

At first glance, PPP looks like a classic Bohemian-style pilsner—an inch of snow-white foam over a light gold liquid. It’s less carbonated than other versions, but that’s a minor quibble. 

PPP’s aroma is a light pine with maybe just a hint of malt. Take a drink and the pine carries through along with that hint of malt. The bitterness is entirely palatable, but it’s also mixed with a little bit of spiciness that evokes, maybe, pepper. The finish is as clean and crisp as any other Bohemian pilsner, and there’s little or no aftertaste. While the ABV is at the upper end of the spectrum for its style, it’s an enjoyable brew that’s nicely refreshing. Judges at the 2014 GABF agreed and awarded PPP a silver medal in the Bohemian-style Pilsner category.
 

As far as pairing PPP with food, I’d entrust that responsibility to the cooks and servers at LowDown. I wouldn’t think twice about drinking PPP with any of the pizzas on LowDown’s menu, though. But that’s the easy way out. I’d drink PPP with steamed crabs or a plate of chilled shrimp, and it would go great with white cheddar or Monterey jack cheeses as well.
 

Perhaps the best PPP pairing is with a seat on LowDown’s lovely outdoor patio. Oh wait…
 

LowDown Brewery + Kitchen, 800 Lincoln St., 720-524-8065