Founders Brewing Co. Solid Gold

I love stuff like this: an old-school, American lager that harkens to something your grandfather drank back in the 1960s. It’s got it all, from the all-American throwback name to throwback packaging with vintage-looking fonts.

The beer inside is golden colored, crisp, carbonated and refreshing. But unlike some of its macro-brewed counterparts, this one has the flavor of quality crafting. It’s the summer beer for people with a need for something better – and it’s just 4.4 percent alcohol by volume, so you can have more than one without worry. Sure, there’s no harm in quaffing a Miller High Life after mowing the lawn, but what if you can quench that Saturday afternoon thirst with something a little higher in life?

Perhaps even better, the price point is unlike any of those fancy IPAs or flavored beers – it’s actually competitive with the Corporate Light beers at the suggested retail of $7.99 per six-pack. There’s also a 15-pack slated to go for $14.99, which on average is roughly what you’ll be paying for the mass-produced stuff.

More than anything, what makes me happy about this is that it signals a return to the kinds of beers most of us cut our teeth on. By and large, we didn’t have access to beers like Pilsner Urquell, or other well-done pilsners and lagers, because few imports were available. Now, good lagers are being made in the U.S.A. and can be found pretty much anywhere. It’s good to be alive.