Dogfish Head Golden Era (Shower)

Here we are, on the precipice of beer number 200, having come a very long way from where we started back in January as craft beer novices. We’ve learned a lot since then, if nothing more than knowing we were in for a treat with a specialty brew from DFH, who are yet to let us down. The Golden Shower pours a golden yellow color with a large, light-brown fizzy head. Fair lacing left behind by a mostly diminishing head. Aroma was described differently by different people, but the consensus was sweet malts, flowery hops, soapy yeast, and a hint of cognac. Initial taste is moderately sweet, mellowing to a light sweet finish with a hint of bitter. Short duration. Light to medium on the mouth, it has a watery texture and soft to lively carbonation. Alcohol tinge left behind. Reviewed on October 22, 2006.

Drank this one with Sam himself at our 06’ sales meeting at the Milton brewery. Delicious creation of an Imperial Pils. Poured a dark yellow with a thin foamy white head. Smelled of hops and bitter lemon. The flavor was out of this world. Crisp, hoppy with a swift kick to the palate at the end. Creative and perfectly balanced. Delicious!!

Clear blonde/amber with medium to large white head. Hop aroma - grapefruit. Sticky malt with grapefruit hop presence. Kind of hot as far as alcohol is concerned. Sweet, yet bitter - decent offering. Some floral hop presence too.

This beer is thick, hoppy, alcoholic, and almost perfect. I can’t wait to get this one again.

Rating for Golden Shower

An attractive pour: thick yet mostly clear amber with frothy legs and a thickish film after a slow head. Regarding the aroma, my first thought was "barleywine", with some heavy, heady vinous dark fruits atop thick, alcoholic maltiness. Mouthfeel is strangely thin and sharp (with additional finish-astringence) while the flavor is thick and fruity malts... gorgeously sweet and rich, finishing with moderate bitterness.

<font size=-4>750 ml bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=1477>Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL 60638</font>

Pours a clear deep gold, quite effervescent, with an inch or more of creamy off-white foam. Decent lacing. Honey malt, caramel malt, and floral hops in the aroma. Medium body brew, moderately carbonated. More of that honeymalt and caramel malt blend in the flavor - more sweet than hoppy. In fact the hops are floral with slight bitterness found well in the background. Further into the glass, perhaps as it warmed a bit, a strong alcohol aroma developed. I did not detect any alcohol in the flavor. Tasty beer, I was expecting a hoppy/spicy/bitter imperial Czech pilsener, but this was something more like a blonde doppel bock

Bottle. Pours clear gold with 3 fingers worth of foam. Nice lacing on the glass, as expected for a pilsner. Lots of sweet malt taste at first with dry hop finish.

clear dark golden with a nice white head. aroma honey molasses hay grass. sweet honey light molasses flavor with hints of spicy herbal hops and black pepper. sweet honey finish with some slightly bitter dry herbal notes. full thick body. lively carbonation. good but a bit too sweet. DFH seems to be stuck on this honey/saffron flavor.