Dogfish Head Golden Era (Shower)

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: European Strong Lager
Milton, Delaware USA

Clear fiery copper (not golden) with a thick off-white head. Aroma is much more subdued than I expected; some grass, herbs and vanilla. Flavor starts off with sweet pale malt, a tinge of caramel then gives way to notes noble hops (herbs, grass, lemon zest), apricot, orange peel and a little vanilla. Kind of like a double IPA done with noble hops. Alcohol content very well hidden, lasting bitter finish - plenty of hops in this one. Smooth body, creamy texture and fine, soft-beaded carbonation. Good head retention. Nice beer but it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be.

This pours out a deep golden body with a frothy white head. Solid lacing activity. The aroma has some sharp floral hops over bready malts. Kind of an oily palate. The flavor’s grainy, fresh bread, and an obvious alcohol presence - the latter being about all that it has in common with the European strong lager style. Finishes on a sweet sticky note with a mild hop bitterness and a low alcohol burn. Not bad.

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This is really not bad at all. Very big and biscuity, with a mellow sweetness and just a touch of hoppiness coming through as well. Clean and smooth, with a great malt character, that is suprisingly well balanced, with a pungent, somewhat grassy finish.

Never thought I would get into a golden shower, but was I wrong. 750 bottle, bottled on 3/21/05. Pours with a sizable frothy head. Golden orange to copper color. Malty, biscuit, lightly hoppy (pine) and sweet aroma. The flavor is way better than anything I would have expected. Lightly sweet, nice malts (biscuit and caramel), marshmallow hints, great citrus hop presence that, while balancing in nature, does not suppress the creamy sweetness. Creamy full body. Very good with my steak! A fine Brew that I will seek out again.

I bought the Golden Shower for $7.99 in a Pint Bottle. As a rule, I enjoy pilsners. The texture was full & frothy. The flavor boasted a nice alchohol content combined with malt & hops. I drank this from a clear mug frosty cold. This one ranks very high for me.

Served initially cold. Full bodied in the extreme. Slippery. Grassy, but not all out, herbal and metallic in the aromas - these stay till the end. But the sweetness of the malt killed me and I ended up pouring it out, but not after a warm taste as well. Too syrupy, plain and simple. Not as good as the Prescription Pils I remember, hand bottled via JCW (I thought that grassier/hayier). Were malting lessons taken from Stone here?

Complex beer. Golden yellow with frothy head. Malt and hop aroma. Full mouthfeel coats well. Complex malt, extra bitter hops, pine, earthy in flavor. Slightly spicy hop flavors linger. Light yet amazingly complex body.

I really enjoy good examples of this style, and this one ranked way on up there. Must comment that I can’t believe they got this name through the Virginia label review process. Lovely deep gold, nice head fades slowly and leaves a great lace. Huge hoppy aroma, loads of flowers, grass, hay, and orange marmalade. Flavor is sticky malts with fruity accents, and an amazing hop profile, flowers, light spice, touch of earth, violets, and lavender. Sweet up front, bracing, lingering bitterness on the finish. Just fantastic.