Dogfish Head Lawnmower

During a recent dinner at the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg, MD, I elected to try the Lawnmower, which is billed as their "starter" beer for people who are used to drinking the standard American lager. I figured that I needed to try it once, and that it couldn't be that bad...

Vitals:

• Name: Dogfish Head Lawnmower
  

• Brewery: Dogfish Head
  

• Style: American pale ale (Category 10A, BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines)

• Alcohol: 4.0%

• Serving: draft pint
  

Scoring (in solidarity with Charlie the Beer Guy):

• Appearance: 3 - Hazy straw yellow with a scant white head that faded to a faint lace.

• Nose: 1 - A hint of bready malt, but barely present.
  

• Taste: 4 - A gentle hit of grassy hop bitterness upfront, with grainy malts predominating through the middle to the finish.
  

• Mouthfeel: 4 - Light-bodied throughout, with a small amount of carbonation. No aftertaste.
  

• Holistic: 4 - Clearly better than any American lager, but not something I'd seek out in most circumstances, especially given that it's only served at Dogfish Head alehouses where every other beer available is far more interesting.
  

Overall: 16 - In the interest of full disclosure, both stronger beer and rich food were had before trying the Lawnmower, which very likely downplayed my appreciation. Other reviews I've seen have scored it significantly higher in the nose and taste departments, which may also have been a keg factor as well. In any case, not something I'll seek out again, but definitely recommended for those not used to the strength and richness of Dogfish Head's other brews.