Dominion Spring Brew 2005
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company

Dominion Spring Brew 2005Dominion Spring Brew 2005
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From:
Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company
 
Delaware, United States
Style:
Imperial Pilsner
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.27 | pDev: 11.48%
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
29
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 20, 2006
Added:
Feb 16, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by TinusTime:
Photo of TinusTime
Reviewed by TinusTime from Virginia

4.85/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Same as last years, but evidently they remembered to dry hop this years.

Pours a slightly burnished golden colour with a nice 2 finger white head that laces well.

Aroma is bready with some sweet citrus rind aroma. Taste has a bit of grainy huskyness at first then it finishes with a blast of sweet yet drying hops. This is a must for hop heads. The dry hopping gives it that extra bit that was missing from last years great version. Mouthfeel is full for a pilsner, the hops add a bit of stickiness to the mouthfeel which is nice. Drinkability.. Please sir may I have another. This is dangerous drinkable. This is the best brew Dominion has put out in my opinion. I wish they would make it all year round, but then again maybe some of the magic would wear offf.. Nahhhh.

This sets the bar for the Double or Imperial Pilsner set.
Feb 19, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of kmpitz2
Reviewed by kmpitz2 from Tennessee

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
From notes. Poured a deep straw color with a light coat of head over top with nice sticky lace as it receded. Nose was full of spicey and floral noble hop with a light graineyness, but not in a harsh way. Flavor was faintly grainy, with a solid spicey noble hop over a lightly sweet maltyness from the pilsner malt. Very tasty brew. Feel was moderate with a solid light carbonation. Right where I expected it. Overall, a good brew. Flavor and feel really hit the spot. A beer I would have liked more of!
Jan 20, 2006
Photo of nvsblman
Reviewed by nvsblman from Arizona

3.77/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Yellowish color and crystal clear. About half a finger of head. Citrusy and grassy aroma with a bit of lemon zest. Nice bitterness in the flavor, and just a bit of spicyness. Very refreshing, crisp and clean. This one would be great in the summer heat! Nothing too spectacular, but a very solid beer.
Jan 15, 2006
Photo of Px2GrafX
Reviewed by Px2GrafX from Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
presentation: 12oz. bottle with a white label and full color graphics. dominion's typical stag or buck logo in the center with a metalic gold look to the logo and the huge type: dominion spring brew. golden wheat around the logo. bottling date: feb 17, 2005. back label gives dominion's description of their spring brew, this year is dryhopped, an abv of 8.5%, and lists the ibu's at 70!

appearance: pours a lightly hazy bright golden yellow with bright yellow highlights in a weizen glass. (my only pilsner glass got broken). head is a fluffy 1 1/2 inch bright white with light yellow highlights. bubbles rise aggressively at first, but for some reason almost stop midway through the drink. lacing is nice.

smell: hops, hops and more hops. citrusy, floral and lightly spicy hop aromas. some grainy and light bready notes as well.

taste: nice spicey hops and very bready with a touch of honey flavor. spicy saaz mix nicely with the biscuity undertones. tons of bombarding hop flavors, but not as bitter as i was expecting. lemon citrus and lightly bitter in the finish and aftertaste. warming by the end.

mouthfeel: smooth but crisp light-medium body. actually thicker than i was expecting. light to medium carbonation and swallows pretty good for a pilsner.

drinkability: very drinkable. can't quite make this a session brew with the 8.5% abv, but alcohol isn't noticible except for the warming. so be careful with this one! nice aftertaste keeps you drinking, and the mysterious array of hop flavors makes you wanna be a detective. gone before i knew it.

overall: not many imperial pilsners out there as i've only had two others that i can remember. this is the best of 'em. i'm actually gonna let one of these sit 'till next spring to see how it changes. beautiful change of scenery from my usual ipa.
Sep 24, 2005
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Immaculate amber with several streams of lazily rising bubbles adding to the large, firmly creamy, eggshell colored cap. The foam looks to be extra sticky, so it's no surprise that a huge amount of thick lace is beginning to find its way to the glass. This is a great looking double pilsner and is exactly what I would expect a beer of this style to look like.

The nose is mega-hoppy and is great... if you like the noble varieties. I don't love them in most pilseners, but then this isn't your ordinary, everyday pils. Whether it's the obviously rock solid pale maltiness, the synergism of the hop bill (Saaz, Tettnang and Splat) or the sheer amount of hops used, I'm impressed.

I'm not immediately blown out of the water by the flavor profile, probably because of my ambivalence regarding noble hops. If you like them, and if you like big beer, then you'll most likely love the Splat! out of this beer. I can't help but wonder what it would taste like with a different hop bill. But then who am I to second guess Old Dominion?

In addition to grassy, musky and herbal, let's add spicy alcohol to the mix. Malt doesn't get lost in the hop maelstrom, but holds down the fort with steadfastness. There's a sweet, cake-like aspect to this beer that is tempting me to increase the taste score another notch. As my hop sensors become saturated, the malty sweetness emerges and... okay, I'll do it. I'll give this brawny, broad-shouldered double pilsner the score it so richly deserves.

The mouthfeel is near perfect for lovers of big beer. It's medium-full, expansive and bordering on creamy. The CO2 stays the hell out of the way and, therefore, adds to my enjoyment.

When trying to decide which beer to drink next, I read the words 'ferociously hopped' on this one. Since we're now several months past Spring '05, I felt it was high time to crack it open since the hoppiness will only lessen with time. Even though I don't love noble hops the way I love the American varieties, Dominion Spring Brew 2005 won me over in the end. Seek this one out, it's definitely worth it.
Sep 22, 2005
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Presentation: 12 ounce bottle that worked its way from Ashburn, VA to Long Beach via San Diego. Back label has this Spring Brew Lager described as “…a Noble Imperial pilsner that is ferociously hopped”. 70 IBU’s and 8.5%. Bottling Date is 2/24/05.

Appearance: Milky golden body with a soft white head that rests comfortably at 1” thick throughout the drink (not that that was a long time) with the odd gentle swirl. Active levels of carbonation are witnessed during the odd gentle massage and capture the sliding lacing.

Nose: Sweaty sweet malts mingle with a deep dank hop aroma that reminded me of damp Hop Pockets I once got to smell at the Harvey’s Brewery post flooding. Freshly baked white bread cakes and a mild Bakers yeast aroma.

Taste: Sharp hops at the start, Saaz like with some lemon grassy traits. Rising earthy grainy malts fill the centre whilst the ending benefits form a bitter-sweet dry finish. Tangy lingering death has some pine oils and a little citric lemon & orange pith

Mouthfeel: Creamy prickly and smooth all at once. Brazen feel, the tingling hops create a sparkling essence which lends a bigger presence to this Imperial Pilsner than it perhaps deserves.

Drinkability: Off the scale……but 5 seems good.

Overall: Tastes like a very hoppy Pilsner, it still retains some crisp feel and the Drinkability is off the scale….boy it’s a damn good job I don’t have a Six Pack of this beauty.

Thanks to xlperro who passed this on from fellow BA ManekiNeko – Cheers to both for having the chance to try this one!
Aug 08, 2005
Photo of ppoitras
Reviewed by ppoitras from Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
12oz bottle obtained via trade with meathookjones. Thanks for the opportunity...

Poured into an imperial pint glass, formed a 1" off-white head over the golden brew. Head lasts nicely, especially for the style, and lacing is impressive as well. Aroma is pale malt sweetness, spicy hops, and alcohol. Flavor starts with a quick hit of pale malt, swiftly overpowered by the spicy hops character, and at the close alcohol warming becomes apparent. Mouthfeel and drinkability are superb. This is exactly what I expected for the style, and I'm glad I have a few more bottles floating around.
Aug 04, 2005
Photo of SheepNutz
Reviewed by SheepNutz from Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to Kev for sharing this! 12oz. bottle poured into a tulip-style glass. It pours a deep gold color with two fingers of head that have decent retention. There is just a little bit of lacing. The smell is very earthy, and has a decent dose of hops. A nice pale malt background rounds everything out. The taste is malty at first, and a little bit bready, but then there's the grassy hop finish that takes over. It's mostly European hops too, since there isn't really any citrus flavors. Very clean. The mouthfeel is great for a pilsener, and the drinkability is fantastic for 8.5%. An awesome lager!
Jul 21, 2005
Photo of MuddyFeet
Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A double pils that I like. Nice. Probably because it doe not have that tin taste to it at all. Is that the saaz hops? I don't think so because I can pick them out in this beer and find myself really like them. The beer pours a very clear gold in color. Thin filmy head with lots of stringy lace. Nose is very mild and sweet. Some malts and hops, that's it. Taste is a lot of hops. Very odd for they style. Multiple types of hops too. Malts come through as fairly sweet. The predominant flavor is the saaz hop. Mouthfeel is crisp and has a slightly dry finish. Very drinkable, I do not even notice the alcohol. Flavor does not remain on the tongue inbetween sips so it is renewed with each tip o' the ol' pint.
Jul 06, 2005
Photo of CRJMellor
Reviewed by CRJMellor from Arkansas

4.12/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a very clear golden color with a quickly disappearing, foamy, white head and no lace.
Aroma of fresh bread and strong but floral hop notes. Little bit of toffee detected as well.
Flavor has a really zingy citrus tang with lots of wheat bread and just a hint of caramel malt.
Mouthfeel is outstanding, really has that excellent mix of soft malt and bread tones and dry, lightly bittered hop notes.
Drinkability is really high. One is not enough, really addiciting as it goes down and leaves a great taste on the palate.
Jun 23, 2005
Photo of Wonka
Reviewed by Wonka from Maryland

4.22/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 Fluid Ounces
bottling date: 2/24/05
70 IBU

Appearance – 1.5-inch thick white frothy head; clear golden body; lace is reasonable

Smell – grainy; spicy; hoppy; good energy

Taste – grains abound with a great, nicely attenuated Saaz hop zing from the dry hopping that’s more pine than grapefruit; pleasant smooth sugary sweetness helps the overall presentation; the pine and a touch of alcohol pool together with a bit of spice in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel – moderate feel with smooth and a bit crisp carbonation and some dryness at the close

Drinkability – the dryness pulls back consumption a bit but the taste and feel keep the ball rolling

Overall the hoppy twist and strength of the pilsener combination is a good move. The dryness between sips sets back the overall presentation. The time sitting back and reflecting between sips or simply awaiting the next sip with less contemplation makes a big mark. In the end, its a good spring pilsener that's a level below Troegs Sunshine Pils, regardless of the cross-category comparison.
Jun 22, 2005
Photo of RBorsato
Reviewed by RBorsato from Virginia

4.67/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
2005 version of their Spring Brew - An Imperial Pilsner.

Clear light golden color with a nice creamy white head, good carbonation, and nice lace. Nice prominent Saaz hop aroma ... a bit earthy, lemony, and grassy all at the same time. Maybe a bit hoppier in aroma than the 2004 version with a bit more fruit character too that rounds it out nicely. Flavor seems more balanced than last year with solid maltiness and fruitiness rounding out the bitterness. Mouthfeel is very close to full with nice creaminess and finishes lightly bitter.

Per Back Label:
- Noble Imperial Pilsner
- Sazz, Tettnang, and Spalt hops
- 40 lbs. of hops per 25 bbl's; First wort hopping & DRY HOPPING
- 70 IBU's

Bottled: 03/24/05
Tasted: 06/16/05
Jun 17, 2005
Photo of shippos
Reviewed by shippos from New York

4.57/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
solid white head on a deep golden yellow body. fresh hop aroma right out of the bottle with mouthwatering flowery and citrusy flavors. huge amount of hops in the taste, lots of flavor but not overly bitter at all, nicely balanced witha a smooth malt character.
Jun 17, 2005
Photo of ejquin
Reviewed by ejquin from Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I've never really been a huge pilsner fan, but when BA ManekiNeko sent this as an extra in a trade, I was excited to give it a try.

App: Cloudy orange / gold with a sticky white head that sticks around and laces glass.

Smell: Very pilsner-y, but more extreme. Hops, with a bready yeast with a citrus twinge to it. Just the slightest amount of alcohol thrown into the mix.

Taste: Again, to me this said amped up pils. Nice and smooth with a good hop bitterness factor in there. Not overpowering but definitely up front. Citrusy with a bit of malt at the end with just the slightest amount of alochol warmth. A good dose of honey at the end as well. Dry on the ending.

Mouth: Nice and smooth. Perfect amount of carbonation.

Drink: Very Good.

Overall this is one of the better pilsner derivatives I've had.
Jun 16, 2005
Photo of Luigi
Reviewed by Luigi from North Carolina

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Cloudy yellow color with a white lace for a head that does stick around the glass. Smells spicy from the hops. Some sweet maltiness does pull through. Taste very hoppy. One of the hoppiest pilsners I have ever tried. Pine like hops? Very interesting for a pilsner, but I can for sure detect saaz hops too. Hoppy aftertaste and a good drinkability. At 8.5% alc. by volume this beer will kick your ass if you are not careful. Very different and tasty.
Jun 11, 2005
Photo of OldFrothingSlosh
Reviewed by OldFrothingSlosh from Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
On tap at the Innsbrook Capital Ale House for the (attempted) screening of "American Beer".

When I saw this on the (expansive) beer menu at CAH-I, I was damned excited to finally try this beer.

A: Color was a vibrant gold in color with a bit of honey highlights at the edges. Vast quantitites of miniscule bubbles surge upwards towards the finger-thick layer of foamy stark white head.

S: Aromas have a degree of "pilsner" to them, exactly what I expected. But there's also a whole lot of other yummy scents. Biscuity malt sweetness and fresh fruity hoppy notes detected. Very clean.

T: Shit-hot! This is one seriously stellar beer. It takes a clean-tasting pils and ratchets up the intensity by a factor of 10. Up front burst of Saaz and a sharp bitterness which is soon pushed aside by a layer of caramel sweetness and honey. Finish sees a dash of warmth to remind you that this weighs in at 8.5% ABV. Long-lasting bitterness at thend. Extremely clean and crisp finish.

M/D: Creamy yet sticky mouthfeel. Borders on full mouthfeel and this is not a bad thing. Simply stellar drinkability. So incredibly balanced, tasty, and refreshing. The first pint disappeared within minutes.

Notes: Iron Chef Morimoto's Impy Pils has been beaten soundly by the gang at Ol' Dom. A new standard for the beefy Double Pils and one that should be sought out!
Jun 08, 2005
Photo of cracgor
Reviewed by cracgor from Texas

4.58/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
*Bottled Feb 17, 2005

Appearance: Golden, clear, bubbly Pilsner look. Almost rocky head. Increadible retention and lacing. The entire side of the glass is covered with the lacing...more like a sheet.

Smell: Saaz hops. Supposed to be hopped like crazy, and smells like it. Sweet, fruity fragrance. A little like apples.

Taste: Very bitter from the hops. Malts add a good touch of sweetness to make it perhaps the best tasting pilsner I have had thus far. Has a bit of a pine like flavor.

Moutfeel: Medium body. A little astringent. Carbonation is minimal in the mouth. A bit of warming from the alcohol.

Drinkability: I really wouldn't know this had 8.5% alcohol if it weren't for the label. For the style and the hops this is very drinkable, especially since I am not particularly fond of pilsners. I picked up a sixer of this on the recommendation of a BA--Thanks Tinus. The beer is very delicious and I'm going to enjoy the rest of the six-pack.
Jun 06, 2005
Photo of LuckySevens82
Reviewed by LuckySevens82 from Florida

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz bottle courtesy of Dithyramb.

Pours an almost florescent golden color with a small but well formed white cap. Head doesn't last long but the collar is kind of nice.
Smell is strong spicy hops, some floral hop character as well. Definitely some malty sweetness in there as well.
Noble hops kind of dominate the flavor, but there is a definite crispness to this one that is balanced out very well by the slight malty sweetness in the back.
Mouthfeel is good, perhaps a bit too carbonated, but I can live with it.
Overall, a good beer, not something that I get to try every day.
Jun 04, 2005
Photo of beergeek279
Reviewed by beergeek279 from Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Served in the 12 oz. bottle into a dimple glass. The color is a very nice golden with a thick foamy head with excellent retention. The smell is a nice strong citrusy hoppiness. The taste is dominated by the hops; there's a nice bitterness in the beer, but there's quite a good Saaz hopping in the beer (to the point it almost tastes like a C-hop) that sparkles very nicely, but yet lets the nice pilsner malt backing shine through and provide a balance to the beer, with the alcohol a nice little touch that (just barely) reminds you what you're drinking. Mouthfeel is well-carbonated. As for drinkability, this is one that I could drink until I hit the floor, which sadly with this one would happen much too soon.

Another fantastic beer from Dominion, a super double pilsner with a very strong lovely Saaz flavor but yet somehow manages to be balanced. I'm definitely glad to get my hands on this one, though it's a disappointment that I can't find this one around here. A very close 2nd in the style to Morimoto.
May 28, 2005
Photo of Globetrotter
Reviewed by Globetrotter from Virginia

4.84/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
This gem was procured in Northern Virginia (thanks, Chris - my longest running friend) and hand-carried to Moscow (thanks, Steve - my new best friend!). I cracked the first of the six the night after the stuff arrived, and offered Globetrotterette a sip, fully expect her to say "ew, too bitter." What she actually did? Immediately took my pint and told me to drink her Kulmbacher. No ingredients information on the label, but a lot of crowing about how much hops are in here. My bottles sport a bottled on date of 3/3/05. I opened the one I'll review now on 5/24/05.

Pours a slightly hazy deep gold under a one finger white head that lingers well and leaves a bit of lacing. Marvellous pine and citrus notes fill the nose, enticing you to breathe deeply over and over again. The mouth is very well carbonated and just the slightest bit sticky - in a good way. The taste? My, my. Yup, there's lots of hops here, but they are smooth as silk, providing plenty of pine sap and grapefruit to a bit of sweet barley malt. A bit softer around the edges than many IPAs, it still packs a wallup of flavor that finishes strongly and tangy and leaving a wonderfully crisp aftertaste of pine needles straight off the Christmas tree. Lord, how I'd kill to have regular access to this stuff. Yum!
May 24, 2005
Dominion Spring Brew 2005 from Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 29 ratings