Review: Dogfish Head's Grateful Dead Lager Marches To The Beat Of Its Own Drum

The Grateful Dead was one of the biggest bands to come out of the late '60s and remains one of America's most treasured bands of all time. The craft brewers at Dogfish Head haven't been around as long, but since 1995, the brand has made quite a name for itself with its "off-centered goodness for off-centered people." The groovy spirit of both the band and the beer company seemed pretty like-minded, and the stars aligned for a collaboration between the two in 2013 with the release of American Beauty, an imperial pale ale. Variants and re-releases of that brew were tapped over the ensuing years, and in 2025, the two brands made a new set of sweet music together with the debut of Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale. The success of this brew has warranted its own encore, which goes by the tune of the new Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager.

In a statement, Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head brewer and founder, noted, "One heck of a wild ride, our now more than 10-year relationship with the Dead has reinforced my belief in the value of thoughtful, authentic, against-the-grain experimentation ... failures be damned."

The fine folks at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery sent over a can of the new Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager for a sneak peek before everyone gets a ticket to ride. So, does this new brew have drinkers getting down to "Shakedown Street" or perhaps singing the "Cumberland Blues"? The truth will be revealed in this sudsy sip and say.

In advance of its release, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery sent a single can of the new Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager for review. It arrived at room temperature, and I refrigerated it for maximum enjoyment. The beer was sampled by one other person and me, in one sitting.

This review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. It also takes into account my previous experiences with Dogfish Head products, fruity beers, and lagers in general, as well as my current experience with this new beer. The ultimate criteria considered for this review were flavor, aftertaste, originality, uniqueness, grooviness, Grateful Dead-aliveness, and overall, if it's a beer worth drinking.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The Grateful Dead formed in 1965, and even as many of its members have passed on into "The Great Gig in the Sky," the band has become a moneymaking brand throughout the past six decades. The Dead has licensed its name, likeness, and dancing bear iconography into an array of like-minded products. Cherry Garcia, named after the late great guitarist Jerry Garcia, remains one of Ben & Jerry's most popular ice cream flavors. More recently, fans have been able to sip Grateful Dead-inspired wines, coffee, and Yerba mates, to help wash down Thinsters cookies. The band-brand first teamed up with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in 2013 with the Imperial Pale Ale American Beauty. Later in 2025, the two released Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, and once again collabored in 2026 for the release of Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager.

Dogfish Head describes the new 5.3% ABV Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager as "an easy drinking American Rice Lager brewed with carefully selected rice and sustainable Fonio grains from Africa, hopped with a mix of Lemondrop and Contessa hops, and brightened with lemongrass, lime and lemon peel ... reminiscent of sunshine and daydreams."

The company also notes the lager has a clear yellow appearance with white foam, a floral aroma filled with citrus, lemongrass, and rice cake, a flavor profile that includes lemon, lime, light honey, and gentle malt, and a light-bodied mouthfeel with a crisp, clean finish.

Starting in February 2026, the Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager will join the full-time roster of Dogfish Head products, including the existing like-minded brew, Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale. The lager will be available for sale nationwide and sold at participating retailers to customers who are 21 years of age or older.

Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager will be available in 6-packs, containing 12-ounce cans. It may also be available on tap at the brewery and namesake brew pubs located in Delaware and Maryland. For further help in finding Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager or any other Dogfish products, please consult its handy "Fish Finder" online.

The can I received did not have the final packaging design and labeling in place, but looking at the supplied imagery, I fell madly in love with its outward appearance. Like the Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale, this can also features the band's signature "Steal Your Face" logo: a skull with a yin and yang type circle split by a 13-point lightning bolt. Instead of the classic red and blue scheme, here it comes in my personal favorite color combo — the vibrant twosome of yellow and green.

I popped the cap and leaned in for a quick whiff. It had a light citrusy aroma. As I poured it into my glass, the liquid flowed cleanly, and to my surprise, very clearly. It was almost water-like in both respects. As the beer filled the glass, its true color started to ring true — a golden brew that could almost pass for ginger ale. There was a bit of foam, but it ebbed rather quickly.

With "citrus" in its name, I was expecting a full-on blast of juicy vitamin C flavors. The one flavor note that kept shining through with each sip was lemony. It was not the type that comes freshly squeezed from the beautiful fruit, but instead from the one that stalks in the form of lemongrass. This brew didn't have much bite or even crispness to it. What it did have, like its pour, was a very clean delivery from the glass to the receiving mouth. After many sips, I couldn't tell if I was ready to fully embrace it. It was unlike most lagers I usually indulge in. It tasted very earthy, with lemongrass dominating the space, which made it both unique and peculiar at the same time.

I needed more time to mull over the new Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager before rendering a final verdict. I decided to break out a chilled can of its older brother — the Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale. That beer had a much murkier, more opaque body with a decent amount of foam that hung around for a nice while. It also had a more appealing citrusy aroma, and its taste had its own a-peel — that of lemon peel. It added up to a far superior beer, standing out with a great flavor and a perfect biting aftertaste.

I went back and forth on sips between the lager and the ale. The latter was easily my favorite, but the lager started to grow on me. As I headed for tipsy-ville, taking these two beers on at once, I began to better see how this duo shared a similar "Dead" space. The Juicy Pale hit harder, which I preferred, but there was something notable about Daydream Lager, which still chipped in the same 5.3% ABV, but in a leaner, cleaner form — almost like a less-sweetened radler or shandy (some of the best brews if you're not a fan of beer).

I was only able to try a single can of Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager. I wanted a second one to get to know it better, but in this brief concert, I could still tell this lager marched to the beat of its own drum. That was rather fitting, as this beer honors a band that featured two drummers. We all have a favorite drummer, and mine remains the Grateful Dead Juicy Pale. Alas, there's still plenty of room left on the stage for the Daydream Lager to make some noise of its own, even if it's a little more toned down in its rhythm.