Dead Guy Ale is a Maibock, a German lager with a malt emphasis (opposed to hops), so "malty" is exactly the right word.

In Germany it's traditionally a spring beer, but I don't pay attention to seasons when picking a style--unless it's a fresh hop or harvest ale, which must be drank fresh, and the hops are only harvested once a year (well, in this hemisphere at least ... New Zealand hops are starting to catch on).
Lot's of people think there are two basic kinds of beer, "regular" and "dark." But the color doesn't have as much to do with the taste as you'd expect. While a black or brown beer almost always has a bit of roast to it (like coffee/chocolate), they can be sweet, bitter, hoppy, or even fruity. There are dozens (maybe 100s) of different beer styles, and style is the most important indicator of taste. Guinness shouldn't be thought of as definitive of dark beers. It actually has something sour going on that is unpleasant to me, though back in the 90s I did enjoy Guinness before I knew better.
I don't typically drink Rogue beers, but I know they're a respected brewer, and Dead Guy Ale is their big seller. If you can get used to a beer with some bitterness, a fresh IPA is a thing of beauty. Some versions emphasize the aroma and flavor of hops more than the bitterness, which is how I brew my own. But you really must drink them fresh to see what is special about them. Many brewers will put the date on the bottle. I typically don't drink an IPA that's more than a month or 6 weeks old, because the hop aroma/flavor fades with time and becomes stale, leaving mainly bitterness. A good pale ale is one way to work you way up to it, since they are less intense versions of IPA. Three Floyds Alpha King is an excellent pale ale, as well as Stone's Pale Ale.