Russian River Pliny the Elder

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Santa Rosa, California USA

Pre ZBF Brussels. Didn’t understand the hype around this. It is a not memorable dry and crisp beer. I guess european tastes and american ones makes the difference. This one’s clearly not for me

Beautiful hoppy floral smell and amber cloudy color. Simply a fantastic work of art. I’d recommend the elder above the younger simply because of the availability. At least you could conceivably order a second glass of the elder whereas it’s one younger for you sir!

Enjoyed from a 16.9oz bottle in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours a slightly-darker-than-straw-colored yellow hue, with a small but long-lasting white head. Strong and complex notes of west coast hops to the nose. The palate is initially quite bitter, carrying notes of grapefruit and pine. Following is a slight note of malt character; but what seems to set the beer apart is its dryness. This is especially evident when the beer is sampled alongside another double IPA, such as Bell’s Hopslam. The finish is dry and clean, making the beer tremendously drinkable, for its heft. Overall, a splendid experience. There is little doubt why it is so heralded.

Bottle. A - Hazy golden orange with a good sized white, foamy head. S - Big fruity hop smell. Lots of grapefruit, pineapple, orange, and just a little lemon. Good amount of pine too. T - Similar to the smell. Lots of hops, grapefruit, pineapple, orange, lemon, pine, as well as some floral and other earthy flavors. Considering all this, it isn’t too bitter. There is bitterness present, but there are so many other flavors it doesn’t seem overpowering. The fruit flavors provide a very subtle sweetness along with some pale malt as well. M - Medium to full body with good carbonation. Very creamy and smooth. D - Great drinkability. Goes down easy and taste wonderful. The hop flavors work so well together and it is quite refreshing. Would love to sit back and enjoy a few, unfortunately the ABV (and at the moment availability) prevents that somewhat. Notes: Wonderful beer with lots of West Coast type of hop flavors. Really good mix of hops that compliment each other. Also considering what it is and the amount of hops that are tasted, it is well balanced. There is a nice bitterness, but that is more in the background.

Poured from a bottle A lite golden color with nice off white head, decent lacing. The beer smells nice and hoppy with some citrus overtones.. The taste is great, loaded with hops, lots of dry hopped grapefruit flavor. The fantastic thing about this beer is it’s dryness. I find most DIPA’s are too sweet but not the Elder, the citrus flavors really cover the huge bitterness of this beer, which is so dangerously drinkable. Cheers to Vinnie!

thrown in as an extra from BA’s PeprSprYoFace, you rock! pours hazy gold with off-white head that leaves a good amount of lacing on the glass. nose is typical hops, citrus and bready aroma. taste is hoppy yeast and a little citrus that fades to dry. i agree with other reviews, there is a little metallic aftertaste that prevents this from being my favorite ipa, but i wonder if that was from the few months in a bottle (bottled 11/14/09)?

Bottled on - 011410. Appearance: Pours out a clear, brilliant, pale gold body with a sudsy, enduring, white head. Smell: Quite a vibrant nose with many a perfumy aromatic - expressive notes of fresh florals, citrus oils, resinous pine, and even peaches fill the air. Taste: Starts with a simple introduction of extra pale malts with some cracker tones to it and a relatively light sweetness. Flavors of oily lemon peelings, pine needles swimming in sap, meadow flowers, white grapefruit, and even white peaches usher in a bold bitterness. Picks up some spicy accents on the back end. As one would expect, it finishes dry and bitter with a lingering resinous quality. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Has a slight oily slickness to the mouthfeel. Drinkability: After well over a thousand reviews, I’m not sure what there is left to be said. PtE is a stalwart of the style. Drinks with comparative ease considering the bold bitterness and staunch dryness, with almost no notice of the alcohol presence.

A little disappointing. Had very high expectations. Tasted alot like my IPA homebrews with a metallicy, mediciney aftertaste. 2nd bottle from different vendor had the same problem. A bit skunky. Not bad, but certainly not worth the price.