Russian River Pliny the Elder

On tap at Firewaters. Tons of citrus and floral hops. Best balanced hoppy aroma that I have experienced - some bitterness but also very floral and sweet. Color surprised me, light clearish gold/orange with a pillowy/creamy head. Fruity character, nice citrus bite. Exceptionally smooth, nice hoppy aftertaste. Have been waiting a while to try this one!

Bottle that was kindly passed to me by Craig, cheers mate consumed 27-03-09 Pours mid amber with a busy display of bubles and a large white fluffy head, its a little hazy. Aroma is quite stunning this despite the chilling take the edge of the nose slightly, peaches and apricots both really ripe leap forth along with strident pine notes and layers of citrus. This really was an incredible nose that was almost perfect. The taste is lovely though just a tad ’after the lord mayors show’ when compared to the aroma. I get a very juicy, fruity hoppy mouthful and the the peaches and apricots tend to give way to the more citric notes and there is sweet cooked and softened lemon rind, some grapefruit all backed with a nice bitterness that is never intrusive. A very enjoyable beer that I just thought could have been that little bit better. A9 A3 F8 P4 OV15

Crushed with carythedude. Rating after Pliny the younger. That’s all that need be said.

Lots of Hops, bitter, aestheticly pleasing aroma and taste, goes down smooth. Beautiful.

500 ML Bottle, purchased from Belmont Station in Portland, OR. Snifter. Golden Orange pour with a thick head, good lacing. Aroma and flavor are a wonderful balance of hops and malt. Beer is heavy, lightly carbonated, and lingers long past being swallowed. This is an incredible beer. Can’t wait to find another...

3rd Annual Richmond Industry Gathering. Big grassy floral hop nose. Slightly cloudy light straw. Nice floral grassy hop flavor with slight fruitiness. Touch of alcohol warming. Mostly dry very bitter finish with citrus grapefruit notes.

Pours a nice amber color, with a light frothy head, about a finger thick. Good retention, and I wouldn’t say it looks like "lacing", but it does stick to the side of the glass. Citrus, hops, slight piny aroma. Smells near perfect for an IPA to me. Not overpowering, but it definitely tells you it’s an IPA. The taste matches exactly what you get from the smell. Citrus, nicely bitter hops, not overpowering. Great for an IPA. I’m finding myself rather indifferent towards the mouthfeel. It’s very drinkable. It’s hopped perfectly. Enough to let you know it’s there, but not so much that it gives you that unpleasant bitter pinch in the back of your jaw that a lot of hop bombs do. I’d be happy to have a case of this in my cooler!

The famous Pliny the Elder has made it to little old New Zealand. Thaks BIG TIME to Mike Neilson for his efforts. Everyone else here has described this beer to death, so I’ll just give some impressions. Firstly, I was actually a little disappointed, but then it was a huge buildup. Nothing was ever going to live up to the hype. That out of the way, this is a great beer. I can’t believe it’s 8% abv. Silky smooth, medium carbonation, very quaffable. The hops are prominent, but it’s really the malt which makes the biggest impression. Barley sugars, fresh baked ciabatta bread, and a hint of malt biscuits. After that (and before really, via the aroma) the hops are there. Lemon, grapefruit, lime, pine needles, and a sharply herbal flavour, like cilantro but not quite. This beer is certainly an experience. Please sir, may I have another? Re-rate with fresher bottle imported by The Beer Store. It’s just so delicious there are tears in my eyes drinking it. Those USians don’t know how lucky they are. Russian River are my new gods.