Russian River Pliny the Elder

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

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.

Bottle. A lightly hazy dark golden/orange beer with amedium sized and fast disappearing white head. The aroma is maltier than usually for the style, but however is highly hoppy with notes of pine, grapefruit, oranges. Leafy too. The flavour has a medium sweetness and some acidity. Again enough malty, lightly bready and herbal and citric hops. So, quite balanced for the style. Medium body, lively carbonation, dry long finish with medium to high bitterness. Smooth mouthfeel and alcohol well hidden. Not the best appearence and maybe not big bodied as I expect in a DIPA, but apart this, really good.

From the bottle. Light orange color with a white head. Aroma is amazing like walking through a pine forest. Flavor is pine, herbal dry hopped flavor and caramel malt. Nothing is overwhelming or unbalanced. Flavor ends bitter and flavorful. Palate is very pleasant and smooth.

500ml bottle. Pours a golden orange body with a light haze. Finger-width, pure white, foamy head that dissipates quickly, but leaves a good deal of delicate lacing. Aroma of bright, fresh, juicy citrus and big, robust caramels. Very similar to the Blind Pig, but more orange peel and much fuller malt profile. Not quite as assertive on the nose, but still very nice and full. Light amounts of pine, but again...the malts are more pronounced and don’t allow the big hop profile to become too sharp. Flavor is a very well balanced DIPA. Lots of orange as well as some tropical fruits mix their way in nicely with the big, sweet caramel malts. Slippery finish before slowly drying and leaving a sugary citrus linger. Not the extreme hop aftertaste that the Blind Pig offers, but much sweeter and balanced. There is a light zest and pine throughout, but I can’t stress how well balanced this is. The palate is light to medium, but very clean and smooth. Overall, this is living up to the hype. Clearly the juiciest and most well balanced CA brew I’ve tried recently. It is loaded with fresh citrus and a big malt profile, but stays relatively mellow throughout while maintaining extreme floral qualities. Very well done.

Yes the best double IPA I’ve had along with the ruination. Pours a gorgeous dark yellow with a creamy froathy head. The nose is an unbelievable hop extravaganza. The mouthfeel is smooth and medium to full bodied. Taste of grapefruit, citrus and pine. Lingers in the mouth for a while, but not in an overpowering way. I stumbled across this in Tanakaya and it was 1260 yen well spent. Who knows when I’ll be able to try this amazing brew again, if ever!

WOW!! Fantastic balance of malt and Hops!! Perfect balance of bitterness!! The aroma is just bursting out of the glass Tropical fruit citrus fruit and a bit of pine. I dont know what better smelling it or drinking it!! Amazing!!