Russian River Pliny the Elder

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

I tried this on tap at Hopmonk Tavern and it was lame compared to the brewpub. Cloudy deep gold body with a yellowish khaki head. The aroma was massive grapefruit with some pine resin. There was also some walnuts and wood. The taste was very strong grapefruit with pine. this is a total hop bomb. At Hopmonk, this beer had no balance. At the brewpub, it was balanced with a a big body. Dry and woody. While the brewpub version was very good, I was not blown away.

Bottle: the best beer we had for new years 09 with ramenen. excellent double IPA , hoppy piney well balanced and full bodied. great.

I’ve had Pliny the Elder twice before now. Both occasions were at successive GABFs, and while it may have been the agony of an overwrought tongue or the sensory overload from so many scents, screams and suds, I didn’t like Pliny the Elder at all. Both times. It didn’t seem like anything special - just another battering ram for hops. When I returned to Colorado this holiday visit to see the family I noticed that Russian River was distributing Blind Pig, Pliny the Elder and Damnation. Of course, the memories of Pliny weren’t particularly glowing, but I thought it only fair to give it another chance, straight from the bottle, and toped in a low-key, quiet environment. Sitting down even. And miraculously it became a whole different breed of beer. There’s absolutely no head, the Pliny a clean shaven brew except for a decorative wreath of white bubbles. A sweet, rich and gripping aroma slinks out from the glass, dripping with honey, floral notes and enticing me to take a sip. I can’t remember an IPA doing this before, and with such a soft touch. Typically I enjoy Imperial IPAs, but only because they really knock you around with sugar and hops. But this was so restrained I thought it was a regular IPA. The palate strikes me as a bit loose, with rich flavors like these usually accompanied by a more syrupy vehicle. The sweetness remains in the flavor, but only under a thicker layer of bitter but savory hops bitterness. Not too much grapefruit in the eye, but just enough to tickle the tongue. The flora aspect is weighed beautifully against the other flavors, and generally the whole brew seems like it was meticulously measured and engineered to insure that no flavor element is louder than another, and that is poetry. I still am not, nor will I ever be, enamored with the IPA style or hop bombs, but this has been, to date, the most elegantly brewed specimen of the style I’ve had, and I’m happy to report it is a far greater beer than it was in the past.

Bright yellow orange with medium white head. Aroma is like walking naked through a pine forest. Full bodied, taste of pine, almonds, flowers, and overall hoppiness. Bitter throughout with a long finish. Superb.

Pours a clear straw, with a one-finger head, that quickly disappears. Lots of lace. Aroma is mostly pine hops and lemon. Also a fair amount of malt can be found in the aroma if you search for it. Flavor is much better balanced than I expected. This is a fairly bitter beer, with a touch of alcohol. Tons of fresh citrus, but finishes fairly hoppy for my tastes. Like most well hopped brews, it leaves my mouth dry and searching for glass of water afterwards. Palate is medium bodied, slightly carbonated. Overall this is a decent beer. Not my favorite style, but much more drinkable than most Imperial IPAs.

The aroma is exquisite with lots of citrus and pine hops (cascade). There is also a fair amount of sweet malt. The appearance is pale gold with a light haze. The flavor is like the aroma and quite bitter but without much alcohol punch. The palate is a bit thin and not as carbonated as I would have liked. Overall a GREAT example of a double IPA! Thanks Unrulythings.

Courtesy of Juart. Holy frick is this stuff good. Pours a clear golden orange color... very bright. A small white head that disappears pretty quickly. The aroma is an extremely fresh resiny hop. Some pine and pineapple too. A little cat piss. THe flavor is a hop taste slap across the face. A slight sweetness but a dry bitter that almost burns the tongue. The body is a little bit thin. Finishes with a warming alcohol. Very tasty.

500 ml. bottle. Fluffy white head, very clear golden yellow with champagne-like carbonation. Aroma is fresh citrusy hops, some pineapple sweetness. Very clean hoppy flavor, oranges and grapefruit, mild sweet malt background. Finishes dry and clean with a long lingering bitterness. Medium bodied and well carbonated.