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Russian River Pliny the Elder

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
10474.23/5.04.22/5.08%99.6Snifter, Tulip
Commercial Description:
Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "lupus Salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, humulus Lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Pliny the Elder, the beer, is brewed with 40% more malt and over twice the amount of hops as compared to our already hoppy IPA.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
tripelthreat (79), Soquel, California, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/59/104/518/20
Dec 1, 2008  
Bottle. Golden body topped by a messy off white head. Floral notes along with citrus and bit of pine in the aroma. Big grapefruit flavors, pine, fresh floral hops backed up by some caramel. Nicely bitter on the tongue without astringency. Full, smooth body but not overly thick or cloying. Finishes fairly cleanly for such a flavorful beer.


 sirpsycho (343), Murrysville, Pennsylvania, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/104/516/20
Nov 30, 2008  
Bottle. Pours a nice golden amber, nice white head. Aroma is a great combination of resiny pine and grapefruit. Flavor delivers on what the aroma promises, more resiny pine and really fresh grapefruit, a touch of malt comes out after the intial assault. Great DIPA, lives up to the hype in my opinion.


 robforbes (1085), Bremerton, Washington, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
Nov 30, 2008  
pours a semi-clear golden yellow with a small off-white head, very nice lacing. smell is earthy, hops, caramel, some citrus, and a little pine. taste is crisp yet smooth, thick on the tongue, hop flavor grows as you drink, caramel, grapefruit, dandelion, and some woodiness, ends nicely bitter.


 SamGamgee (1429), Santa Cruz (La Selva), California, USA
4.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/510/104/519/20
Nov 29, 2008    Updated: Mar 22, 2009
Draught at the Bistro. I have long awaited the day to try Pliny the Eder. Maybe I was expecting too much. Hype is a horrible thing. Piney and grapefruit peel-bitter hops are done exquisitely, within a clear golden body topped by a sticky white head. Aromas of pine needles and flowers. Light and dry as the most drinkable IPA. Not like any IIPA that I’ve had. So dry and crisp. Bitter, endless finish. I love the dryness and drinkability; it’s like a single IPA that manages double the hop load, but The hop profile still falls a bit short. I’m missing the tropical, fruity notes that I get out of some other west coast IPAs. Pliny does it’s thing almost perfectly, but that might just not really be my thing in the absolute realm of the hop. Rerate: I get it now. Forgive me, Pliny, for not even a fiery death at Mount Vesuvius could quell your awesomeness. The dryness IS the beauty. I guess it depends whether I am in the mood for a thicker DIPA or a dryer, thinner DIPA, but the power of the hops in this one is outdone by none so far. (4.4) Rerate: My first bottled sample, at about three weeks old, as well as draught a couple times in the last two days. Awesome floral hops in the aroma. The flavor is so hoppy, yet the bitterness is so soft and inviting. You really could drink this for a session and not burn your palate out with bitterness or sweetness. Every sip leaves you longing for another, with a perfectly balanced, dry finish. Stunning stuff, but the glass I had at the grad showed how much this can drop off if not properly fresh.


 cbeers21 (564), Miami, Florida, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/59/104/518/20
Nov 28, 2008  
Nice blonde color with bubbly head. Wow what an aromatic, flowery balanced nose. Powerful floral hops, light spice and piney scents combine with a buoyent malts quality to synthesize a truly wonderful nose. The taste is equally sublime and provides great balance while remaining quenching and delicious. Wow, a really great brew.


 ilovedarkbeer (1333), Dallas, Texas, USA
4.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/59/105/518/20
Nov 26, 2008  
Bottle Courtesy of bitbucket. Pours a brilliant light copper orange color with a lacy white head. Nose is pink grapefruit, pine, cedar, fresh air, grass, and dry malt. Taste is malt, floral, citrus, caramel, pine and resin. Amazing balance and a very warming yet drinkable finish. Great beer.


 rederic (1803), montréal, Quebec, Canada
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Nov 20, 2008  
500ml bottle. yellow golden color, with a white head, nice floral hop nose of resinous pineniddle, coniferous, cedary accent, with some lime citrusy esters, and a hint of toastiness in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a sweet toasted malt, juicy piney, resinous character, with a good flowery hop leafy, coniferous, cedary flavor, with a mild minty accent, with some lemon citrusy fruitiness, leading towards a warming sweet malty, fruity, grapefruit, peachy, hop resiny bitterness finish.


 Indra (2025), Prairie Village, Kansas, USA
3.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/56/102/512/20
Nov 20, 2008  
500ml, bottled 9/22/08. Piney, citric hop nose, fresh, strong and leafy, with lighter notes of honey, bubblegum and faint vanilla. Mostly clear medium golden color, head is very fine and slight. Flavor is massively hoppy and bitter thoughout, resinous pine, citrus fruit (particularly lemon) and peppery spice abound, with lighter aspects of pale, grainy, honeyish malt, but managing to remain dry beginning to end. Finish seems to go on forever, with coating hop resins supplying ample bitterness and flavor well after quaffing. Oily, rather thin mouthfeel, not much effervescence to speak of, body is certainly full enough. This is seemingly lacking a bit in depth and construction.



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