Russian River Pliny the Elder

I tried this on draft at Falling Rock. It was the first beer I tried. I like it even less now.

Bottled on 090208. Yellow to light orange. Soft soap bubble white head. The aroma is and flavor are full of pine and citrusy goodness, but to be honest, I feel Blind Pig really have a better aroma and more hop flavor. This was very easy to drink and pretty enjoyable, but I’d never think of it as Imperial or Double. I guess that is a good thing. If I were to compare this to Dreadnaught, it would lose badly.

Sampler at the RR Brewpub (Santa Rosa, CA). I drank the sampler from the other people I was with too! I anxiously await the arrival of the bottles I bought. A golden amber with a decent head. Some pine and citrus notes on the nose. Bitter tart bite, big chunks of grapefruit with pine in the body. Equally assertive maltiness that attempts to balance this bad boy. Finishes smooth with same great bitterness. Wonderful. These are the beers that truly make it worth being a beerian. Cheers!

Draught at Bella Vista Opening, Phila.: Wow-- this pushed me over the edge. A tremendously tasty, hazed over beer that just fills up your mouth and completely takes over. After two little tasters of it, I made the mistake of going for a whole pint as the party was breaking up. Definitely a powerful but oddly drinkable brew.

Bottled. Phenomenal DIPA, unbelievably easy drinking for the type. Easily the sweetest hops I have ever tasted. Pours a hazy golden orange colour with a small white head and sticky lacing. Arom is ruby red grapefruit hops and mandarin oranges. I was expecting a hop punch in the teeth, but this was super smooth. Try this if at all possible. I can only imagine what it tastes like super fresh at the brewery.

On draught @ Toronado. Pours a clear golden color with a small white head. Great hop aroma, very crisp, but deep, complex, even some nuttiness to be found. Mildly sticky mouthfeel, body is crisp and refreshing. Not a violent hop assault, very well balanced and drinkable. Great beer.

First of all, a huge thank you to dirty martini for scoring me such a fresh bottle. 500 ml bottle dated 9/2/2008. Pours a slightly hazy gold with a large white head that lasted until the end of the glass and left thick coats of lace with each sip. The aroma of this beer is in a word, incredible. It took me four or five minutes to absorb and process everything my nose was receiving. Grapefruit, mango, peaches, and prickly pear cactus are all well represented. The flavor is malt up front, followed by bold pine and grapefruit. The finish is bitter but not astringent with some mild dryness as well. This is a thoroughly enjoyable beer. Thank you again, Larry!

500ml bottle, packaged on 7/30/08: Glowing yellow pour with a nice, thick cap that offers some decent lacing. Wow - big and bright nose. Hoppy goodness for sure - loads of pink grapefruit, candied oranges, tangerines, fresh lemon, pine needles, wet grass, floral perfume, fresh roses. This really runs the spectrum of hop aromatics. Very nice. The body starts with a heavy wall of bitterness that is both rindy and filled with deep resin. A mild caramel maltiness surfaces to offset the bitterness. The hops continue to dominate with soft orange and apricot juiciness on the tongue. As the beer continues to warm, the malt middle also continues to develop. Light notes of butterscotch and honey intermingle with the citrusy hops. Finishes properly bitter with a good old dose of tongue scraping rind. A solid example for sure. If the tap version really is better, I need to come to CA to try it. This is one of the lower ABV DIPAs that I have tried.

Bottle. Dark yellow body with an off-white, diminishing head. The aroma is hoppy with orange, orange peel, grapefruit, pine and resin. Notes of dough and pear juice. The flavor is moderately sweet, moderately to heavily bitter. The finish is moderately to heavily bitter and dry. The bitterness lingers for a long time. Medium body with sticky texture, lively carbonation. Outstanding double IPA, but not as overall satisfying as the very best double IPAs because it is fairly straightfoward — not the type of double iPA that you keep getting different aromas and flavors from as you drink it.