Russian River Pliny the Elder

Bottle poured clear blond-bronze colour with a little white foam. Very hoppy aroma, Resiney, pine needles, cheese and grapefruit; good malt body, clean palate. Very bitter and a long lasting fruity bitterness. Very robust but never aggressive, more lingering resiney notes - a GREAT beer!

Bottle with huge thanks to coyotehunter. Pours a clearish golden orange with a large head. Aromas are spectacular... a simply amazing mix of spruce, pine, resin and fruits like mangos and peaches. Flavor is similarly impressive. There is a lovely mix of the hops (similar tastes to aromas) with malty sweetness that is reminiscent of honey buns or something like that. Neither one is too out of control and the alcohol is detectable, but fits in nicely. World class...

Slightly hazy orange with a lasting off-white head. Big hoppy aroma of pine and peach, with some alcohol noticed. Bitter and quite fruity flavour with wooden and pine hop notes. Complex and very well balanced for a very bitter beer.

I was prepared for a "man vs beer" moment for this one as I had read that it was one of the best DIPAs out there. Had it on tap at the Taphouse in Seattle. Aroma was citrus hops. Head was medium. I would call it pretty well carbonated. The alcohol was well hidden. The taste was definitely an IPA to the point that I would call it hoppy on the IPA side rather than a DIPA. Pretty damn good. Definitely citrus hops. A really good IPA with the alcohol of a DIPA. Nicely done.

a mutha fuckin california classic. a litre or 2 of this will getcha shit right. F-R-E-S-H!

Pliny wasn’t as good as I was expecting. Maybe it was the hype and all that I read beforehand. I’ll admint that I had my preconceptions going into this beer. Maybe I hyped this beer up a little too much in my mind. I was really expecting a knock-out, but I didn’t get it. Don’t get me wrong....this was a great beer. But it missed the mark of all the talk and hype leading up to it. But it didn’t miss by much. This is still a fantastic beer. It poured a clear and sparkling dark golden color with a very generous off-white head. There was much lacing left around the glass, as well. The aroma was rich and full of hops, flowers, cumin, chili powder, toasted bread and earth. The body was silky smooth and completely drinkable. The flavors were profound and balanced, with rich notes of bread and malt, along with the tang and bitter tones of hops, grapefruit, orange peel and red pepper. The finish was quite bitter, hoppy and spicy, but was balanced with tones of bread and malt. This was defintely was a great beer; one that I drove through a very severe thunderstrom, with heavy rain, hail and lightning to taste. I was a little disappointed, but quite satisfied. Pliny just lacked that extra punch and the over-the-top hoppiness that makes a great double IPA. But I’m glad I finally got the opportunity to sample it.

Half dozen different bottles over a couple year period. Not much that can be added to whats already said. As IPA’s go this as about as good as they get.

On tap at Monks Cafe in Philly- appeared a hazy orange copper, thick sticky lacy foam head. Orange zest on the nose, citrus hops and zesty with some bitterness. Flavorful with a spritey dance on the palate, lacing in layers throughout.