Russian River Pliny the Elder

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

Serve in Shaker, Snifter

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UPDATED: APR 20, 2008 This is the Platonic ideal of IPA. Pure, unadulterated cascade hops in a glass. I’ve never had any IPA that even comes close to show casing the hop like this beer. If you like hoppy beers, this is the best. The best.

This is a "TRUE" 5.0 in my book.I had a draft sample(and 4-5 more?!?)of this at a recent Strong Ale fest;and would vote it best of show of the 60+/ 8%abv+ beers there. It’s HUGE hop aroma is so fresh/and re-freshing; smack you around,and tie you up with the hopvine aggresive.That in itself makes this a hop-heads wet dream. But it carries into the balanced body,crisp dry mouthfeel and follow through,giving it Amazing drinkability... This quickly became my "back to..." beer of the fest! It would always bring my palate back to neutral,after some "less worthy" brews! KEEP ’EM COMIN’,Vinnie!

UPDATED: APR 16, 2009 rerate 4/16/09. I’ve had this numerous times on draft now, and every time it is like a media event. That isn’t the point, though. I growler or drink as much of this beer as I can every time I see it, which is more lately but still not enough. if that isn’t a sign that a beer is perfect and deserves to be scored as such, I don’t know what is. To me, this beer has no flaws, and I kick it up a deserved 0.3 to become a perfecto robusto for me. Congrasts PTE, congrats Tomme, and let’s try to keep this one a secret from now on. END RERATE. Wow. A big thanks to Eric for tipping me off that this was at Ortino’s Northside in Zieglerville. The beer was brought in a pint glass, and presented a hazy gold/dark straw color with a one-finger white head. The aroma was dense and multi-layered, blasting my olfactory receptors with notes of heavy citric hops, honeydew, and tangerine. The aroma was amazingly close to Dreadnaught. Amazingly close! The flavor was also very Dreadnaughty, with the big hops, citrus including tangerine and orange zest, and honeydew. The finish was smooth and hefty on the palate, with more emerging fruit as it warmed. The major difference between this and Dreadnaught is that the latter is a bit sweeter and hotter. Otherwise, the two are very close. I loved this one. One of my favorite examples of one of my favorite styles.

Wow, what a surprise. Rolled up to the Captial Ale House (Innsbrook) for a Richmond beer run. To our surprise the front cover of the beer menu listed a few Double IPAs and Pliny was one of them. Didn’t see this coming.

Draught. Appeared a orange copperish color with a small white head. Lacing was decent. Aroma was bursting with hops. Everywhere hops. Citrus, piney, floral, spicy hops. Hop heaven. Oddly enough, some great bready/caramel malt notes were in the aroma as well. How they made its way through the hops, I do not know. Flavor was equally hoppy. Floral and citrussy and intense. Bitterness was pleasantly lingering and in your face. Some moderate ester profile was present: slight apple and peach. Doughy malt and some caramel sweetness was also present though it finishes dry without any astringency as I would expect from a beer as heavily hopped as this. Body is perfect for a DIPA and perfectly silky smooth with perfect carbonation. Man I loved this. Side by side with Ruination, 90 minute and Stoudts DIPA, the latter 3 tasted like Sierra Nevada. Excellent beer. Yes this is a 5 to me though let me note that it doesn’t top or equal Dark Lord. It is just the top DIPA that I have had.

BlueDevil0206 and I went up to Richmond on a run for Stone Imperial Stout and stopped in at Innsbrook Capital Ale House to find this beautiful little surprise. Orange/coppery color with a thin white head. Aroma is in your face amarillo hops as soon as the glass was set down. When I first smelled it, I was instantly reminded of DFH 90 min. Some malty notes made their way through the citrussy pine forest in the aroma, too, but hops dominate. Palate is good and full, though not oily. Just a slick, big DIPA. Flavor is incredible as well. Strong citrussy, piney amarillo flavor. Malt is sweet caramel and bread, but it’s very much in the background. The bitterness in the finish was IMMENSE. We ordered samples of 90 Minute, Ruination, and Stoudts DIPA and found them all blown out of the water in terms of bitterness (that gave us a nice perspective on their respective malt profiles.) The bitterness is clean, though -- in your face sharp, but not harsh. Impressive as all hell. I’m excited about the younger.

What can I say that hasn’t been said? This beauty has all the citric, strawberry, and piny esters in exquisite balance like the other top echelon DIPAs, but it’s the incredibly floral (geranial) quality of the hops that really sets it apart. Absolutely sublime. Serving type: bottle

Awesome, beautiful, bloody good, cool, divine, delicious, excellent, funky, fantastic, Godzilla, gonzo, great, hoppalicoius, incredible, jammin, killer, knarly, lovely, luscious, magnificent, mezmerizing, noteworthy, outrageous, perfect, quaffable, radical, sweetness,supreme, trendsetter, unbelievable, venerable, world class, xxxxx, yowzaaa, Zao.

UPDATED: FEB 5, 2010 On draft at Capone’s (originally) and several times since including 16.9 oz. bottles. Poured hazy orange with fluffy white head that left wonderful rings of lace. Aroma of freshly cut citrus fruits. Flavor chalked full of fresh citrus fruit: orange, tangerine, grapefruit and peach. None of that tongue stripping bitterness that would detract from such a glorious hop profile. Dangerously easy to drink and sessionable as fuck. This beer is perfection.

UPDATED: NOV 30, 2012 Great if Fresh.Piney grapefruit aroma.Loses it flavor after a week.Hopslam.Sculpin and Ruination holds flavor longer.Still,the one beer you want if stranded on and island! The standard!

A fine, excellence, wonderful, super awesome double IPA - quite possiblty thr best double or imperial IPA possible. Just super hoppy, but not noticible hop overload....well balanced and tasty.