Russian River Pliny the Elder

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

Color has a brass hue. Sediment very visible. Nose of grape fruit and apple. Biting pine bitterness on first contact with the tongue dissipating into floral hops. Not overly sweet. As a result, the palate is not syrupy as most other Imperial IPAs I’ve had, e.g. Stone Ruination. Overall: Excellent IPA. Reminiscent of Frank’s Double IPA at Pizza Port Carlsbad, which I regard as the best.

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

Sampled from the unofficially bottled from a 5 gallon keg into 22 oz. bombers by BA RedwoodGeorge, the beer came out well carbonated, and free of oxidation, thanks to the counterpressure filler used during bottling. The body was clear pale in color, and the head was frothy and stable. The aroma was a milder version of the grapefruit and pine hops than the nephew beer. The hop flavor leaped off the taste buds with a citric and salty vigor. The malt was primarily a supporting player here, with a clean unobtrusive semi-sweet character. This was more of a spicy rather than bitter hop profile, which suited me just fine. The mouthfeel was medium and slick, with hops fading off rather than sticking around as a teeth coating film. This beer was very easy to drink, with no hint whatsoever of the 8% ABV. Different than Pliny the Younger in several ways (not quite as sweet, nor as aromatic), but I can still see the family resemblance.

Finally was able to sample the Godfather of double IPA’s at the Stone 10th party. Fruity, piney hop aroma. Lots of fresh hops, grapefruit, pine sap, grass and earth in the flavor. Very smooth, the ABV wasn’t even noticed.

(on tap @ toronado)the elder poured a clear yellow/orange with a nice white head that left thick webbing as it sat.the aroma and taste consisted of sticky,resonous hops.it was the signature west coast citrus/pine style hops that i love so much.the mouthfell was full and sticky as well.this was outstanding.

Hop bomb! What a delight. Had it in Berkley and had it again at the brewpub even though there were so many other delicious beers I hadn’t yet had. Pours a dark copper-y color and the aroma had wafts of citrus (namely grapefruit), and some floral notes as well. Under those aromas were some pine and overall goodness. As mentioned in prior posts, despite the all hop aroma all the time and the BIG hop taste, it didnt have the bitterness that sometimes a hop-bomb can have. The flavor was everything the aroma was, yet slightly more balanced. A suprisingly soft finish topped of this near-perfection beer. Loved it!

What a treat! I was surprised to see this on tap. I’ve read about this, and was wondering if i would get a chance to taste this. Wonderful Hollinghead Deli in Orange apparaenlty has this or one of his nephews on tap regularly. Nice amber color, with good creamy head. Very hoppy/grassy, slightly flower aroma. Very sticky lace all the way down. Very balanced malt and hop flavor, but that could be the hop-head talking. Would love to have a 90 minute, ruination, Buzz Saw, and Pliny the elder taste off. But would need to take a nap afterwards. Love this beer

Oh man, this was a dream beer for me. If you like big hoppy IPAs, figure out how to get yourself to the Sonoma Valley to try this one. Big and bold in all aspects. Hops create the syrupy sweetness and bold bitterness that has such a lovely grapefruit and pine blend that I could have died and gone to heaven. Next time I’m here I’ll order a big glass or a pitcher. The sampler was amazing, but I was left wanting more of this one in particular. The waiter mentioned that this was the first double IPA ever??!?