Pliny The Younger
Russian River Brewing Company

Pliny The YoungerPliny The Younger
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #2
ABV:
10.25%
Score:
100
Ranked #16
Avg:
4.69 | pDev: 7.25%
Reviews:
1,037
Ratings:
3,560
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2024
Added:
Jan 27, 2005
Wants:
  6,804
Gots:
  608
Pliny the Younger, the man, was Pliny the Elder’s nephew and adopted son. They lived nearly 2,000 years ago! Pliny the Elder is our Double IPA, so we felt it was fitting to name our Triple IPA after his son. It is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular I.P.A. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make. And that is why we don’t make it more often! This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by RoyalT:
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

4.59/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance – This one came out a deep, rich orange in color with a monster head that just refused to go down.

Smell – Oh, shit, this is da hop bomb. I’ve had some pretty big hoppy beers before, to include The Chunks that requires a strainer to drink, but this thing was just huge.

Every hop, and I mean EVERY hop, that I have ever had is in this nose. The grapefruit, the citrus, the rare Simcoe, East Coast Amarillo, giant PacNW pine sap, huge monster citrus, big floral, and anything else you can think of it in this bouquet. Oh, and there’s a huge, monstrous super-sugary caramel malt sweetness here as well.

Taste – This is a sledgehammer made of hops striking down on the head of the barstool-affixed patron. It’s not unexpected though, because this is one of their best-selling beers.

The complex hops from the nose hit hard and mercilessly at the taste. This really is like liquid hop syrup, and if you’re a hophead looking for the next, biggest hop fix than the buck stops here. It really doesn’t get any bigger than this.

Mouthfeel – This full-bodied hop bomb is a meal in itself. Interestingly, the huge sugary caramel-infused malt balance keeps this one from being extra bitter, although significant bitterness is present.

Drinkability – If The Ruination is a delicate ballerina floating on the DAIPA stage, this is a steroid-using 260 pound female bodybuilder whoopin’ your ass. But man oh man is this good. Somebody tried to take a sip from my glass but I knocked them out into the street. I think it was my mama.

Comments – Vinnie the brewer said that he can’t run Pliny The Younger with Pliny The Elder because The Elder tap gets stale. The Younger is the clear patron’s choice.

He gave me the run down on the hopping of this beer, but I can’t begin to remember it all. He adds a complex mix of hops at four different stages of the brewing cycle then dry-hops the beer four times with varying mixes of hops. There’s an emphasis on Amarillo and Cascade, but he has everything in here from Centennial to Simcoe to all else in between.

The beauty of this concoction is that he got it so hoppy. He did it in “stages”, because at some point you can keep adding hops but the IBUs don’t change and you can’t really taste them. It really is a work of art and an amazing accomplishment from an excellent brewer. Cheers!
Mar 08, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by JPond4 from Nevada

Mar 06, 2024
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4.15/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I had this beer on-tap in a tulip glass at Special Brews in Lynnwood, WA.

Appearance: medium-light golden hue with just the tiniest wisp of haze and practically no head.

Smell: a light, sweet, almost tropical fruitiness with some piney hop character atop a pretty pronounced malt aroma. Nice.

Taste: richly malty and a bit sweet, but with lots of bitterness backing it up. There’s a little fruity character here, I’m thinking from fermentation, along with some piney/grassy notes from the hops. It’s interesting — a rich flavorful beer, but neither as cloying nor as harsh as TIPAs often are. Worth the hype? Maybe. But certainly a good beer.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: I like this beer a lot, and I bet if I’d tried it 15 years ago it would have blown my mind (and my palate). In today’s IPA climate, competition is tough and we as consumers are spoiled. That said, this remains a really tasty beer.
Feb 24, 2024
Photo of Hayesbro
Reviewed by Hayesbro from Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Not sure what else needs to be said about this beer, it's pretty close to perfection for the style. A little on the light side, piney and bitter with a touch of sweetness. Intense flavors and very very smooth.
Feb 23, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by Blazer22 from Colorado

Feb 22, 2024
Photo of NeilSilber1
Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California

5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours golden yellow with slight white lacing crown on special edition (once a year) draught at Malibu Wine & Beer. Notes of honey and crisp perfect hops, slightly sweet with a perfect hop punch. This limited batch hard to get pour drinks like a single IPA but checked in at hefty 10.25% ABV putting it into triple IPA category. CHEERS to Russian River and the perfect IPA.
Feb 21, 2024
 
Rated: 4.41 by VashonGuy from Washington

Feb 20, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by dbauer from California

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.84 by Casey10 from Maine

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.36 by lsudduth from Ohio

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.59 by mush from Illinois

Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Feb 16, 2024
 
Rated: 5 by paulpratt from California

Sep 24, 2023
Photo of TheIPAHunter
Reviewed by TheIPAHunter from California

4.71/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Intense gummy bear nose. Taste is soft stone fruit, green pear, grapefruit rind, and an absolute blast of pine resin. Prickly mouthfeel. Dry, bitter finish. Phenomenal.
Sep 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.67 by mcbridec6 from New Jersey

Jul 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.75 by Virby44 from Wisconsin

Jun 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.71 by mando31 from Illinois

May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by hopley from Massachusetts

May 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.74 by KCBeerNerd from Missouri

May 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by tripelhops from Missouri

May 16, 2023
Pliny The Younger from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 3560 ratings