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Pliny The Younger
Russian River Brewing Company
- 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:
- 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:
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan
4.59/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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. Ive 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 theres 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. Its 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 youre a hophead looking for the next, biggest hop fix than the buck stops here. It really doesnt 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 cant run Pliny The Younger with Pliny The Elder because The Elder tap gets stale. The Younger is the clear patrons choice.
He gave me the run down on the hopping of this beer, but I cant 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. Theres 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 dont change and you cant really taste them. It really is a work of art and an amazing accomplishment from an excellent brewer. Cheers!
Mar 08, 2005Smell Oh, shit, this is da hop bomb. Ive 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 theres 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. Its 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 youre a hophead looking for the next, biggest hop fix than the buck stops here. It really doesnt 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 cant run Pliny The Younger with Pliny The Elder because The Elder tap gets stale. The Younger is the clear patrons choice.
He gave me the run down on the hopping of this beer, but I cant 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. Theres 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 dont change and you cant really taste them. It really is a work of art and an amazing accomplishment from an excellent brewer. Cheers!
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
4.15/5 rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
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, 2024Appearance: 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.
Reviewed by Hayesbro from Pennsylvania
4.8/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
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, 2024Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California
5/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
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, 2024Reviewed 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
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
Pliny The Younger from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
3560 ratings
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