Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

Heady978

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Finally got two bottles in mail bottled on 5/9/13 and consumed 5/16/13. Delicious and quintessential, but no way is it even close to Heady Topper, its East coast rival. I have no idea how anyone who has consumed Heady fresh can possibly prefer Pliny. It's essentially a DIPA for non- hopheads who can't handle real hop bombs. Great beer, but not worth the hype and effort to get your hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:08:50 | More by Heady978

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

4.24/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

17.25 oz. bottle purchased at Ales Unlimited (gotta ask for it!) in San Francisco, CA, bottled on 5/9/13, poured into a hotel style glass and drank over ~30 minutes. Of note, I drank this back-to-back with RR's Blind Pig IPA, so feel free to see that review for comparisons.

A: 4.75 - straw yellow coloration, less hop haze than Bling Pig (could read blurrily through this one), white half-finger head subdues into subtle glass lacing, moderate alcohol legs for a 8% beer

S: 4.25 - after drinking Bind Pig, I was expecting an even bigger hop bomb, and, unfortunately, I liked the hop aroma on Blind Pig much better; nevertheless, there are similar notes: tropical fruit (mango, papaya), pine, resiny, dank with more alcohol in the background

T: 4 - again, less impressed than Blind Pig; on the front of the tongue, there is a moderate pleasant bitterness that subdues pretty quickly into pine, dank notes with a lingering appreciation; I definitely get more booze in the taste than many other DIPAs, which is surprising considering the relatively low ABV for style; yet, it's dry with a balanced biscuity breadiness that I like very much

M: 4.5 - best aspect of the beer, I think; less carbonation than Blind Pig but bigger and chewier; would go well with a nice cigar

O: 4.5 - I think that this is the third time that I've tried this beer, and unfortunately, it doesn't live up the hype for me; there are not enough hops in this one to warrant world-class status for style; I had older batches in the past but this was only bottled about two weeks ago! Anyway, I would consider this more of a single IPA anyway, and it's definitely excellent for that style; I wonder if this is one of those beers that were really great 5-10 years ago, but, now, there are much better examples

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 01:23:23 | More by MNishCT77

GuzzLah

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A - pours a clear gold with a standard white head. Some lace. Light bubbles.

S - big orange and grapefruit, moderate pine, mild caramel malt and faint floral.

T - is just like the aroma. Juicy, citrusy Centennial and a relatively reserved, piney Simcoe. Excellent balance for the style and really smooth for a highly hopped beer.

M - medium body. Dry for the style. Creamy. Firm bitterness, but very pleasant with a long sustain.

O - a highly rated beer that deserves all the praise it receives. I'm not a fan of sweet DIPAs and this one is far from sweet and not too dry. It's certainly a hoppy beer, but it doesn't destroy your palate. Fantastic beer!

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 22:47:48 | More by GuzzLah

jsmith6051

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is definitely one of the best tasting IPAs I have ever had. I wouldn't recommend drinking this first and then following it up with another IPA. The second IPA wouldn't taste right. If you can get your hands on a bottle I wouldn't think twice to get it.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 14:02:45 | More by jsmith6051

daveski

Oregon

4.86/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

God, I love this beer. Over-hyped? Yes! But damn well worthy of all that hype!

Appearance - solid blend between copper and golden.

Smell- I gave it a swirl in the IPA glass and asked my wife to smell it... She doesn't drink beer at all and her reply was "flowers, grapefruit and pine". This one is a winner on the nose. I can also smell a good amount of that malty sweetness - almost a light caramel.

Taste - get outa here! Solid blend of hoppy bitterness and malty sweetness. Just perfect.

Mouthfeel - Smooth. Surprisingly light on the tongue and just the right amount of carbonation.

Overall - Its Pliny the Elder, enough said.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:03:20 | More by daveski

weonfire

Kentucky

4.46/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottle date: 4/12/13. Enjoyed 4/28/13.

A - Golden, translucent, full finger and half of white fluffy head, carbonation rising for entire brew.

S - sweet carmel, grapefruit, lemon, pine

T - Carmel, lemon, tropical fruit, grapefruit, dry, pine. finish: specifically grapefruit comes through, bitterness (6/10), sweet

M - Perfect carbonation, excellent froth, high viscosity, certainly full body

O - Outstanding. love the dry pineyness to sweet transition. more tropical fruit than grapefruit. mouth is fantastic. no booze flavor whats so ever. keeps you wanting more each sip. hard to put down.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 02:27:39 | More by weonfire

cw577enfield

Virginia

4.48/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Got three bottles from a trade. Thanks, Jasonrm72!

Bottled on 04/13/13. Enjoyed on 05/10/13. Poured into a snifter.

A: Great light golden color, strong two fingers of head, and good sticky residue. Nice amount of carbonation.

S: Definitely could pick up floral and citrus notes from this one. Grapefruit, pine resin, mild hoppy aroma. While it's hoppy, it doesn't exactly scream out at you. Very subtle and balanced.

T: Hops, sweetness, and pine all come together at the same time. Very interesting! Soapy dry hop flavor. Perhaps only one of few bottles that has a buttery flavor at the end. For a moment, I thought I was drinking a Sauvignon Blanc?

M: Outstanding. Crispy and clean. All of the parts inside the mouth were definitely simulated and sang together in harmony. Okay, that was bit dramatic but you get the idea. Wonderfully dry and medium bodied.

O: I'm very glad that I got a chance to try this bottle. It is one of the most beautifully crafted DIPA beers out there. Highly recommended to anyone who's a hop-head!

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 14:53:39 | More by cw577enfield

pkalix

California

4.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

traveled far and wide to taste this legend, this mystery.
crisp orange-y and honey color. i poured it softly so as to not get the huge head others spoke of, yet still a good finger sits on top. tight little bubbles and the white foam clings to the side as it's tilted.
smell is like a fruit juice. some pine, a tad bit of grapefruit. i get the pineapple others have mentioned.... it smells creamy and sweet. bits of orange, tangerine and even (yes) the mango?
the taste is almost a tad tropical even. like the pineapple and the fruit juice, there is the complimentary hop bitterness on the center of the tongue, with some tangerine seemingly on the sides and little maltiness mixed in the batch too. but the bitterness leaves rather quickly.
the label is pretty cool. plain, and descriptive. while not really hep on the 'west coast ipas' or the ultra hoppy brews, i was a bit concerned about this even after reading all the 'legendary' reviews. i really enjoy this, however; it doesnt have the hard bitter bite and it's actually very smooth with a kind of creamy feel. i can easily drink several of these in succession, which is quite a statement as this is not even close to my preferred style. i have to give this high marks without allowing other reviews to influence me. i love the stickiness on the side of the glass and even though this is not my favorite style, i am giving this a 5 in taste because i like it and it's the only one of its style that i can say i have enjoyed. i taste no alcohol in this either....

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 23:04:28 | More by pkalix

DubbelTrubbel

Iowa

4.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 4-17-13, enjoyed 5-7-13. Poured into a tulip glass.
from notes

A- Crystal clear golden-orange. Pure white head, carbonation was good, bubbles kept streaming to the top long after pouring. Lacing was noticeable but not super sticky.

S- Very clean hops. It reminds me of ocean air. Slight citrus, fruity, a little musty. Big grassy fields and pungent hops.

T- So smooth, clean, mellow, and so much hops. Moderately bitter. Many different flavors- caramel, Hops!, bitter, crackers.

M- buttery, goes down quick and easy.

O- Way to combine strong hoppiness and smoothness, Russian River. A hop-lover's wet dream, with some great malt flavors, too. I was sad when this bottle was empty, this beer has so many layers! The flavor is so saturated with hops. I had hop breath for hours after I had finished it.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 05:15:37 | More by DubbelTrubbel

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear orange glow with tightly laced white head. Lots of tropical fruit on the nose. Lots of tropical fruit on the palate too, mangos and pineapples. Enough malt to balance the hops along with a nice building bitterness that grows with each sip. Lot milder then expected but great flavors, not overbearing, and extremely drinkable. One of the few beers to live up to its reputation but still not my favorite DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 15:50:51 | More by jtierney89

Nektar-der-Gotter

New Jersey

3.16/5  rDev -32%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.25

This was my second DIPA (had Lagunitas Maximus in bottle the prior day). Was out in the Bay Area so drove up to Santa Rosa to try it right at the source - the Russian River Brewpub. Had a pint at the bar before dinner. It was definitely unique but not something I would seek out for future drinking. For me it finished too bitter and like the other DIPA I had (Lagunitas Maximus) had a hint of something rank on hitting the tongue. Comparing the two it was definitely preferable to the Lagunitas with more interesting flavor components and a smoother mouthfeel. I ended up getting a sampler of all 15 beers they had on tap after this pint, and ended up preferring several of their other beers (Perdition, OVL Stout, almost everything except the sour ales). Obviously YMMV and if you like DIPAs I can only assume you'll love this. Thinking about my preferences, I'd take a good Bock/Eisbock/Barleywine in the cooler months and a tasty Hefeweizen/Lager in the warmer months over Pliny any day. I'd still be up for trying a pint of Younger if I am around here in February just to make sure this tasting wasn't a fluke.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 04:00:56 | More by Nektar-der-Gotter

enemyisyou

New York

4.96/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

This is truly an American treasure. Had heard about this one but was unprepared to try it.

While visiting SF I spied a bottle of this and was incredulous that it could be so cheap - a 22oz or so for about $5. I happily brought it back to the hotel and poured.

Appearance: silky white head that stays on and on. amber-gold brew with tiny bubbles.

Smell: This is just something else. It evokes a pine forest, mountain air and clear water at once. Really invogorating scent.

Taste: Another big wow. Every other double-IPA seems either too sweet or awfully bitter by comparison (except maybe for Capt. Lawrence's) after trying this beer. It's the perfect example of the style if I ever tasted one.

Mouthfeel: I don't think I could drink too many of these, but I'd have a wonderful time trying. This is a pretty clean brew but that much booze leaves a little stickiness.

Overall: If you have any interest in the style, or beer in general, this is an absolute must-try. If only I could get this stuff in NYC.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 03:00:30 | More by enemyisyou

RobertColianni

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

10oz. pour into a Duvel Tulip at Hawthorne's Cafe in Philadelphia.

A: Very similar to Russian River's Blind Pig; translucent amber with no tonal colorization. Thin, spotty head; white in color (similar to a world-class barleywine). Slight lace is imminent. Head disapates to spottiness quickly.

S: Fresh, wet hop sweetness. General citrus.

T: Very well balanced with honey undertones. Not overbearing at all. Great naval orange undertones with no bite or grapefruit dryness. Malt background balances slight bitterness to perfection without substantially altering the thin mouthfeel. Very enjoyable.

M: Thin and less carbonation than I'd expected, but more to my liking and perfect to style.

OVERALL: Elder is as advertised; a perfect build with nothing overdone. Very classic style example.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2013 20:39:07 | More by RobertColianni

lsummers

California

4.19/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured a straw yellow orange with a nice frothy white two finger head that leaves a touch of lacing. Head dissipates to a nice skim of froth and carbonation.

Smell hits first with that piney grapefruit and pineapple fruit notes. There's an herbal hedgerow character to it. A sweet buscuity note somehow slips through. It's mostly pine/herbal/grapefruit/pineapple.

Taste is straight up piney, peppery tropical fruit hops with that sweet sticky resinous quality. The back end seems to be a bit of caramel and biscuit. Pleasant the entire way through. Almost an orange quality also lingers on the tongue.

Mouthfeel is chewy and sticky but the carbonation is moderate so that makes it feel lighter on the tongue. Resinous, but still drinkable and seems to be a nice balanced feel for 8%.

Overall, this beer is great. It is a bit of a legend but I don't think it's ultimately the end all be all of the DIPA's. It's a great beer that I'll have any day, but one worth the trouble of trying to find?

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 05:11:39 | More by lsummers

DenverHopHead

Colorado

4/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've been very excited to finally get a crack at The Elder. Unfortunately, this was a let down. I certainly hope I just came across a bad bottle, because this was average at best. Expectations too high? This particular beer was bottled on 4/10/13, purchased and opened 5/2/13.
As soon as I opened the bottle it smelled fantastic, but after pouring in a tulip, it really wasn't there. The taste was ok, but I expected MUCH more.

I'll revisit this soon and provide another review.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 04:07:34 | More by DenverHopHead

akang

California

4.56/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

It's fortunately pretty accessible in California, so I've had it on tap and in bottles numerous times.

A - Light, relatively clear golden color.

S - Inviting mix of fresh hops and citrus.

T - The strong hop profile comes through immediately along with relatively muted hints of the citrus. The finish is dry and slightly bitter, but less so than some other DIPAs (such as Heady Topper). The overall balance in flavors is incredible.

M - Well-carbonated and easy to keep drinking.

O - After having this multiple times, I completely understand why this beer has been the gold standard for DIPAs. There are bold hops flavors but the emphasis on balance is awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2013 02:17:01 | More by akang

BuckKY

Kentucky

4.64/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

I am filling this out from memory.
So, forgive me. But this beer isn't that memorable.
This beer had an excellent full but light mouth feel. A great medium bodied beer.
The color was on the lighter side of red-gold. More gold really.
It had aged a bit and this could be why it wasn't as memorable. The florals had dropped a bit but there faint echoes of it.
I consider this a great beer. But, personally, not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 02:41:34 | More by BuckKY

MadCat

New Jersey

4.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Appearance: A nice clear amber-ish gold, with a good white head that leave nice lacing

Smell: Fragrant pine and floral hops, with some light malts

Taste: Piney, floral, and the right amount of bitterness. At only 15 days old, I can taste why this is best fresh. You also get some biscuit and fruit in there. Very complex. Semi-dry finish. No hints at the 8% abv. It would be easy to go for another if circumstances permitted.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, good carbonation

Overall: A world class beer, but for me, not worth the difficulty to obtain. I can get plenty of satisfying DIPAs for much less effort, that are almost as good.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 04:33:12 | More by MadCat

ConfuseTheMule

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was a great tasting smooth beer with well defined hops and a terrific aroma of honey, citrus, and grapefruit. I tried it at DLD 2013 from a generous pour while waiting in line. The beer was well carbonated and a great refreshing summer beer with hops that don't linger longer than necessary.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 01:40:08 | More by ConfuseTheMule

da_beers

Vermont

4.89/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Finally got the elusive Pliny! (I'm on the East Coast) Trading is the only way to do it out here. Traded 3 Heady Toppers for 2 Plinys... I think its equitable and I was very happy with it.

A - Very light straw color, beautiful light golden color. Good two fingers of head and good lacing. I was told that the color is quite deceptive, which it very much is.

S - Light citrus and flowery notes. Earth tones come through bigtime here, as well as the hops. Quite piney, just a great outdoorsy auroma.

T - Sweet, but not too sweet. Extremely nice balance of hops and citrus, both making themselves very present, yet not over the top (although there my not be such a thing!). I get a little grapefruit coming through, it is so very refreshing and crisp, the earthiness is present here too.

M - So smooth on the palate its ridiculous. A buttery smoothness that ends with a lingering resiny aftertaste.

O - Leaves me wishing I could sit down and drink it on tap all night. The shame is that I have to savor every drop, and think about every sip, would love to be able to just have a few pints while watching some sports at the bar. Overall excellent beer that lived up to all of the hype.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:32:25 | More by da_beers

alaimoa

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Picked up some Pliny last week in California and was very fresh. Printed date of production was two weeks ago. There is nothing to not like about this medium bodied beer - Pours a nice golden yellow, smells woodsy/fruity, mouth feel is good with not too much carbonation and doesn't linger for a whole lot of after taste. World class, but hard to obtain here on the east coast.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 20:07:13 | More by alaimoa

jibbyvonjibb

California

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

bottled 1 week ago (4/17/2013).

Color is sunflower orange, lighter than most IPA's. Head with tiny bubbles. Aroma is soapy grapefruit, lemon zest. Taste is slightly sour, bit of pale malt. Light-medium body. Medium carbonation. Only a tiny bit of bitterness in finish.

Honestly, I am slightly disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of the best in its style. And I agree with Vinnie (the brewer) that pale is the way to go. But this beer has a certain soapiness/oiliness that I'd prefer not to have. Also, I've been appreciating the tropical flavors that beers down south (Alesmith, Greenflash) often have, which RR doesn't seem to have.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 23:13:34 | More by jibbyvonjibb

jdhowe

California

4.51/5  rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I should note that Pliny (the Elder) is not a beer I have traditionally thought as highly of as many of my IPA-loving friends. But I do need to start critically tasting and reviewing beers, and what better to start with than this staple brew.

Bottled on 04/17/2013 -- the freshest Pliny the Elder I've had to date excepting perhaps a draft from which I don't know the date.

A: crystal clear, beautiful yellow/amber pour with a finger of off-white head dissipating to a good lacing around the glass with a thin film of head persisting. Definitely one of the prettier IPAs, largely due to its clarity.

S: Sweetness, hops, pine, and grapefruit/citrus. Very appealing.

T: This is where Pliny for me starts to get unexceptional. A fine body for a DIPA, but many of the flavors I expect from the nose just don't show through as prominently as I'd like. Instead, I get a somewhat weaker rendition of each flavor with a lot of alcohol and a bit of malt showing up toward the near the back of the tongue. Within seconds after the tasting, but not immediately, comes the bitterness that to me makes Elder just that bit worse than Younger, which lacks the bitter finish and is instead a little more full and syrupy with hop flavors.

M: Crisp, very carbonated, drinkable, and smooth. Not as much oily hop character as I would like.

O: A very good beer, and one that has slowly been moving up in my opinion. This is probably the 6th or 7th time I've had Elder, and while I wouldn't say this is my favorite (this bottle seems a little weaker in the flavor than some of the other bottles I've had), it is definitely a very good DIPA. I wish there was a little less bitterness in the aftertaste and maybe a fuller body. I feel like Younger does this right, but it is unfortunately hell to obtain.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 05:32:13 | More by jdhowe

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Russian River Brewing Company - Pliny The Elder

Thanks to my buddy (da_beers) I was able to sample the best the West has to offer, at least as far as DIPAs go.

Look - Pours like a light beer, as in clear, filtered, and golden like a lager. It proves its worth with an amazing soapy head and incredible lacing all over the glass. We were able to get one that was a little over two weeks old. Carbonation is moderate to heavy.

Smell - Signature west coast hops, similar to Lagunitas Sucks but a little more refined, more subtle and mouth-watering. Some sweet malts are present. Evolves a bit as it warms but don't let it warm too much as it can end up compromising the taste.

Taste - Smooth carbonated hop blend, light citrus (grapefruit and tangerine), some pine and resin here as well, so smooth and tasty.

Mouthfeel - Probably the most drinkable DIPA you can get. The 8% is invisible and it goes down smooth. Amazingly thirst-quenching and it lingers just right on the palette. Gentle and warming yet crisp and refreshing.

Overall - Phenomenal brew, absolutely amazing. So glad we were able to get some of this shipped out to us. Even a non-DIPA/IPA drinker and those who aren't super into hops can enjoy this smooth and unique brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 12:33:16 | More by JMScowcroft

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.55/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured out of a bottle into a 20 oz snifter. Bottled on 4/13/13, so nice and fresh.

Appearance - An crystal-clear orangeish golden yellow with a frothy white head two fingers thick. After awhile, the head dissipates to just a film and a line of foam around the edge with moderate lacing.

Smell - Pleasantly complex--it changes a bit each time I return for another whiff. Grapefruit, pine resin, even some tannins and maybe a bit of phenolic quality on a foundation of aromatic hoppiness.

Taste - Tangy hops and layers of citrus. More grapefruit with elements of fresh clementine. The hopes are again present, but provide what seems like a bit of earthiness under the citrus canopy.

Mouthfeel - Full-bodied and creamy. Fills your mouth, but doesn't linger with any kind of unsavory aftertaste.

Overall, a fantastic beer. I'm not sure I can say that it's my favorite DIPA ever, but it's quite amazing in the way it has so many things going on. I have a second bottle and will have to see how that influences my perception of this stellar brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 06:26:36 | More by LambicPentameter