Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

McStagger

California

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

Been waiting to sample this again for over six months. Here's hoping it's as good as memory serves.

A: Poured into a standard pint glass. At 8% alcohol, this doesn't rate much higher than many standard IPA's these days. Pours a golden straw with two fingers of sticky white head. Rocky. Excellent structure and retention. Moderate carbonation. Looks like a delicious pint.

S: Amazing bouquet. Juicy citrus, bright tropical fruits, pine needles, floral notes and malt sweetness erupt from the glass. Extremely fragrant.

T: Pine needles, evergreen and treebark when cold. Flavors Peach, apricot, mango and kiwi fruit emerge as the beer begins to warm. Dry, chalky finish that lacks the resinous characteristics of many DIPA's. Fairly bitter, but nothing crazy or over the top. Incredibly balanced. Not a trace of alcohol present. Long, floral finish with a hint of grapefruit.

M: Deceptively light for being eight percent abv. Amazingly balanced as well.

O: An amazing brew by an amazing brewery. Now to try some Citra and Heady Topper. :)

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 06:51:42 | More by McStagger

superspak

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got in a trade with TopsecretWaffle. 510 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 5/27/2013. Pours lightly hazy golden amber color with a 2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, orange zest, lemon zest, floral, pineapple, honey, light caramel, bread, and floral earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hop and malt notes; with good strength. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, tangerine, floral, pineapple, grass, pine, honey, light caramel, bread, and floral earthiness. Fair amount of earthy pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, citrus zest, pineapple, honey, light caramel, floral, grass, pine, bread, and floral earthiness. Awesome balance and complexity of hop flavors with a moderate malt balance; and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, sticky, and lightly crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent DIPA! Great hop flavor complexity and moderate malt balance; and very smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering; but certainly not near the hype it gets.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2013 04:54:45 | More by superspak

thedarkestlord

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -19.4%

06-20-2013 03:15:37 | More by thedarkestlord

Cubatobaco

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-20-2013 02:13:02 | More by Cubatobaco

davidlandy

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-20-2013 00:39:47 | More by davidlandy

Jackals

California

4.04/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Very, very, good IPA. Was looking for the younger to try, but this definitly stood on its own! I would recommend this to anyone.
The aroma was fantastic, and so was the flavor. I bought a few bottles to age and to drink on my way up to oregon.
Russian River almost always makes good beer, I have had their blind pig as well as a few of their sours on a couple of other occasions and Pliny the elder did not dissapoint

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2013 21:39:48 | More by Jackals

ha-sheem

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

06-19-2013 20:54:07 | More by ha-sheem

t_carterb

Georgia

4/5  rDev -14%

06-19-2013 15:42:47 | More by t_carterb

farrelley

District of Columbia

1.75/5  rDev -62.4%

06-19-2013 13:51:08 | More by farrelley

corysmith01

New York

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

06-19-2013 03:17:58 | More by corysmith01

chaseabeer

Oklahoma

4/5  rDev -14%

06-19-2013 03:09:28 | More by chaseabeer

Lorihall1

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +7.5%

06-19-2013 01:53:36 | More by Lorihall1

Tyrus

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

06-18-2013 23:06:46 | More by Tyrus

taylor714914

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

06-18-2013 23:01:44 | More by taylor714914

RyV

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

06-18-2013 05:58:50 | More by RyV

Jpirkle2715

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-18-2013 01:51:01 | More by Jpirkle2715

drebrew

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

06-18-2013 01:02:57 | More by drebrew

Greywulfken

New York

4.66/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottled on 5/27/13

A: into a tulip, clear deep gold beer with a few fingers of dense, off-white head; some lacing clung to the glass

S: rich bouquet of hops, from piney to citric, herbal to floral; suggestions of sweet vanilla and honeyed malts underneath

T: more complex than most DIPAs I can recall - sweet and grainy malts suggesting juicy fruits, both orchard and tropical, met with a bevy of hops, bringing grapefruit pith, pine resin, lemon zest, and musk to the fore; bright, yeasty (?) tang and bitter, drying finish

M: medium-light body, very crisp and clean, slight chew, slight zing, bittersweet finish

O: well-deserving of its rank - an epic DIPA. A different vibe than, say a Heady Topper, and certainly not inferior.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 00:24:23 | More by Greywulfken

atinman

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-17-2013 23:23:23 | More by atinman

Chiefmanynames

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-17-2013 19:49:33 | More by Chiefmanynames

Hophunter18

Delaware

5/5  rDev +7.5%

06-17-2013 03:50:50 | More by Hophunter18

peteh2112

Colorado

4/5  rDev -14%

06-17-2013 02:42:47 | More by peteh2112

illy0sis

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

06-17-2013 01:20:00 | More by illy0sis

jbravato

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +7.5%

06-17-2013 00:17:52 | More by jbravato

jpizzle

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -14%

06-16-2013 22:01:51 | More by jpizzle