Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

Pahn

New York

4.97/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle into Duvel tulip. Bottled on 3/26/10, so only 20 days old. Big thanks to BA mob2332 for giving this to me!

Appearance: Moderate pour yields a big, 1.5 inch, fluffy, just offwhite head that dissipates steadily leaving spots of lacing. Pours a hazy, light golden amber. Leaves spots and streaks of lacing all around the glass.

Smell: From the bottle there's dank, piny hops. In the glass, the same dank note along with even bigger citrus (grapefruit), floral, grassy hops. There's a lot of sweetness in the smell; lots of tropical fruit, almost melon-y. Smells amazing.

Taste: First sip: a big hit of hop bitterness, characterized by pine and grapefruit, with a dry finish. Not much malt backbone, but huge, resinous hops flavor. Nowhere near as sweet as the aroma suggests. The aftertaste is great; it has more hops complexity than the whole experience of most other IPAs. Halfway through some biscuity malt emerges, but the constant barrage of various delicious hops flavors remains the star. Alcohol is completely hidden.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, alternately creamy and juicy, with a dry finish. Just the right amount of carbonation. The beer fills the mouth, with the mild carbonation, large bitterness, somewhat hefty body, and dry finish all contributing to make the experience huge. I'm noticing more and more that the mouthfeel can really make or break a beer for me, and PtE's is the perfect vehicle for its big hop flavor.

Drinkability: This would *easily* become my go-to (D)IPA if Russian River distributed where I live.

I've started to get mildly self-conscious about the high scores I give beers I like, so I didn't want to throw out all these 5s... but really, the smell, taste, and feel of this beer are just flawless. And ease of consumption? I could easily keep this on hand at all times and make sure to drink all of it fresh.

PtE isn't regarded so highly because it's so difficult to get outside of the west coast. It really is a perfect DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2010 23:37:15 | More by Pahn

Myst

District of Columbia

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-23-2013 05:02:32 | More by Myst

Benish

Wisconsin

4.99/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Man this is good! Just opened my first bottle and it's pretty fresh; bottled 5/09/13.I don't know if this is a good analogy but opening the bottle is like letting the Genie out the lamp. It's insanely floral and sweet just smelling from the tip of bottle. Kind of like opening a BRAND NEW canister of Folgers ground coffee in the morning.

In a glass, the beer presented a very light amber color. Very clear and transparent. Honestly, I am paying less attention to appearance and more attention to smell and flavor.

I taste a lot of floral notes, some kiwi, citrus, and pine. It's is amped up in flavor. It almost makes your tongue tingle! I have not tried that many Double IPA's but if there is one DIPA it compares to, it's Sosus from Toppling Goliath. I think both are equally good. But because Sosus is extremely limited (might have been made only once), I'm more than glad that Pliny is available!

The flavor is very balanced. It's both bitter and sweet. Neither side is overpowering. The beer is extremely drinkable. I'm savoring it but I can see why someone would say it doesn't take long to finish a pint. I'm very happy to be getting some more next month!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:54:54 | More by Benish

alysmith4

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -14%

05-22-2013 23:05:56 | More by alysmith4

KANE3

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-22-2013 21:24:13 | More by KANE3

wogreen

Arkansas

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-22-2013 18:10:05 | More by wogreen

melleblond

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-22-2013 17:17:30 | More by melleblond

Justinsosmart

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-21-2013 22:09:32 | More by Justinsosmart

DanH83

New York

4.3/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Well, thanks to a fantastic Cali BA, I've just had my first Pliny. Poured into a tulip, tall head, lingers a bit. It's hoppy and smooth. Very balanced and drinkable, doesn't overwhelm the palate. It's not the hop bomb I was expecting, for better or worse. Not the best or hoppy-est, but better than any other IIPA...except one...

Pliny is fantastic! However, it is no Heady Topper.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 22:00:29 | More by DanH83

aleman39

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-21-2013 21:16:26 | More by aleman39

Beerandboards

New Mexico

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-21-2013 19:01:37 | More by Beerandboards

pauldevay

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-21-2013 18:32:40 | More by pauldevay

Busker

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-21-2013 17:55:13 | More by Busker

jakecattleco

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-21-2013 17:53:51 | More by jakecattleco

CosmoHopHead

Kansas

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-21-2013 03:59:13 | More by CosmoHopHead

ackeeper

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-21-2013 01:43:02 | More by ackeeper

deniserat

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-20-2013 22:27:30 | More by deniserat

zonker17

Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-20-2013 21:52:11 | More by zonker17

aakerman

New York

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-20-2013 17:35:36 | More by aakerman

cnbrown313

Illinois

4/5  rDev -14%

05-20-2013 16:09:52 | More by cnbrown313

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-20-2013 15:23:30 | More by Daniellobo

AL89BR

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-20-2013 14:51:17 | More by AL89BR

duobob

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-20-2013 05:09:08 | More by duobob

JReites

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-20-2013 03:34:14 | More by JReites

UHCougar12

Texas

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-20-2013 02:58:16 | More by UHCougar12