Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

Roke87

Ontario (Canada)

4.83/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500 mL bottle, chilled and poured into a Duvel tulip.
Bottled on date: April.28.2011
Thanks to evilinc for hooking this one up!

Appearance- Pours a clear golden amber colour with a big fluffy two fingers of white head that takes a long, long time to reside to a very thick top of foam and a nice bubbly ring around the glass leaving lots of lacing throughout till finish.

Smell- From the second I opened the bottle I got a strong whiff of grapefruit. Upon pouring it into the tulip it does have a very strong grapefruit aroma, lots of resiny pine smells, and lots of citrusy fruity hops in there as well, I also get a small smell of sweetness thrown in there.

Taste- Exactly what a DIPA should be, very strong and crisp citrusy grapefruit tasting hop flavours right off the bat paired with that resiny pine taste, finishes with a well-balanced malt flavour and almost sweet as well, I just can’t put my finger on exactly what it is that is giving this one that sweet aroma and taste as well.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium bodied with more than above average carbonation, this is one smooth and crisp, easy drinking DIPA and hides the higher ABV very well, not overly bitter either for such a hopped up beer.

Overall- Wow what an amazing DIPA, although it does remind me of other east coast DIPA’s that I have tried before, I do understand why it has such a big hype, this beer is simply outstanding. I wish I had regular access to this one as my fridge would probably be full of it. Great aromas right away once the bottle is opened to the great balanced tastes throughout. ISO: More pliny.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 02:24:16 | More by Roke87

BrewSensei

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-26-2013 00:37:09 | More by BrewSensei

ananddullabh

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-26-2013 00:23:19 | More by ananddullabh

itsiilegal

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-25-2013 23:28:02 | More by itsiilegal

Pilvi

California

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-25-2013 21:53:51 | More by Pilvi

Gargamel92886

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-25-2013 19:01:18 | More by Gargamel92886

DooshBagalow

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-25-2013 18:48:11 | More by DooshBagalow

ubenumber2

Arkansas

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

Poured from bottle into a glass , a yellowish brown color to it with a 1/2 finger white head that stays around for the ride to the bottom

The nose on this thing is wonderful , the hops are really popping out , a little piney , some citrus and some earthy overtones. The malt is in there too , blended in and somewhat hidden but just enough to let you know its there

The taste is just Wow , this beer is better than I was expecting , I was thinking most of it was hype , but now I know all of it is flavor. Not the big hob bomb I was thinking , but very hop foward , very bitter and to me just sweet enough with a malty finish and the alcohol is hidden well , the mouth is on the verge of being a little weak for me but not enough to hurt the profile of the brew

Overall I'm glad I scored this beer in a trade , it really is to me the best DIPA that I have had , there are a few I think that stand down the podium from it but this is what all DIPA's should be judged by

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 17:23:34 | More by ubenumber2

colourfulrainbows

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-25-2013 15:05:22 | More by colourfulrainbows

EliotRosewater

California

4.41/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled date: 5/9/13
Drank: 5/24/13
Picked up at the local Whole Foods for under $5.

A - Nice golden hue. Poured a decent, frothy head with a fair amount of lacing.

S - I pick up mostly piney, resinous aromas. Little bit of citrus.

T - Super balanced. Definitely not a hop bomb. Great blend of bitterness and aromatic. Very easy to drink.

M - Very smooth mouthfeel. Nice carbonation.

O - My first Pliny. It's hard to compare to other great IIPA's but it has to be one of the most balanced IIPA's I've had. Enjoyed with homemade pizza - perfect pairing. A pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 14:58:42 | More by EliotRosewater

jtladner

District of Columbia

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-25-2013 11:41:59 | More by jtladner

mdmurray

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-25-2013 04:53:02 | More by mdmurray

rringler

California

4.81/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Oh Pliny. We've enjoyed each other for a while now; time to give you the full review.

A: Very clear, dark straw color. Pours with about a finger of white medium size head. While the head does dissipate into a nice bubble film rather quickly, it leaves behind a very nice, sticky lacing of micro bubbles.

S: A very balanced impression of grape fruit zest/sweetness, malty breads, and bitter hops. The beauty here is in how well balanced everything is.

T: Similar to the smell, the taste's strength is in its balance. It start with grapefruit sour/citrus, before moving on to moderate bready malts, but finishes with moderate+ bitter/piney hops. Very enjoyable, with no hint of alcohol at 8% abv. This is not news to anyone, but this brew defines the textbook IPA.

M: Medium- body, and a little quicker and less sticky than some IPAs. Mouthfeel usually determines how many brews I can enjoy in a session, and this brew gives me the option to enjoy a second (or third) if I care to. Carbonation is great.

O: This beer gets very high reviews for very good reasons. Lots of brews focus on single areas, but this one excels in all areas of the taste (the initial sweetness, the bready mid-tastes, and the hop finish.) It does all this without tasting boozy and the smell accurately represents the taste. All of this is accomplished with a mouthfeel that doesn't fatigue the drinker. In my book, this is a win; I enjoy drinking Pliny, and I'll always enjoy another.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 03:11:22 | More by rringler

indybearsfan

Indiana

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-25-2013 00:29:22 | More by indybearsfan

Spaz7

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-24-2013 19:43:04 | More by Spaz7

Dirksen

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-24-2013 18:13:05 | More by Dirksen

pisano

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -14%

05-24-2013 15:32:08 | More by pisano

twbeecher

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-24-2013 11:11:23 | More by twbeecher

Grant35

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-24-2013 08:18:54 | More by Grant35

SwG237

New York

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-24-2013 03:49:35 | More by SwG237

AdamP

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-24-2013 02:10:47 | More by AdamP

Jeremy_H

Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-24-2013 01:48:49 | More by Jeremy_H

Michael_20P

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-23-2013 23:05:31 | More by Michael_20P

not_rare_enough

Texas

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-23-2013 20:31:47 | More by not_rare_enough

ChrisMetcalfe

South Carolina

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-23-2013 18:44:39 | More by ChrisMetcalfe