Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

SHODriver

California

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

A: Pours a deep yellow to light orange with a couple fingers of dense white head.
S: Smells of pine, citrus, and a little spice. Solid malt backbone makes itself apparent with a touch of sweetness
T: Tropical Fruit flavors start things off with a solid kick of caramel sweetness from the malt. Citrus and pine hit the taste buds as well and the swallow is bittersweet and citrusy.
M: prickly carbonation that subsides quickly to a nice and smooth well rounded feel. A little slick in the mouth and after the swallow but it dries nicely
O: This is some delicious beer albeit hard to find unless you get it from the brewery. There are other double IPAs that are just as solid and delicious but this is the one to get for the time being. Unfortunately I feel that the lack of availability is one of the things driving demand for it.

Date on the bottle is from 6 Feb.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 04:27:45 | More by SHODriver

jakeox

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-19-2013 00:13:52 | More by jakeox

alanv

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-18-2013 21:22:39 | More by alanv

Petela

New Jersey

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-18-2013 16:50:16 | More by Petela

eyeenjoybeer

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-18-2013 16:42:30 | More by eyeenjoybeer

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

darvinlikemarvin

Iowa

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-17-2013 18:29:29 | More by darvinlikemarvin

eliz108

Wisconsin

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-17-2013 14:38:06 | More by eliz108

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

lndsy

Texas

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-17-2013 13:00:55 | More by lndsy

Kreko7

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-17-2013 08:10:02 | More by Kreko7

g_jenkins

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-17-2013 07:43:16 | More by g_jenkins

chossboss

Oregon

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-17-2013 04:22:34 | More by chossboss

myersk27

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-17-2013 03:44:37 | More by myersk27

bigfatflounder

Wyoming

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-17-2013 03:41:06 | More by bigfatflounder

ReddMoneyBrown

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-17-2013 02:25:34 | More by ReddMoneyBrown

BillRoth

Maryland

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-16-2013 22:29:57 | More by BillRoth

iamnitrox

Arizona

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-16-2013 20:03:55 | More by iamnitrox

Cboat

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-16-2013 17:34:51 | More by Cboat

BigbROB

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-16-2013 17:25:41 | More by BigbROB

carlosega

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-16-2013 15:51:49 | More by carlosega

Pidzik12

Illinois

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-16-2013 14:38:06 | More by Pidzik12

Benjiehorn

Illinois

4/5  rDev -14%

05-16-2013 14:32:18 | More by Benjiehorn

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