Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

StoneTSR

Colorado

4.53/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thank you so much to Robb at Poppy's Pizza in Estas Park, Colorado for this one. Check out my review of Poppy's and please go there next time you're in Estas, had a great time and he is one of the friendliest beer-geek restaurant owners I've ever met.

Also, I figured this is an appropriate beer to review for my 100th.

After searching for almost two years for a pint and having several close-call disappointments, Rob finally delivered two gorgeous tulip glasses full of Pliny to my girlfriend and me last Friday night. What a great find.

APPEARANCE: Orange and ever so slightly hazy. The head was not enormous, but bubbles continued to flit to the top of the glass throughout the pint. The lacing was very solid, with a thick wall of lace on the opposite side of the glass.

SMELL: My notes say that the Pliny "smells like flowers. Like delicious, hoppy, magic flowers." I had my nose in the glass for about five minutes before taking my first sip and I kept sticking it back in throughout the two beers I had.

TASTE: As I mentioned in my review of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout I mentioned that sometimes the greatest beers in the world are not as shockingly different as we might expect, rather they are simply exactly what we are looking for within a certain style of beer. This concept would apply to Pliny in my mind. It takes the palate on the precisely balanced ride that it is supposed to go on with every DIPA. It may sound odd to say, but it is a very technically sound Double IPA. Starting out sweet and piney, but not quite as sweet as a Hopslam, it slowly dries throughout the sip. The hops kick towards the end of the sip along with strong floral flavors with just a hint of honey. Elegant is Pliny the Elder in a word.

MOUTHFEEL: As I mentioned above, bubbles continuously floated to the top throughout the entire pint and that seemed to keep the beer lively during the whole experience. It was certainly better carbonated than many DIPAs, but it also had a slightly oily feel to it.

OVERALL: I am very happy I finally tracked down a couple pints. The hype is well-deserved, but may have served to disappoint me just a bit. This is everything a Double IPA, and in my mind, a beer should be - almost perfect balance with an absolutely spectacular nose, but not quite the life-changing event some have made it out to be. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this beer and it would have been easy to keep drinking this stuff all night.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2011 18:38:40 | More by StoneTSR

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

deekyn

California

4/5  rDev -14%

05-16-2013 03:52:47 | More by deekyn

cmdmzmjm

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-16-2013 01:59:15 | More by cmdmzmjm

HeyOhhh

Florida

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-15-2013 22:21:54 | More by HeyOhhh

jwk7324

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-15-2013 18:20:33 | More by jwk7324