Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

basica

Singapore

4.72/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a bright, hazy orange-golden into my snifter with a one-finger thick milky white head and medium to good retention; moderate carbonation was visible amidst the liqui (4.5)

S - Upfront hoppiness on the nose with notes of citrus and pine along with big fruity suggestions with notes of grapefruit and passion fruit (4.5)

T - Pleasantly hop forward on the palate with an intense fruit explosion, well blended with a moderate touch of sweetness; fruity suggestions include notes of grapefruit, passion fruit and other delectable juicy, citrusy flavors. Past the middle and towards the finish, pine flavors were revealed along with some malty notes and a slightly above moderate amount of bitterness which, surprisingly, only comes around the finish, lasting into after taste along with the fruity notes. This is, by far, the best tasting DIPA I've ever had (5)

M - Medium-bodied thickness with a slight syrupy stickiness, apt for the style; slightly higher than moderate amount of carbonation and a creamy smooth texture as it goes down with a slight and pleasant warming (4.5)

D - First off, the PtE is the fruitiest DIPA I've ever had; in fact, it's almost to the point of being juicy and definitely to my delight. It's also not as intense or as bitter as some of the West Coast DIPAs; very juicy, delicious yet balanced for a DIPA and not overly bitter as well. Thus, very drinkable and a session that every DIPA lover would wish easy access to (4.5)

The PtE is the final of the 5 DIPAs in my horizontal taste comparison. I am glad to say that the PtE did not disappoint on the taste factor though I was expecting to be slightly more blown away by the nose and the feel. I loved the fruitiness and "juiciness" in the PtE and am very keen to revisit the Gordon Ale from Oskar Blues which I also recalled to be very fruity.

So without further ado, here's the ranking of the 5 DIPAs: 1st - Pliny the Elder (4.7), 2nd - Moylan's Hopsickle IPA (4.45), 3rd - Stone Ruination IPA (4.1), 4th - Dogfish Head 90 Min (4.1), 5th - Souther Tier 2XIPA (3.8). I would not strictly put the DFH 90 after the Ruination as the DFH is something you can easily enjoy a few pints of at a sitting whereas the Ruination would have destroyed your palate after half a glass.

In terms of hoppiness, bitterness and fruitiness on both the nose and flavor, the West Coast DIPAs easily trump the East coast variants and the Ruination sits on top when it comes to bitterness; Hopsickle ranks second and PtE third (Ruination and Hopsickle were considered a bit too bitter). The East Coast DIPAs were just touched with just a slight bitterness that was no where near the intensity of the West Coast IPAs. Appearance wise, none of them are stunners or a big story to bring home but the Hopsickle and the PtE looked a cut above the rest. The most easy drinking of these DIPAs (without too much of a flavor comparison here) would have to be the DFH 90 with the PtE following in second place.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 16:41:44 | More by basica

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