Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. III Issue I:

One of the best labels in the world and a great wake-up call for overzealous über beer geeks who feel the need to age any and all beers. "Drink fresh, do not age! Pliny the Elder is a historical figure, don't make the beer inside this bottle one ... Age your cheese, not your Pliny ... Pliny is for savoring, not for saving!" Love it. "Respect hops, consume fresh!"

Light honey amber in color, topped with a big, fluffy, creamy white head with a ton of glass stickage. Massive ripe pineapple aroma in the nose, with pine, mint, sappy resins, powdery pale malts and a hint of alcohol. Silky smooth, medium bodied, with a very firm consistency and slightly chewy back. Hop presence is artfully chaotic. Nice prickly stab on the palate up front, semisharp bitterness, grassy, zesty grapefruit, deep smacking of ripe pineapple and pine. Juicy fruitiness, notes of apple and pear too. Dry middle with suggestions of chalky aspirin. Bready malts, soft and sweet, provide a nice backboard for the hops. Oily and ashy hop resins stick to the palate and follow through into a dry, bitter linger. Alcohol becomes sentient as the beer warms, speaking to us in tongues. And despite this, remains insanely drinkable.

One of the best DIPAs on planet Earth, ever.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 19:39:48 | More by BeerAdvocate

Jason

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

NOTE: If you are drinking this beer about 2 months past its freshness date then you are not getting the full experience.

500ml brown bottle with a bottled on freshness date.

Mildly hazed orange golden color, solid two fingers of head leave a nice crowning of sticky lace that leaves thick rings on the glass. Big hop aroma of evergreen, clementine rind, pineapple and fresh cut grass. Super smooth with a modest amount of carbonation. Prickly spicy hop bitterness with citric, mint and wild flower flavors that linger far into the aftertaste. Hint of nutty yeast and a big handful of biscuity malt are thrown at the palate and actually shows that this beer has balance. Full bursting orange grove flavor. The 8.0% stays hidden for the most part yet does yield a slow warmth about half way through the pint, a bit of ripe tropical fruitiness within from the esters. Finishes with that long drawn out hop bitterness and flavor as it leans towards the dry side.

Epic, a deserving epic as well even with all of the hype surrounding PTY. Pliny The Elder is the poster-boy for Double IPAs. Every hophead needs to put this on their must try list.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 02:55:40 | More by Jason

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

BtownIrish20

Indiana

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-20-2013 02:18:53 | More by BtownIrish20

Ctrauty

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-20-2013 01:25:31 | More by Ctrauty

jloomis

Florida

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-20-2013 00:22:35 | More by jloomis

IPAFan521

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-19-2013 23:33:00 | More by IPAFan521

taveerin

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-19-2013 23:25:49 | More by taveerin

MockY

California

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-19-2013 22:04:12 | More by MockY

TreeBeard

Ohio

4/5  rDev -14%

05-19-2013 20:35:13 | More by TreeBeard

Heady978

Massachusetts

4.16/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Finally got two bottles in mail bottled on 5/9/13 and consumed 5/16/13. Delicious and quintessential, but no way is it even close to Heady Topper, its East coast rival. I have no idea how anyone who has consumed Heady fresh can possibly prefer Pliny. It's essentially a DIPA for non- hopheads who can't handle real hop bombs. Great beer, but not worth the hype and effort to get your hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 20:08:50 | More by Heady978

Dyelawn

Maine

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-19-2013 19:10:32 | More by Dyelawn

zackb

Oregon

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-19-2013 15:53:26 | More by zackb

MJSJr

Ohio

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-19-2013 15:05:25 | More by MJSJr

ShawnMH

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev -8.6%

05-19-2013 14:52:49 | More by ShawnMH

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