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

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

calvinkirk23

California

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-23-2013 18:27:29 | More by calvinkirk23

visionaries

California

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-23-2013 17:46:11 | More by visionaries

stanowsf

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +7.5%

05-23-2013 17:45:31 | More by stanowsf

pk18

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%

05-23-2013 17:38:32 | More by pk18

Myst

District of Columbia

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-23-2013 05:02:32 | More by Myst

Benish

Wisconsin

4.99/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Man this is good! Just opened my first bottle and it's pretty fresh; bottled 5/09/13.I don't know if this is a good analogy but opening the bottle is like letting the Genie out the lamp. It's insanely floral and sweet just smelling from the tip of bottle. Kind of like opening a BRAND NEW canister of Folgers ground coffee in the morning.

In a glass, the beer presented a very light amber color. Very clear and transparent. Honestly, I am paying less attention to appearance and more attention to smell and flavor.

I taste a lot of floral notes, some kiwi, citrus, and pine. It's is amped up in flavor. It almost makes your tongue tingle! I have not tried that many Double IPA's but if there is one DIPA it compares to, it's Sosus from Toppling Goliath. I think both are equally good. But because Sosus is extremely limited (might have been made only once), I'm more than glad that Pliny is available!

The flavor is very balanced. It's both bitter and sweet. Neither side is overpowering. The beer is extremely drinkable. I'm savoring it but I can see why someone would say it doesn't take long to finish a pint. I'm very happy to be getting some more next month!

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 02:54:54 | More by Benish

alysmith4

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -14%

05-22-2013 23:05:56 | More by alysmith4

KANE3

California

4.75/5  rDev +2.2%

05-22-2013 21:24:13 | More by KANE3