Pliny The Elder - Russian River Brewing Company

freed

Oregon

4.8/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at OBF06. Twice. Was going back for a full glass when the "All out for today" sign got put up. Noooo!

Body is an elecric pine sap golden and almost dark enough that it resembles amber. You'd almost expect to find a fossilized hop in it. Great clarity and very active carbonation - it's a sight to behold.

The aroma is intense. Fresh cut spruce, resiny green, but without any acrid smells.

Taste contains a surplus of awesome. Explosion of citrus hops and a long, pitchy bitterness that escorts you through the drink. There's a mouthful of malt that resonates with the bitterness so it doesn't completely overwhelm the palate. The intense flavors also camouflage the high gravity.

This is a stellar beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2006 17:52:14 | More by freed

dbalsock

Vermont

4.8/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

In the last month, I've experienced a lot of double IPA's, and to this date, the only one that stands out in my mind is Pliny The Elder. While most of the style seems one dimensional in its hopping, This Pliny had it all.

Appearance: Light amber with a thick (very thick) white head, about 1/4 inch deep. Heavy lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Oranges and grapefruit tookover the nose for me. I'm used to the grapefruit in california, and actually kinda sick of it... but the orange made this near perfect.

Taste: Again the orange adn the grapefruit, but sweeter than in the nose. The subtle underlying malt adds a third layer to this amazing brew. One of the best beers I've ever tasted.

Mouthfeel: Bitter and refreshing as it should but, as well as light bodied. It was all usual for the style, except for the way it fit together in my mouth. Synergy is the key to this beer.

Drinkability: I would try to session this and fail, and wake up the next day and try again. This just became one of my favorite beers.

Serving type: on-tap

09-04-2006 03:10:36 | More by dbalsock

Billolick

New York

4.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Tried/enjoyed this over the course of 10 days in the Sierra and San Diego about 5 times.sheesh, I wish this was on tap in just about every craft beer stop in my neck of the woods! Anyway what can be added to the other reviews? Golden,glowing,shimmering olive oil amber. Light tan head, intense fine lacing. Grainy hop sniff. This is a beautifully crafted beer, hops are front, middle and rear. Grapefruit, pine tar, oily. I love this heady, artisinal creation! C'mon RR start shipping kegs of this to the east coast on a regular basis....Please?

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2006 20:56:56 | More by Billolick

Callenak

California

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

What can I say that hasn't already been said. This beer is pure heaven. I've been fortunate enough to have this beer on many occasions. I don't care where I'm at, or what's on tap, if they have Pliny on tap…I'm drinking it and drinking it first. This is the only beer to date that I've felt worthy of giving all 5's to and waited a while to finally review it. Beatification was a close second. Russian River has quickly became my favorite brewery due to consistently amazing beers. I look forward to many more years of drinking Vinnie's trend setting beers.

Serving type: on-tap

08-29-2006 00:24:21 | More by Callenak

NoLiberty

Pennsylvania

4.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had the good fortune of having a pint of Pliny the Elder at the Grey Lodge in Northeast Philadelphia, far from it's land of origin. Despite the distance the beer tasted great.
Poured from the tap into an unmarked pint glass a pure gold color with slight orange tones. Light head with some good lacing, but overall the apperance is quite standard, not stand out.
The aroma is also subtle, mild but the hop character leads the way with some sweet alcohol in the deep nose. Some notes of honey and light crisp fruit.
The taste stands out as the dominant strength in this beer. Wow, it's amazing. A nice big citrus buoquet up front, flower, followed by a good grapefruit and pine finish. Solid sweetness throughout leanding balance to the high notes in the hops. It's solid all around, rounded and quenching. The burps even taste good, like Jagermeister. Stays good from first cold sip to final warmer gulp.
Despite the low head the carb is good and adds nice tingle to the hops. Full bodied by not syrupy. Drinkable? Hell yes, more please!

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2006 04:46:55 | More by NoLiberty

DarkerTheBetter

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is based on notes from The Drafting Room and The Grey Lodge.

This beer came a slightly foggy gold, apricot and honey with only slight wisps of head.

Smells of sweet honey, fresh wheat bread dough, oats, banana and watermelon with a super nectarine, grapefruit, and pineapple, pine sap hop.

Tasted of a sweet light powdery caramel, honey, oats and pizza dough with a great grapefruit and pine sap zap. What’s nice about this is that the sweetness is very prevalent, but not easily identified.

Them mouth feel was medium to heavy bodied with a small creamy carbonation.

Tasty for sure. This kinda tastes how I wish Dreadnaught tasted.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2006 21:18:06 | More by DarkerTheBetter

DrJay

Massachusetts

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

Hazed gold with a faint orange hue. My pint arrived with a short cap of long lasting, cream coloured foam. Lacing was solid and rings formed at each sip. Very nice. The aroma was intense with sweet fruity, floral hops - very distinctive, kind of like fruity candies. Pine and grapefruit were also prominent and there was a light chalkiness or powderiness as well. Wow, this is quite a balanced monster. The bitterness is strong, but is kept in check by the malt until the finish where it lingers along with pine and grapefruit. It starts on the sweet side with a toasty maltiness. The hops (pine and grapefruit) really kick in after this, but stay balanced. There's also a pleasant fruit and floral quality to the hops that show up towards the end. Medium/full bodied, nearly chewy, with a luxurious, creamy texture. Alcohol wasn't apparent. It's scary how easy this goes down. Definitely a world class beer, highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2006 03:05:28 | More by DrJay

PeatReek

California

4.4/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The Elder has a perfectly clear, pale amber body with a thin white lid of foam. The aroma is green; somehow... oh, I know how, it's entirely composed of hops! Piney, resinous, citric, delicious hop aroma. The first sip is likewise a hop attack, very very strong with pine needle and somewhat grassy overtones (but in a good way, I'm not exactly sure how to describe it). It's supported by a crisp maltiness, very dry. Not full bodied; thin if anything, which only accentuates the hop character. Great, great beer. Consistently blocks my attempts to try other IPAs wherever it's on the menu.

P the E is definitely one archetype of West Coast IPAs. Sometimes I prefer the thick, sweet Hop-Rod style, but this beer is an extraordinarily drinkable example of the drier, crispy/hop-domination style, and that's good too. It's hard to describe how drinkable Pliny is. I mean, 8 percent?! I never would have guessed. No wonder I'm always so stumbly walking out of Toronado.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2006 01:28:10 | More by PeatReek

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a perfect dark golden with just a wisp of a white head present. Decent lacing.

The smell is all fruity, piney hops. Very juicy, but a little faint.

The taste is perfectly balanced with a complexity that makes this beer extra special. Starts with crisp, spicy hops that have a nicely balanced profile, followed by some juicy stone fruit flavors in the middle, and finally a long, long very bitter but pleasant finish with a little grapefruit rind at the very end.

The mouthfeel complements the taste perfectly. Medium bodied, crisp, rich and creamy, all at the same time.

Very drinkable due to its complexity that keeps you going back for another sip.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2006 19:29:33 | More by Georgiabeer

memory

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured super lacey to glass. Appeared dark gold with a great fresh hop nose. The taste on my palate just said ' damn it get a keg'
Fullness of the oily hops and yeast just leaves you wanting more. My taste buds are happy. This is great ale. I had something similar in Eureka,CA. at a brewery in town there, (Eureka Brewing Co.?) years ago that I think went out of business. Shame, it was a fun place. Golden triangle indeed.

Serving type: on-tap

08-20-2006 04:19:13 | More by memory

Imstillthegman

Delaware

4.65/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Light golden color with a thick white head that left almost solid lacing down 3/4 of the glass. Very hoppy nose. Pine and grass come out strong. Flavor is heavy on the piney hops, also, and quite bitter. One heck of a hop bomb. Slick mouthfeel from all the hop oil. Bitter finish lasts and lasts. I had to drink two glasses of water just to taste my next beer. I wish I could get this more often.

Serving type: on-tap

08-19-2006 13:59:50 | More by Imstillthegman

stoner420

California

3.2/5  rDev -31.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap

A light golder amber, white foamy head, sparkling carbonation

Smells of big hops, pine, floral, carmel malt faintly in the background.

Taste is great at first, all the hop flavor is up front followed by the malt, but then the finish is super bitter and the alchohol is kind of harsh, so I'm kind of two minds about this one, the hops is great, but then its a little too bitter and alcoholic for my taste

Mouthfeel is surpisingly light for such a big beer. Drinkability is ok, a little too bitter for me.

Serving type: on-tap

08-14-2006 15:56:24 | More by stoner420

rayjay

Hawaii

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Fresh from brewery's taps, 3 weeks old but still fresh! Opens with a bang!

Soft, pillows of foam tower over the beer (4+ fingers), reducing eventually to oily splotches and thick lacing. Reeks with the flowery kind of hops.

Huge, resiny, thick with oils but light enough to enjoy by the mouthfull. Unbelievably hoppy, but so floral that you just can't get enough. Great head retention, and carbonation is light which lets all the hoppy tangyness do a screaming guitar solo. The flavor goes way up your nose. It is so fresh and punchy. Hard to imagine anything hoppier than this.

Malts are there, for sure, as the alcohol also plays a nice part in the delicious taste, not really warm or alcohol-y, more like boozy. You can tell the alcohol is there and it hits you hard but like I said not warm. The alcohol plays well with the oils from the hops and the twangy malts. Mouthfeel is just right, the perfect thickness and not a hair more. Overwhemingly hoppy and yet perfectly balanced.

Gives you that between-the-eyes, "hop-headache" each sip.

This was a great session, splitting a growler is perfect. Very well done and cerainly one of my favorites. This beer really re-defines the double IPA, not too thick and massive yet sophisticated hops. Well worth seeking out! A++

And might I add, another perfect candidate for a hand-pump!!!

Serving type: growler

08-08-2006 20:54:14 | More by rayjay

Oxymoron

Colorado

4.93/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Not so tiny Pliny the Elder. Poured a mostly hazy orange hue with a good head and lacing to match. Superb nose with all the hops you can take. True to the California IPA aroma. A mostly piney aroma, but some grapefruit notes are in there too.

The taste is very hoppy but a very nice malt backing that supports the beer more then I would have expected from the nose. To start, the hops are well balanced and big. The bitterness has a lemony bite that leaves a tart flavor which does its best to tone down the finishing hop flavors. A nice grapefruit and apricot blend finishes and really brings the hops to a finish. A nice sweet caramel malt flavor plays second fiddle in taste but still holds its own.

This really is one of the most elite IPA’s out there. The body is on the full side with great appeal. A taste have for the hop lovers for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2006 01:38:52 | More by Oxymoron

OStrungT

California

4.68/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is usually on tap at O'Brien's, so I drink it quite a bit. I am a little surprised that I have not reviewed it yet. This beer is great.

This beer pours a straw yellow color, with a thick white head. The head fades slowly, leaving many thick sticky laces.

This beer smells quite hoppy. It smells strongly of piney hops. Some grassy aroma is present. It has a little cirtus aroma also. Grapefruit.

This beer tastes very piney. It has some grassy hop flavor also. It is sweet. The flavor is quite aggressive. This beer has a slight citrus flavor.

This beer is very full bodied. It goes down surprisingly smooth, leaving a piney aftertaste. Good luck tasting other beers after this one.

This beer would probably not be the best choice for a session beer. It is very aggressive. Also, it is a little high in alcohol, making drinking too many a bad choice.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2006 17:28:19 | More by OStrungT

2beerdogs

California

4.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Wow, I love this brew!!! I first had it down Pizza Port way, in Carlsbad. Hard to find on tap in socal. Well blessed me...thay had it had Brewfest in Portland!!! Good nose, lightly sweet with a hint of the hops to come. The hint of pine and citrus meeting malt graces my mouth, good feel, not too heavy or full, and the swallow...now I get that slightly dry, crisp finish with...hmmm a bit of pine again. Wow, I love this beer!!!

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2006 22:32:04 | More by 2beerdogs

TheName

Washington

4.3/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tried on tap at the Oregon Brewers' Festival. Started with a 4 oz taster but went back for the full mug.

Poured a nice straw gold with lots of big foamy head which the volunteer told me to nose-oil off (WHA--?!). Head left fairly quick but left nice lacing along the top. Nose was wonderfully tart, citrusy hops but not overwhelming in the least.

First drink came with a perfect malt and a beautifully clean, dry hop remainder. A great light, sweet maltiness with a detectable piny/grapefruity follower. Nice and creamy, big in the mouth but goes down very easily. I could drink this (slowly and carefully) all day and it didn't ruin me for other beers I tried later.

This is how a double IPA should be. I've gotta find a way to get it in Seattle.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2006 16:06:31 | More by TheName

Brewfan

Connecticut

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

Aquired from my sister Kristen in Cali. Made the trip 2 weeks after purchase, and was delivered in perfect condition.
Poured into my Ommegang chalice.
Decent thick white head with medium retention. Fine white long-lasting lace. Slightly murky orange color.
Automatic pine nose. HUGE hops bouquet. Spicy, not much malt to be desiphered from the smell. Smells very wet. Oh wait. I just put my nose IN the beer. Pineapple fruitness, with citrus pith.
Monstrous hop bomb. Like sucking on a hop-laden pine cone. More citrus comes to the front. Some maltiness comes through, but not nearly enough to take away from the hops. Very dry. Nicely balanced and extremely drinkable for a beer so hoppy. Surprisingly, 8% doesn't really come through on the tongue. Makes this even more drinkable.

Serving type: growler

07-09-2006 22:29:36 | More by Brewfan

ReDave

California

4.78/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

What a treat! I was surprised to see this on tap. I've read about this, and was wondering if i would get a chance to taste this. Wonderful Hollinghead Deli in Orange apparaenlty has this or one of his nephews on tap regularly. Nice amber color, with good creamy head. Very hoppy/grassy, slightly flower aroma. Very sticky lace all the way down. Very balanced malt and hop flavor, but that could be the hop-head talking. Would love to have a 90 minute, ruination, Buzz Saw, and Pliny the elder taste off. But would need to take a nap afterwards. Love this beer

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2006 03:16:59 | More by ReDave

dickroop

Maryland

4.45/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I strolled from Crown City Brewing down Pasadena's Raymond Avenue to Lucky Baldwin's. The bar in this place quickly revealed why it's so famous. Amongst the MANY taps, I saw 3 brews I had heard so much about, the most famous: Pliny the Elder. "Make sure you try this one," the bar man said, "when we get in a keg, it's gone in a day or two."

Served in a 10-oz goblet, it was light golden with a head that didn't quit. The nose was powerful hops with malt backbone for support. Flavor was complex, piney hops with carbohydrate sweetness, and noticeable alcohol. A very pleasant feel, smooth to savor and firm body. Drinkability is down because of too high alcohol for a session brew.

This DIPA seems a likely legendary and a lucky find for me.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2006 00:17:22 | More by dickroop

SethB2

California

4.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Served on tap at Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa.

The beer was poured a little on the cold side in a typical bar pour manner to prevent to much of a head. Other than that, it looked great. Non transparent, dry-hopped orangish color with a huge amount of lacing. Smell was, well, hoppy. Mainly piney hops, combined with a grapefruit citrisy hop presense. A malt backbone was also there, but had a hard time breaking through the hops. Taste was much like the smell. Great beer. The malts let themselves be known a little more in the taste, leading the way to a very balanced IPA. Mouthfeel and drinkability are both great as well.

I wish they would bottle this stuff. Great, great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-29-2006 23:29:13 | More by SethB2

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap at Toronado. Bright amber orange with a full white head. Head lasts well for an IPA. Body is medium to full with intermittent carbonation attacks. Aroma comes on complexly featuring an appealing amount of pineapple on top of a subtle pine/juniper base. By far, however, the pine is overshadowed by citrus juice, peaches, and grapefruit. The aroma could be described as candy like if it didn’t trigger receptors in your brain that say: Warning Hop Blast A’comin! Feels tangy and acidic with a citrus medley blast of lime, lemon, grapefruit, and nectarine. Perfectly balanced (for the style) with a sweet malt base and only residual pine oils in the flavor. More delicate then expected. My tongue is not destroyed after two glasses. I guess that makes this one a drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2006 19:36:53 | More by DaPeculierDane

merlin48

Kentucky

4.22/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Many thanks to Redwoodgeorge for this one. This review is of his unauthorized bottling earlier in 2006. Chill hazed, apricot body is topped by a sturdy, offwhite, one finger head that has exceptional retention and deposits a massive amount of patch lacing on the English pint glass.
Aroma is brutal. Supra raw hops are guilty of fourth degree assault on the nasal cavities. Pine and freshly grated lime peel wreak havoc. Wow! What a wonderful job this brewery has done by creating such a hopnicient aroma.
Mouthfeel is divine. Medium bodied and well carbonated. Hop presence is cutting and pervasive.
Taste follows the aroma, with a pervasive presence of fresh leafy hops. If I didn't know better, I would say this brew has been randallized. Tastes like chewing on a pine cone you've just plucked from a Douglas Fir, accented by chewing on freshly sliced lime rind. Malt presence is here, barely enough to add a hint of caramel and salvage drinkability. Finishes dry and bitter, with a hops burn.
Pliny The Elder is worthy of its hype, but no match for Pliny The Younger in my judgement.
Seek this out. It's worldclass. Thanks, George!

Serving type: growler

05-20-2006 20:51:10 | More by merlin48

scottoale

California

4.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at my local pub, this poured a deep gold with a 1/2inch of white head in a pint glass. The head dwindled and left some nice lace behind.

The smell...ahhh the smell, super fresh pine-sappy hops rip at your nose, smells like a fresh cut forest, a hop-lovers dream.

The taste starts out hoppy, stays hoppy and then it finishes hoppy...which makes me hoppy er...happy. A nice malt flavor that gets spanked right off the bat, goes a bit citrusy only to be slapped again with a spiky, resinous pine hop finish. Whew...

Good meaty body with some punch and a ton of hops too boot...I need a keg of this stuff. It's a the top of the 2IPA's in my book, a hop lovers MUST!

My hat's off too Russian River...2X well done, Cheers!!!

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2006 09:20:42 | More by scottoale

mickeymac

California

4.83/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On tap from a pint glass at Toronado, the Elder looks very elegant with a thick white blanket of head covering a glowing golden orange. Each drink leaves another level of lace clinging to the glass. The smell is pine, citrus, and loads of malty goodness. The taste is even better, walking a perfect tightrope between the strong malt flavor and the hop bitterness. With every drink, new flavors come out. At times it seems to have almost a candy sweentess, with some drinks caramel, and with other sips a doughy quality. It's almost chewy, with a tremendous mouthfeel. The drinkability is amazing. With an incredible selection at Toronado, I went back for a second Elder. This is one of the best beers I've ever tasted.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2006 23:36:11 | More by mickeymac