Comments on: Russian River Pliny the Elder

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:01:02 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts Nick. I think we have a good dialogue going here. Hype. Price. Hops. Regional takes on a style. All factors to take into consideration. However, no one has yet mentioned 3 Floyds. Their IPAs sthaand at the top of my list. Dreadnaught, Apocalypse cow, Arctic Panzer Wolf are equal to that of Pliny the Elder (if not better). Similar malt body and grapefruit hop quality. 3 Floyds was ranked in the top 5 breweries in the world…hard to beat. Again, a regional brewery that ppl can’t get all the time. I think this convo is going to go in circles…

By: Nick

Nick — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:50:54 +0000

Just tried my first Pliny tonight. Great brew. I was a little concerned seeing as it was bottled on Oct. 31, while I’m drinking it today. From what I’ve read/heard, 2 months won’t kill it. Touching in around 8%, this is no little double IPA, so I think we’re ok here. It’s a little frustrating when you hear of people dumping this down the drain if it’s more than 2 hours old.

That said, I loved it. I don’t think it could’ve ever lived up to the hype, but it was darn close.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:14:55 +0000

Pliny the Elder is no joke. I’ve tried every micro brew from almost everywhere and I must say this is among the best brews I’ve ever tasted. And that is a bold statement! It has a strong hop flavor that will grab you. The finish is like a grapefruit, but sweet. If you give Pliny a smell, you would swear RRBC added a fruit flavor to it, but, no, it is all hops and that’s it.

This beer is not for beginners! Serious Hop Heads need only apply!

I usually drink Lauginatas IPA, which is still my personal favorite everyday beer. But, if I can find Pleny, I’ll buy every bottle the store has and be one happy man.

Peace out!

By: bernard

bernard — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:52:35 +0000

I was visiting some friends in Tacoma,actually, Wauna, on Key Peninsula and they took me to the Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor. To my great surprise they had Pliny the Elder on tap! I live in Cal. and it’s very hard to find it on tap here so that was super cool. My friend had just mentioned it a couple of days earlier so he was blown away when I saw it on the menu.
By the way the oysters are very fresh and the mussels delicious.

By: Chum

Chum — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:44:20 +0000

I had heard a lot of the hype about this beer and decided to try it. Living in Seattle, WA I’ve no shortage of IPA’s to choose from but after 6 years of IPA inundation I would say this beer ranks with as good as I’ve had.

What an IPA should be. Hoppy, but fresh tasting. Fruity but not to sweet. Lots of alcohol. I must say this is a great beer.

Only negatives. Expensive. The hype is driving up the price.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:39:45 +0000

Marc,

Absolutely, Hopslam is a great beer, sorry I left it off! Bell’s makes some good brews… Problem is, even where Hopslam is sold, it’s impossible to get – I got one bottle of this year’s release!

Richard.

By: Marc

Marc — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:50:23 +0000

I will take a Hop Slam over a Pliny the Elder all day

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:07:59 +0000

Nate,

Just found your notes on Pliny the Elder. I agree, but believe it is the best beer I have ever tasted. I learned of RRBC when living in San Francisco and RRBC spoiled me completely on ever drinking much of anything from the East Coast ever again (I now live on the East Coast, grew up here and love it, so, please, no comments – the IPA’s on the East Coast are simply not the hop head’s dream – hops and malt head’s dream, yes, but hops, no.) I mean no disrespect – Dogfish Head is making some great beers; Southern Tier in NY; and Founder’s in Michigan makes great brews – so, please don’t scream at me since all palates are different and mine likes the West Coast hop monsters…

But having said the above inflammatory comments! I will continue. Pliny the Elder remains my favorite brew; followed in the Number two spot by Alpine Brewing Company Nelson; three is Ballast Point Sculpin; and four is RRBC Blind Pig. All of these beers have one thing in common – hops, hops, and more hops, with very little malt. They are representative of what West Coast IPA’s are all about. So, if you haven’t tried any of the beers, I recommend you try all of them – but not side by side because you would enter a realm of hopdom and never leave – stuck in suspended hopanimation forever…

Anyway, thanks for your reviews – I’ll now return to get your take and advice on other beers.

Cheers,

Rich.

By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:33:35 +0000

$4.79. saw this yesterday.

By: Nate

Nate — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:56:26 +0000

James:
It was mind blowing in how fresh it tasted but it mostly just entertained my “inner hop head.” The double IPA style is not that particularly inventive in my mind so I can’t say that it changed my life or anything like that.