 pint_size (787), Austin, Texas, USA
May 16, 2008 4-30-08 growler
Beautiful orange pour with an amazing white fluffy meringue head. Sticky rings of lacing throughout the glass. Smell is huge sweet hops with fresh grapefruit and has a hint of freshly cut grass. Flavor is ideal - perfectly balanced hops. it doesn’t scream alcohol or sweetness or hops. It is mildly delicious and balanced. The finish is clean and dry. Perfectly drinkable and thoroughly enjoyable. I only wish this were more available. Surely my favorite from Russian River so far.
Hophead_Josh (2), Oakland, California, USA
does not count  May 15, 2008 This is the finest showcase of hops I’ve ever experienced. I only get to say that about one beer and I have no hesitation reserving it for Pliny. This beer has a wonderful aroma right up front of fresh hop flowers that will make you declare out loud your love for the vine. This is clearly a distinct experience from other IPAs commonly found in West Coast craft beers. It has a very complex nose that seems to present a cornucopia of aromas with each approach. Hints of Citrus, spring flowers, and even a bit of cannabis can be detected. The texture is thick and as smooth as they come. It pours a shining golden yellow with beautiful white lace and feels much more like a porter or stout going down than an IPA. I’ve found this pairs VERY well with spicy foods, particularly Hispanic cuisine. It also pairs amazingly with caramel, as unusual as that may sound.
carruthm (101), USA
May 13, 2008 First tasting, really enjoyed this beer. Waiting on a second tasting to be able to better rate. Very clean and a very good IPA, but I didn’t notice anything particularly noteworthy first time around.
rayOfBeer (133), El Cerrito, California, USA
May 12, 2008 Poured from tap an orangy-blonde with a medium sized ecru head. Huge aroma of floral hops, citrus, and light toast. The flavor dominates the palate with floral hops, pine resin, gratefruit, and a lemony citrus. These flavors are balanced with a huge mildly sweet malt mouthfeel -- almost chewy. Wow, love this beer. If you are tasting many different beers with this one, drink this one last. You won’t want to go back for any other. It dominates.
Ofortuna (266), Grafton, Wisconsin, USA
May 10, 2008 From my backlog. Thanks to Jason for sharing this treat. Too bad I didn’t get to try the younger. Handbottle by way of MrBendo and mwsf. Still poured a nice frothy foam with nice lacing despite the handbottlilng. Sticky flavour with bits of toffee and pine resin. Wonderful floral aroma that was quite complex in nature. Some grapefruit, lemon grass and pine. A bit heavy on the syrup side of things, but the intense amount of bittering hops helped to keep this in check. Good balance here between the malt backbone and hop profile. Well done IIPA and well being sought after!
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