Russian River Pliny the Elder

Brewed by Russian River Brewing
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Santa Rosa, California USA

Pours a orange-gold with a mid range headhead of tiny. Aroma is hoppy grapefruit and pine. Amazingly easy to drink...you could just drink this at the pub all day and be perfectly happy. Smooth, balanced, satisfying hop finish. A great brew.

Pliny The Elder is a cloudy golden ale with a thin, dense, white head that has excellent retention and lacing. It has a huge, fresh, floral, grassy aroma. It smells like... stepping outdoors. It’s medium bodied, minerally and crisp. The finish is clean. It’s nice and bitter with a full hop flavor. There are notes of flowers, grass, herbs and fresh ground black pepper. This is how a double IPA should taste. It was very much a pleasure to enjoy this at the Trappist in Oakland.

Poured from a bottle (2/29/09) into my Duvel Tulip. Color is dark orange/gold with a very big and fluffy off-white head. Smell is outrageously awesome...pine/citrus/grapefruit all over the place...holy cow. I just want to live in it (you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen Pineapple Express)! Taste is wonderful! So well-balanced and not overly bitter like other huge hoppy beers. Perfect amount of carbonation and so smooth it glides around in your mouth. This is a VERY drinkable beer and I could drink this beer all the time although I savor these because of my location. What an amazing beer!

bottle, thanks to wavers1! Pours pale orange with a bright medium white head. Strong hay and grapefruit aroma with some cannibus notes as well. Slightly piney. Wow, this is almost all bitter, there is a slight sweet carmel malt but it is cut SHARPLY by a strong hop profile. Very dry pine and resiny hop oil cooked on the stove and reduced down to make it more pure and strong then added back into the beer to make the hoppiness more than anyone could handle. But in all actuality, it’s quite good, and after the first few sips getting that bitterness on the tongue, it settles into a fine brew.

A: Poured with a large, white, frothy head that hung around for a bit before easing down to 1/2-finger or so. Body is a really nice-looking golden orange color, and hazy. S: Oh yeah, now that’s a strong-smelling IPA! Average hops (actually not overpowering at all) that are very perfumed, with citrus, pine, cut grass, and celery coming through. The pine in particular is quite strong. T: This is a damned smooth-drinking beer. Of course the hops are present throughout the whole time, but the finish is much milder than I would have expected from that powerful aroma. Pine and citrus are very present and in your face, but they don’t push their luck. 8% ABV? I would never have guessed that high. M: One of the smoothest, creamiest beers I’ve had, with a perfect balance of soft-average carbonation with the full-body. T: I was a little nervous about trying this beer... no way it could live up to the hype. But it pretty much did... one of my first (THE first?) DIPAs I’ve had... I’ve probably been spoiled from here on out.

Bottle thanks to glouglou. Pours pale amber with a small head. Long retention. Nice lacing. Nose is floral hops, some grapefruit, a bit citrusy. Taste is floral hops. Not so bitter. Quite dry. Finish is bitter. Some hints of fruits. Very drinkable and sessionable. Very good beer. Really need to try this one again..

500mL bottle > goblet My nose picks up nettles and freshly picked grapes. The appearance is quite appealing apricot hue. Head is thin off-white and thins out quickly with persistent lacing. Flavor is superb balance of fruity and hoppy - geranium twang with mild raspberry and spruce notes. Mouthfeel is slightly watery smooth and not so oily, which is a pleasant surprise. The more I drink it the more I like it. Makes me think ’nectar of the gods’. (Also makes me think up things I’ve never thought of before, like "geranium twang" - wtf?!) I really can’t imagine how Russian River did this without using magic. Want more now.

Bottled. A golden beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet hoppy and malty with a lovely fresh grapefruit note. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of fruit - especially grapefruit - leading to a good bitter finish.