Russian River Pliny the Elder

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

Pours a clear straw, with a one-finger head, that quickly disappears. Lots of lace. Aroma is mostly pine hops and lemon. Also a fair amount of malt can be found in the aroma if you search for it. Flavor is much better balanced than I expected. This is a fairly bitter beer, with a touch of alcohol. Tons of fresh citrus, but finishes fairly hoppy for my tastes. Like most well hopped brews, it leaves my mouth dry and searching for glass of water afterwards. Palate is medium bodied, slightly carbonated. Overall this is a decent beer. Not my favorite style, but much more drinkable than most Imperial IPAs.

The aroma is exquisite with lots of citrus and pine hops (cascade). There is also a fair amount of sweet malt. The appearance is pale gold with a light haze. The flavor is like the aroma and quite bitter but without much alcohol punch. The palate is a bit thin and not as carbonated as I would have liked. Overall a GREAT example of a double IPA! Thanks Unrulythings.

Courtesy of Juart. Holy frick is this stuff good. Pours a clear golden orange color... very bright. A small white head that disappears pretty quickly. The aroma is an extremely fresh resiny hop. Some pine and pineapple too. A little cat piss. THe flavor is a hop taste slap across the face. A slight sweetness but a dry bitter that almost burns the tongue. The body is a little bit thin. Finishes with a warming alcohol. Very tasty.

500 ml. bottle. Fluffy white head, very clear golden yellow with champagne-like carbonation. Aroma is fresh citrusy hops, some pineapple sweetness. Very clean hoppy flavor, oranges and grapefruit, mild sweet malt background. Finishes dry and clean with a long lingering bitterness. Medium bodied and well carbonated.

Bottle,thanks to Secret Santa.Pours a clear, shining golden orange color with a foamy white head leaving soapy, spotty lacing behind. The aroma simply explodes from the glass with striking notes of juicy, fresh-picked oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. A lightly sweet, pale malt background sets the perfect background for the massive hop profile to do .The flavor is deliciously juicy, with bitter, resinous citrus and lemongrass hops,lightly toasted toffee and caramel malts,with a hint of honey. There’s nothing overly complex going on, but it is so well blended it is incredible. Medium-full, smooth, slightly sticky body. This is so incredibly drinkable. A delicious IIPA that ranks right up there with the best of them. Thank you to the beer gods for giving me the chance to try this.

One of the best Imp IPAs out there. A true hop bomb that is citrussy, floral, piney and refreshing. With an IBU level hovering above 200 it is refreshingly bitter and you crave another drink as soon as you put the glass down. What a great beer.

Nose is very floral. Hops galore from the first sip all the way through. Finishes dry and thin. This one is fruity sweet with hops and slightly resiny. Maybe picking up some sugars here as well. great IPA from a master brewer...

First off, not fond of the color. Too yellow and clear for me. VERY aromatic. This beer smells like a hop field. An amazing balance of malts and hops. This beer smacks you in this face with hops and malts. It is amazing. Man, this beer has a PERFECT balance of hops and malts. That bittering hop bites you in the back of the mouth. Lovely texture. The color does not match the taste. I thought this beer would be a lot worse due to the coloring, but the taste and aroma surpasses the expectation. Overall, this beer is awesome. I love it. I think the balance is perfect and the hop taste is amazing.