Russian River Pliny the Younger

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

Clear, pale body with nearly no head. The aroma is heavy c-hops, grapefruit, pine, apricot and light sweetness. The flavor is moderately sweet, bread, light honey and cotton candy, lots of grapefruit, pine, some alcohol and a harsh bitterness. Medium/full body feels a bit bloated, soft carbonation and an astringent, very bitter finish.

Shared by Dickinsonbeer at Captain Lawrence RB Gathering 5/5/07. Golden light in color with a nice off white head. Citrusy, grapefruity aroma. Pne, earthy notes. Hoppy malty flavor. Very citrusy and piney notes. Very fruity flavor. Hops are very sticky. Finish has a nice hop bitterness. The hop flavor lingers throughout the whole beer. Wow. Great. Really enjoyable.

Draught. Plain, golden-orange body with a little white head. The aroma doesn’t give up a whole lot, sure it’s really grape-ish AND grapefruity but not immensly expressive. Full, chewy fruit flavour. The hops are really thick and rich and alcohol actually appears in a late finish along with sheets of hop resin. It’s not overly bitter, just very hoppy and well balanced, surprisingly so, considering the specs. I could probably drink several pints of this - until the alcohol kicked in of course.
Pint at Hamilton’s in San Diego on March 25, 2007.

Shared by Dicksonbeer at the Captain Lawrence gathering for rating # 1000!! Golden, light orange in color with a medium off white head. Aroma: heavy citrus, grapefruit, apricot, with some pine notes, hops are resinous, sticky aroma. Taste is a ton of sticky hops, citrus, a piney bitterness throughout the taste. Medium bodied, and just enough malt to give it a good backbone, while still showcasing the hops up front. Finishes moderately bitter that lingers, an awesome IIPA. This was quite an experience to drink, thanks again Paul!!!

rerate 2/14/09: Golubj sent over a fresh growler of this stuff and god was it incredible. One of, if not the best IIPAs I’ve ever had. Simply overflowing with citrus hop and pine all over, incredibly drinkable and rich without a flaw in sight. Almost no malt noticable at all, just pure American hops. Overwhelmingly fantastic.9/5/9/5/4.7

Hand-bottled bomber from Dickonsonbeer at CL RB tasting. Huge hop aroma, grapefruit, sucrose, grass, really gigantic and a perfect window for the hop oils to do their thing. Unfortunately, the hops are over-bitter in the mouth, and provide little body. Notes of mint, rum, grass. A very young beer. This really is a beer designed to showcase hops and nothing else, but the lack of body and the greenness of it were a bit of a let down. Perhaps I need to try it fresher on tap. 9/3/7/4/3.7

Growler: Pours an orangey golden with an off white ring for head. This is one of the closest thing to hop-juice out there. The aroma is pure hop oils and pine. It’s like having hops in you hands and crushing out the resins between your fingers. Has the pure hop-oil flavor as well without being overly bitter or chaotic. Lemony citrus notes are everywhere, along with a fresh & sweet apricot background. There’s just enough malt to make this hop-juice quaff-able, and the alcohol is well hidden. A pure hop experience, and a top IIPA.

12oz handbottle courtesy of Dickinsonbeer. Thank you Thank you, Paul. Pour is a clear orange golden with hardly any head. Still has nice carbonation and a little white ring of lace. Like the elder, the younger has a very explosive nose. with lots of hop flavors. Floral, grapefruit, apricot, tropical fruits predominate. Flavor is sweet and bursting with similar hop flavors. Bitter, but no bite to speak of. Alcohol is evident, but 11% is a stretch. Not saying this isn’t 11%, but rather that the alcohol is hidden extremely well. Incredibly smooth mouthfeel and finish. Ive tasted 5% ipa’s that seem much harsher than this. Vinnie never ceases to amaze me with his creations.

16oz hand-bottle, extra thanks to MrBendo for the hook-up! Poured clear medium golden with a short cap of white.. receded to some loose bubbles after a couple minutes. The aroma was driven by seductive pineapple, pear, grapefruit, and pine hoppage.. candied apricots and caramel sweetness also rise to the occasion... damn.. I just got lost in it and about 5 minutes elapsed!

The flavor doesn’t lose a thing.. incredible balance between light fruits and caramel at the base and brilliant hoppage all around.. just spaced out with my nose in the glass again.. pine, pineapple, and pear all dance across the taste buds. Roughly medium-bodied with ideal carbonation.. perfect balance and great use of alcohol heat to accent everything. Phenominal brew! Thanks a million, Todd!