Russian River Pliny the Younger

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

On tap at Union Jack’s. great beer. Huge nose of citrus hops and tropical fruit. Big bold body consisting of bitter hops, hop flavor and a rich sweetness. The best way to describe the body would be "sticky." Alcohol is masked completely. A phenom and a rare treat for somebody on the east coast.

On tap at Russian River. Clear(?!), deep gold with some bubbles. Nose is straw-like and floral, very sweet and pleasant. Massive hop flavor and bitterness, straw and grapefruit with rich, sweet honey malt underneath. Rich, velvety palate with massive body. The alcohol is perfectly hidden. Truly excellent on the whole, very much on the hoppy side of things but not unbalanced.

Hard to decide which Pliny I like the best. Like the elder this a hop feast which is balanced by fruit malty flavor that does a good job at masking the high alcohol content.

The hophead/IPA fanatic’s barleywine. Intense, awesome hop flavors. Like the Elder, an awesome showcase for the newer strains of the piny/citrusy/resiny pacific northwest hops, Amarillo and Simcoe, just to name a few. Great for sipping. The hop flavors and aromas intensify at you let it warm up a bit. Amazing.

Tap at Toronado. Finally I got to try this beer. Wonderfu amber color with a faint head. Aromas of flower, honey and fruit. Flavor is spectacular. Sweet and hoppy bitterness at the same time, hints of grapefruit and lemon with honey in the background. The bitterness balances the sweetness well. Outstanding.

Many thanks to Hopdog. This beer has eluded me for a long time. You wouldn’t believe how many times I heard "You should’ve been here yesterday." Poured medium golden with a small off-white head. The nose is lovely, just all around hops. Flavors are oranges, grapefruits, lemongrass, and a little barny with a very solid malt backbone.

Much thanks to hopdog for this hand filled bottle...don’t know if/when I would ever see it on draft around here. Appears a light gold with a small off-white head that slowly fades out. Scattered spots of lacing are left around the glass. Smell is of bready, biscuits, citrus, rich resinous hoppy pine, and vanilla. Much like The Elder. Taste is of the same and very delicious with a touch of caramel standing out. Mouthfeel is slightly sugary and mildly piney, woody, and candy. Drinkability is decent with some ABV that’s noticable.

Thanks to cquiroga for this sample. Poured a medium to deeper golden/amber color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, oranges, caramel, and pine. Tastes of citrus, pine, caramel, and grapefruit. Light to medium alcohol burn in the finish. Some lacing left on the glass.