Russian River Pliny the Younger

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

On tap at Capones. The glass that I’m brought has a nice apricot/orange color to it and supports just a little bit of a head. Aromas are a spectacular mix of citrus and floral hops with big grapefruit presence. Flavor is a bit thin on the malt, but the hops are very nice and match the nose well. Still, it comes off as just a bit thin at times, which holds this beer back from being truly outstanding. Still, I’d take another any day.

Finally was able to get a hold of this one. Tap at Capone’s. Pours out a glowing orange with a small lacing white head. Huge hops on the aroma, citrus, pine, floral hop notes are balanced by a lingering almost fruity sweetness. Taste is a hop assault, citrus grapefruit hops start the siege on your palate followed by some pine hops, a sweet, sticky malt backbone is apparent, but it take a back seat to the over the top hops. Finish is dry, pine/floral hops and a slight note of some alcohol, but not enough to convince you that it is 11%. Well worth it.

A: Pours an ultra clear golden hue that is actually fairly light for the style. Bold creamy head quickly rises to a nice solid cap. Good retention, lots of lace and fizz when swirled. This one begs to be drank. S: Holy hops batman! This baby is pure hop juice. Huge hop aroma with wonderful scents jumping out at you. Juicy orange and sweet apricot play well with peach and grapefruit. Green grass cuts through along with an absolute bouquet of flowers. T: The malt in this beer must be ridiculous for the balance to be so spot on despite the insane amount of hops. Nice sweet caramel malt peeks through but trust me there is much more going on here in the malt department. That being said it has no chance to shine. The hops plow through with the malt doing its best just to provide balance... which it does quite nicely. The hop flavors are like nothing I have ever tasted. Sweet, Citrus, and Floral are all there. Sun sweet apricot and peach really stand out with notes of sweet mango. The green grass cuts through and seems to duel with sweet orange and bitter grapefruit. To call this beer complex would be an understatement. To call it great would be a crime. It is sooo much more and even better I could ever imagine. M: Full bodied, rich, thick, smooth. It coats the mouth and throat with sweet and bitter fruit that just lingers and lingers. Pure sex in a bottle. D: I had two full glasses and if there had been more I would have had a third. That being said I was fine drinking all the beers at the tasting. When finished with this one I was bombed, yet there was no hint of the ABV in the flavor. Huge aromas, and out of this world flavor. This is one many will try to duplicate but will no doubt fall short.

tap at falling rock. copper with thin lasting head. enormous fresh chewy hops with chevy pickup truck of citrus in aroma. Hop explosion in your mouth is unnatural in a good way. This must be how beer tastes when you are Tom Brady.

Draft at capones. Poured into a small snifter. Golden orange in color, good head. Awesome aroma of bitter hops. Taste is bitter as hell. A Grapefruit and citrus bomb. But its still well balanced. Its even bitter in the aftertaste, dry clean finish though. No trace of the 11 percent alcohol. Overall a great DIPA, but not the best I have ever had.

Nice golden orange color. Thick malty base with some caramel accentuated by some grapefruit, orange, pine, perfume/floral nose. Nice kicked up IBU’s balance high malt level. Pretty enjoyable.

The nectar of the gods, plain and simple. Crushed with carythedude. Thanks to jason from falling rock tap house.

Crushed with Jakebra at Falling Rock. Really sorry my Honkeybra couldn’t be here. Unbelievable hops. Just an incredible beer with a finish that numbs the tongue and changes and evolves forever. A roundhouse-kick to the face by a hopped up Chuck Norris.