Russian River Pliny the Younger

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

growler brought forth by the illustrious sparky27...

golden amber pour with a soapy white head and an abundance of spotty lacing. it smells fan-fukking-tastic!!! bitter pine, orange pith, grapefruit and flowers mix with honey, caramel and malt. alcohol plays a role as it warms up a bit. seriously the best thing i’ve ever smelled in a glass! the flavor... well, it cannot live up to the aroma... it is on the sweet side with a medium to full body thinned with alcohol, bitter and resin to make it exceedingly easy to keep drinking (and getting terribly d-runk!). delicious. 10/4/8/5/17/4.4

In short: Over-the-top American hops orgy with a quiet malt profile and a little too much alcohol. The most hoppy beer ever? Maybe.
How: Growler at post-EBF 2009 tasting. Huge thanks to Nelson (tertons) again
The look: Almost clear dark orange body topped by a small off-white head
In long: Enormous nose of American hops like I’ve rarely seen (or smelled), citrus fruits, pine-needles, oranges, grapefruits, name it… Unfortunately some alcohol fumes too. Taste is what you expect. A hop extravaganza. Dry honey/caramel and notes of coniferous and cedar join the aforementioned flavours. As excellent as it might be the body lacks oomph to balance the over-the-top hopping and support the high abv. Alcohol is apparent. One of the best American hops fix I’ve ever had, maybe in my top-10. If your thing is being slapped in the mouth with hops, more hops, alcohol and even more hops then this is probably the best IIPA you can find. But if like me you like extra-hoppy beer without sacrificing the body/balance and drinkability than the Elder is still the way to go. I want this in bottles dammit!!! A bottle is not a penitentiary or a retirement home, if they can put the Elder in a bottle why can’t they can do the same with the Younger?

Poured a half inch of white foam atop a translucent sunburst amber body: lighter to dark, bottom to top. Redolent of pine, bubblegum, mandarin orange, grapefruit, leafy hops, sweet honey, caramel, maple, and vanilla. Flavor was pale malt, some caramel, slightly mellifluous, then predominantly piney acidogenic hops, citrus, cantaloupe and grapefruit, then alcohol. Palate was very warming with a bitter resinous lingering aftertaste. Not quite as balanced at the Elder but still excellent. The flavor is just ridiculously unlike anything else I’ve had until now.

On tap at O’Brien’s Russian River night, after they ran out, thanks to everyone who let me taste some of theirs! Pours a clear dark amber-orange, with a white ring. Sweet and bitter aroma, of citrus hops, sugar, malt. The nose was big enough that I could smell it from a distance. Taste has a nice hoppy bitterness, with sweetness of candied oranges, malt, and sugar. The alcohol hides well. Lingering rich bitterness. It actually lives up to its hype.

Sampled at hellbilly’s hellraiser 3 gathering. Bottle courtesy of Sparky27. Golden orange pour with a small foamy head. Aroma is huge pine resin with some underlying citrus and malt. Flavor is big pine hops. Really fantastic stuff! Thanks Eric.

8oz Snifter – Eastside Club Tavern – Olympia, WA
Aroma: Huge Hops aroma they just take over.
Appearance: Amber in color, clear with a thin head.
Flavor: Huge over the top hops flavor. There is so much flavor this beer has hops for the next 2 beers.
Palate: Deep Dry finish, with a HUGE Hops Mouthfeel.
Overall: Really is there a need for a triple IPA? I mean you can’t drink anything else after this if you want to try for flavor it is so huge. I liked it but would not drink all day all the time just for special occasions. This will put hair on your toe nails for sure.

Growler from iowaherkeye, shared by pepsican. Poured a clear medium orange color with an off white head. Big pine aroma with hints of mango, caramel, and orange zest. Mmmm. Medium bodied and dry with a crescendo of assertive hop bitterness that tap danced on the tongue and peaked at about 8 out of 10. The flavor was hop dominated and consisted of a nice mix of pine and citrus (especially orange). There were also subdued mango and caramel notes that cowered in the background. Although there was some alcohol warmth, the alcohol flavor was largely masked. Great stuff.

Got a growler courtesy of a friend. Beautiful aroma strongly of pine hits you immediately upon opening. Beer is very bitter, but still with a wonderful flavor. Finishes very dry, but the 11% alcohol isn’t perceived nearly as much as you might think. A great beer, but beware, it sneaks up on you.