Pliny the Elder

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Beer No: 5/1001
Page No: 915
Category: Specialty

Ok, ok, so don't go crazy on me because of the off-topic photo.  But when I was updating the listing of all the reviews by date, I saw that there were 20 dates, however, I skipped one due to Easter, but the last review I just posted was my 20th, so something was off.  Somehow, I skipped #5.  So it's review #5 that'll come right between review #20 and #21.  For this review, we head back to a review from 2002 at the Strong Ale Festival at Pizza Port, Carlsbad.  This was my first time ever sampling Russian River and since then, they have quickly become one of my favorite brewers with the amazing Supplication, Temptation, and Consecration all being featured in 1001 Beers and also some of my favorite brews.

The picture that accompanies this review is from last August when I held Arkh Brewing's annual Beers Around the World party.  Everyone picks a country and we go from there.  As you can probably see on the far right, someone picked the U.S. even though we usually don't allow it.  But we had to give in when he said he'd be bringing a Vertical Epic from 2002 through 2009.  An amazing series of beer, I can't wait for 2012 to break out the one 2002 bottle I have in storage and enjoy the series from start to finish with some good friends.  The picture atop was taken about 2/3rds of the way through the party.  The one below is what we ended up with at the end...

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As for Pliny the Elder, it's a great beer as evidenced by my 4.1 rating from 2002.  Extremely hoppy, 1001 Beers notes that Vinnie Cilurzo brewed this back in 1994 for Blind Pig Brewing and started the "Double IPA" revolution.  I wouldn't doubt if his Pliny the Younger was the first triple IPA to break on to the scene.  The "younger" of the two is hopped three times more than the standard IPA and is dry hopped four different times.  Oddly enough, 8 years later, I rated Pliny the Younger a 4.1 as well.  I'll put both reviews below.

My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:

Russian River Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing

Aroma: 9/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 16/20

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

12/06/02: Had on tap at Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival
The first thing you notice about this beer is its strong hoppy aroma. The golden yellow appearance nicely hides the bite the beer has on the first sip. An amazing blend of hops and citrus flavor linger afterwards. My first Russian River brew - hopefully not my last.

Russian River Pliny the Younger from Russian River Brewing

Aroma: 8/10
Apperance: 4/5
Taste: 8/10
Palate: 4/5
Overall: 17/20

Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

Had on tap at Hollingshead’s Deli - first keg of the day. Pours golden yellow with slight head which persists for a long time. Slight lacing. Aroma of hops and some more hops and little more hops. For a triple IPA though, this beer is amazingly smooth. A bit oily, but very drinkable and a very pleasant beer. Finishes very bitter with a hint of sweetness - not too harsh - just about right for this type of beer. The ratings most likely are boosted by the difficulty in finding the beer and the mystique around it, but it truly is an amazing beer - able to pack all those wonderful hop flavors into a drink that is able to contain the bitterness in a smooth, drinkable beer.