When Belmont Station announced their plan for Pliny the Elder distribution, I knew I had to do it. If you’re reviewing 999 beers, you’ve got to include the so-called “Best Beer in the World,” right? Although, it seems the list has somewhat righted itself, with Westvleteren 12 now occupying pole position, and Pliny is now listed in slot number two.
I’d tried to taste the beer a few weeks ago, and failed. The situation was the same all over town: the keg would go on, beer geeks would swarm, and the keg would blow within an hour or two. Trouble for me, I have a real job, and can’t just drop what I’m doing to follow the Ribwich.
So I was grateful when Belmont Station adopted a novel release plan: buy your ticket (in cash) ahead of time, and show up anytime during release day to sample a 10 oz. portion of Pliny the Younger and a sample of Pliny the Elder, which allowed consumers to try both the triple- and double-IPA versions of the beer. Best of all, 50% of the ticket price was donated to Mercy Corps, a win-win in my book.
As you’ll see below, my recollections were confirmed. Pliny was a great IPA, but I didn’t give it 5 stars. It was complex, but ultimately, not exceptional – to me, it tasted a bit thin and cacophonous. I understand why it’s achieved its cult status (limited distribution, low portability due to draft-only status, high reputation of brewery), but I have to play the cynic here: I’ve had better.
One phenomenon I did notice that I haven’t seen anyone else talk about: something I’m calling “Pliny Pee.” You know how when you consume asparagus, your urine smells like the vegetable a few hours later? Sometimes the same thing happens with coffee, too. Hours later, I noticed a distinct hop aroma to my stream. Could it be the hop extract used to power up the beer’s aroma and bitterness, or am I just crazy?
Beer Name: Pliny the Younger
Brewer: Russian River Brewing
Price: $7.50
Sampled: March 16, 2010
Rating: 4/5
Notes: It’s good, but not that good. Fairly dry, but sweeter-smelling. Seriously pine-y, pineapple aromas. Hard to detect alcohol, frankly. Crispy. Mango aroma, too. Tough to put a label on this.
ABV: 12% abv
IBU: N/A
OG N/A
TG N/A
Serving Type: Draft.
5 Comments on “75: Pliny the Younger”
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You’ve had better? Do tell.
Posted on March 20, 2010 at 8:28 PM.
I think Hair of the Dog’s Blue Dot is better. I could also make a good list of Pliny competitors that would include Full Sail’s Wreck the Halls, or Alesmith’s YuleSmith. Even Elysian’s Bifrost.
Posted on March 20, 2010 at 8:39 PM.
Also, in thinking about this a little more, I have to admit that the use of hop extract diminishes my opinion of the beer. I generally avoid most processed foods (seasonal over-consumption of Chex mix aside), and I’m not sure I need an industrial product in my beer.
Posted on March 21, 2010 at 10:23 AM.
I’m visiting RR in a few days. I hope they have this on tap. Is there any way to check if they do?
Posted on April 12, 2010 at 5:17 AM.
They have a basic taplist on their web site, but it looks out of date to me. I’m fairly certain they only release Pliny the Younger once/year, so it’s unlikely it will be on tap. But honestly, they have three or four other IPAs on tap all the time, each of which are delicious. And if you like sour beers … welcome to heaven.
Posted on April 12, 2010 at 10:16 AM.