Brew Review: Pliny the Elder

Beer: Russian River Brewing Co. Pliny the Elder
Date: 1-20-12
Alcohol: 8%
Location: Sonoma County, California  <----woot woot!
Packing Type: 1 pint bottle
Price: $3.99
IBU's: 100

Aroma: Strong hops, pine, citrus, bitter smell, but almost refreshing.

Appearance: Golden and relatively clear, great white head.

Body & Texture: Full body. Low carbonation. Smooth, not a strong alcohol flavor.

Aftertaste: Hoppy but not as much as expected. Bitter aftertaste.

Overall Impression:
Pliny is pretty famous around these parts. It's a double IPA, and it's also rated the number 4th  most popular beer on BeerAdvocate. I really wanted to give this beer a great rating since it's from Sonoma County! Yay! Unfortunately, I feel like something may have been off with this particular bottle. It had very little carbonation, it was almost nonexistent. I've had Pliny at their brew pub in Santa Rosa before, and it tasted different.

One aspect that I liked about Pliny was that it wasn't totally overwhelmingly hoppy. The aroma is so hoppy that I thought I wouldn't really be able to handle the 100 IBU's but it wasn't a problem.

Would I buy this beer again?

I wouldn't buy Pliny again, but it's often in my fridge thanks to David. 

This bottle didn't leave a lasting impression on me, but both David and I thought their might have been something wrong with the bottle. It had just been bottled on 1-16 & we drank it on 1-20. Maybe it wasn't in the bottle long enough? I'm not really sure. I'd order it at the brew pub again to give it another shot.

Also, if you're ever in Santa Rosa for some reason, make sure to go to their brew pub. They have some of my favorite pizza in town! I love it.

 

Circa 2008

Have you ever heard of Russian River Brewing before?