Pliny The Elder
Russian River Brewing Company

Pliny The ElderPliny The Elder
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #3
ABV:
8%
Score:
100
Ranked #37
Avg:
4.64 | pDev: 7.76%
Reviews:
3,973
Ratings:
15,691
Status:
Active
Rated:
Yesterday at 09:20 PM
Added:
Aug 24, 2003
Wants:
  7,659
Gots:
  4,835
Pliny the Elder is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. It is well-balanced with malt, hops, and alcohol, slightly bitter with a fresh hop aroma of floral, citrus, and pine. Best enjoyed FRESH! That is why we make it in such limited supply. Actual bottling date is printed on each bottle!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Khazadum:
Photo of Khazadum
Reviewed by Khazadum from Illinois

4.17/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
500 milliliters bottled on 5/26/2010, served into a 12 ounce brandy snifter, drank at 50 degrees and 55 degrees. Received via phone order from a California store.

Vision
Poured in low light in my front room. It appears at first to be an aged honey color with one finger of snowy white head. When held up to a light source it shifts to the color of movie theater butter while holding its virgin white head. The lacing is truly something to be admired in this brew. It defies gravity on the edges of the snifter and pleases me as I agitate for the bouquet. Long after it has been consumed, a lacing exists around the glass.

Bouquet
Upon first breath it holds a mysterious sweetness that is missing in most double IPAs I've seen. It takes a second attempt to identify tangerines. The citrus is unique as of this date for my smelling pleasure. There are brief hints of pine but only when searching for more.

Flavor Profile
The smell was not misleading me. Citrus flavors explode initially on the palate and lead me to believe there is tangerines in my brew. They fade appropriately leaving a finish that starts hinting of pine, but quickly erupts into a mouth of tree branch.

The close is like walking through a winter forest looking off into the distance. Calm, quiet, clean. Everything is as it would seem. You notice the snow on the trees around you, but unfortunately you missed that tree branch that just rammed itself into your mouth. A quick punch of pine before it goes down the hatch making you wonder if it was really there as you continue staring at the scenery.

It is not a clean finish, but its damn close. The bitterness lingers pleasantly but does not overwhelm. I welcome it to play with my taste buds. All flavors blend well and play at their allotted times sip after sip. There is no one note, but a grand symphony.

Oral Sensations
When it comes to mouth feel I wasn't expecting the enjoyable body that Pliny has. It flows and lays its gentle head upon my tongue, but after swallowing it only lingers for a moment. The feel is exactly as it should be.

Closing
It is one of the most drinkable DIPAs as of date. No problem consuming the entire bottle solo, and would drink another if desired.

As a double IPA, it is most certainly a pleasant experience but not my favorite one. Bias and hype may have raised my hopes too much for this beer, but that does not mean it didn't come close to meeting some of them.
Jul 10, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.39 by animal69 from Louisiana

Yesterday at 09:20 PM
 
Rated: 4.61 by SoFistDecayDead from California

Yesterday at 04:38 AM
 
Photo of Gthig15
Reviewed by Gthig15 from Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Nice color, aroma of citrus, hoppy flavor with nice malt finish intermingled with bitterness. Great beer. Lighter than I expected in both color and flavor for an imperial IPA.
Mar 06, 2024
 
Rated: 4.66 by SicemWT from Texas

Feb 29, 2024
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

4.61/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Golden orange with a small head and light, bubbly lace.
aroma of mango, pine, hops and fruits.
taste is hoppy, fruit flavors followed by intense hops.
great balance overall.
Some malts in background.
Feb 27, 2024
 
Rated: 4.95 by TeachChefs from Pennsylvania

Feb 24, 2024
Photo of AdmiralOzone
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota

4.64/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours clear honey gold with a thick white head that leaves generous lacing as it slowly fades. Aroma is bold, fresh citrus and tropical fruit with some pine. Flavor follows the nose, slightly sweet fruit up front with a real punch of bitterness in the finish. Feel is light bodied with ample carbonation. Overall, a real fine beer.
Feb 21, 2024
Photo of The_Dean
Rated by The_Dean from Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
World class, poured from the bottle into a plastic hotel room cup in San Jose. Paired with In-N-Out DD. Wonderful.
Feb 13, 2024
 
Rated: 4.69 by Tbone10 from Wisconsin

Feb 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.18 by sbradley41 from Pennsylvania

Feb 01, 2024
 
Rated: 4.12 by Allurex from Kansas

Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.06 by AmitC from New York

Jan 12, 2024
Photo of MalteredBeast
Reviewed by MalteredBeast

4.01/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
The quintessential west coast ipa. Hoppy and bitter which lingers. Had both on tap and in bottle. So much has been said about this one already. To be honest, as much as I liked it, I guess with its massive reputation, I was expecting a bit more. This one suffered from too high of expectations.
Dec 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.96 by Kdog311 from Texas

Dec 20, 2023
Photo of george_pond
Reviewed by george_pond from Maine

4.2/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
I found this at Nocturnem Draft Haus in Bangor, Maine. It was very good but maybe the hype caused my expectations to be set too high. I have yet to find a beer that equals the robust flavor of Eldridge Pope’s original Thomas Hardy’s ale.
The color was bright and clear; the flavor crisp and balanced. I’m sure I won’t get too many arguments if I say it is an excellent beer.
Dec 11, 2023
 
Rated: 4.75 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Dec 02, 2023
Photo of JacobusFavier23
Reviewed by JacobusFavier23 from Texas

4.36/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Had on tap for the first time ever at a bar in Denver.

L-Golden colored beer with lively carbonation. Lacy thin head that stays around for a while.
S-Strong notes of floral, and fruity notes. Lots of apple and some strawberry, pineapple and blueberry. Fresh hop, earthy and piney resin, slight sweetness that follows.
T-Minimal yet bitter bite, slight crisp sweetness. Grainy and floral flavor throughout. Peppery bite. Some strawberry, blueberry and apple as well. Fresh.
F-Crisp, light and bubbly mouthfeel. Very light. Refreshing.
O-A damn good and perfectly crafted ipa. I can see how this is world class. Incredibly fresh and refreshing from end to end. Articulate flavor profile. Rewarding to drink. It started it all, and everyone is trying to recreate it’s greatness. It did it first. Glad I got to try it.
Dec 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.29 by Jcreek from Illinois

Dec 01, 2023
Pliny The Elder from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 15691 ratings