Pliny The Younger
Russian River Brewing Company

Pliny The YoungerPliny The Younger
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From:
Russian River Brewing Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
Ranked #2
ABV:
10.25%
Score:
100
Ranked #16
Avg:
4.69 | pDev: 7.25%
Reviews:
1,037
Ratings:
3,560
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 06, 2024
Added:
Jan 27, 2005
Wants:
  6,804
Gots:
  608
Pliny the Younger, the man, was Pliny the Elder’s nephew and adopted son. They lived nearly 2,000 years ago! Pliny the Elder is our Double IPA, so we felt it was fitting to name our Triple IPA after his son. It is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular I.P.A. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make. And that is why we don’t make it more often! This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by AWolf:
Photo of AWolf
Reviewed by AWolf from Colorado

4.94/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
First beer review, I'd say I'm starting it off right. A thousand thank you's to Hayes for sharing his growler, it was overnighted to him so still very fresh!

The beer poured a deep gold with an off white head. Fairly transparent, not really what I was expecting for a beer with such an awesome rep - I wouldn't have guessed it was such an amazing beer just to look at it. However, this was the only aspect of the beer that didn't live up to or exceed my expectations.

This beer smells awesome, it is right up there with the best smelling beers I've come across. Awesome taste, wow. There's a wonderful balance of fruity citrus and hops. Tons and tons of hops, but enough other flavors to lend it a nice balance and not make it bitter. This is definitely one of the best tasting beers I've had, maybe the best.

The mouthfeel was probably the aspect that exceeded my expectations the most. Really thick, not at all like many IPAs I've had - more like a good stout really. This is what sets the younger apart from my other favorite IPAs for me. Very easy to drink too, almost no bite from the alcohol and like I mentioned before it wasn't unpleasantly bitter. I could drink this all night

Like I said, I'm infinitely thankful for being given the chance to try this beer, but I would love to have had more of it. Visiting the brewery to have it on tap is now on my bucket list, fantastic beer overall I hope you all get the chance to try it!
Mar 18, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by JPond4 from Nevada

Mar 06, 2024
Photo of flagmantho
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington

4.15/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I had this beer on-tap in a tulip glass at Special Brews in Lynnwood, WA.

Appearance: medium-light golden hue with just the tiniest wisp of haze and practically no head.

Smell: a light, sweet, almost tropical fruitiness with some piney hop character atop a pretty pronounced malt aroma. Nice.

Taste: richly malty and a bit sweet, but with lots of bitterness backing it up. There’s a little fruity character here, I’m thinking from fermentation, along with some piney/grassy notes from the hops. It’s interesting — a rich flavorful beer, but neither as cloying nor as harsh as TIPAs often are. Worth the hype? Maybe. But certainly a good beer.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and creaminess.

Overall: I like this beer a lot, and I bet if I’d tried it 15 years ago it would have blown my mind (and my palate). In today’s IPA climate, competition is tough and we as consumers are spoiled. That said, this remains a really tasty beer.
Feb 24, 2024
Photo of Hayesbro
Reviewed by Hayesbro from Pennsylvania

4.8/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Not sure what else needs to be said about this beer, it's pretty close to perfection for the style. A little on the light side, piney and bitter with a touch of sweetness. Intense flavors and very very smooth.
Feb 23, 2024
 
Rated: 4.6 by Blazer22 from Colorado

Feb 22, 2024
Photo of NeilSilber1
Reviewed by NeilSilber1 from California

5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Pours golden yellow with slight white lacing crown on special edition (once a year) draught at Malibu Wine & Beer. Notes of honey and crisp perfect hops, slightly sweet with a perfect hop punch. This limited batch hard to get pour drinks like a single IPA but checked in at hefty 10.25% ABV putting it into triple IPA category. CHEERS to Russian River and the perfect IPA.
Feb 21, 2024
 
Rated: 4.41 by VashonGuy from Washington

Feb 20, 2024
 
Rated: 4.5 by dbauer from California

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.84 by Casey10 from Maine

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.36 by lsudduth from Ohio

Feb 18, 2024
 
Rated: 4.59 by mush from Illinois

Feb 17, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

Feb 16, 2024
 
Rated: 5 by paulpratt from California

Sep 24, 2023
Photo of TheIPAHunter
Reviewed by TheIPAHunter from California

4.71/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Intense gummy bear nose. Taste is soft stone fruit, green pear, grapefruit rind, and an absolute blast of pine resin. Prickly mouthfeel. Dry, bitter finish. Phenomenal.
Sep 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.67 by mcbridec6 from New Jersey

Jul 27, 2023
 
Rated: 4.75 by Virby44 from Wisconsin

Jun 02, 2023
 
Rated: 4.71 by mando31 from Illinois

May 21, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by hopley from Massachusetts

May 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.74 by KCBeerNerd from Missouri

May 16, 2023
 
Rated: 4.46 by tripelhops from Missouri

May 16, 2023
Pliny The Younger from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 3560 ratings