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:
1,039
Ratings:
3,562
Status:
Active
Rated:
5 minutes ago
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 brians52:
Photo of brians52
Rated by brians52 from Virginia

5/5  rDev +6.6%

Sep 15, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of LifesAnesthesia
Reviewed by LifesAnesthesia from Virginia

4.82/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
L -Golden with brilliant clarity and a white head that dissipates somewhat quickly, leaving behind a frothy cap and some lacing
S - bright, piney, resinous hops, citrus, malt, some honey
T - Follows the nose: bright, piney, resinous hops intermixed well with citrus - a good amount of orange along with grapefruit with a nice malt backbone to tie things together. Biscuit and some honey notes as well. Some grass as well.
F - medium leaning on full bodied with moderate carbonation
O - Like pliny the elder, nothing seems extreme or overdone with this beer, despite being an amped up version of PTE. It's just incredibly well balanced and well done. One of the best TIPAs out there.
5 minutes ago
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

4.69/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
The color is golden with a tiny head and lace.
The aroma is a fruit basket with piney hops.
The taste is piney, malts, citrus, tropical fruit and tons of hops, but not overpowering.
The feel was creamy, incredible balance and a medium to almost a lighter body than expected.
The finish was so smooth and the alcohol was well hidden.
I waited 10 years before all the stars aligned and I was able to try this beer at Monks in PA.
I had two glasses which was the max permitted.
I still think that this beer holds up well among the rest of the great IPA's out there.
Yesterday at 06:41 PM
 
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
Pliny The Younger from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating: 100 out of 100 with 3562 ratings