-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Pliny The Elder
Russian River Brewing Company
- 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:
- 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 jackorain:
Reviewed by jackorain from Pennsylvania
4.92/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
4.92/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I stopped by Alison's Two, a newer place by my office and saw they had PtE on tap, wow.
The bartender poured a perfect draft in a stemmed glass. The slightly cloudy liquid was yellow with a tinge of copper. The head was an egg shell color, near stark white. The head stayed around for quite a long time while I took the appearance notes. As it did fall it left gobs of sticky thick lace behind. The lacing effect was so interesting to look at, I didn't want to pick it and drink for fear of ruining the look. But alas...
The aroma was a big hop blast right up front. Huge grapefruit, pine and tangerine. The malts in the aroma take quite a back seat to the hop aromas but they are present in the form of caramel and biscuit.
On first sip, the hops come pouring through. On the front line are pine, white grapefruit, grapefruit zest (lots of it). The second line brings the tangerine and ruby red grapefruit. It is interesting that both the bittersweet white grapefruit and the sweet-bitter ruby red are easily discernable in the beginning and the middle, respectively. The malts are caramel and biscuit from the nose, but there is a bit of simple syrup that rounds out a semi-sweet malt profile. On the finish, the bitterness set in and lingers quite along time. It is not an overwhelming bitterness but one that is welcome and draws you in for the next sip.
Interestingly, the body of this beer is not as full as I would have thought. I would say it ahs a medium body, leaning a little to the lighter side. As it warmed, the body got even lighter. The carbonation is both lively and creamy at the same time. The finish is a touch astringent, leaving the pallet a little dry and a touch puckered. This is cured by another sip.
The drinkability is top notch for a DIPA. The 8% does not show itself and the beverage quaffs very easily. With an unlimited supply of both money and this beer...
This is one of the finest Double IPAs I have had.
Thanks For Reading
Dec 23, 2008The bartender poured a perfect draft in a stemmed glass. The slightly cloudy liquid was yellow with a tinge of copper. The head was an egg shell color, near stark white. The head stayed around for quite a long time while I took the appearance notes. As it did fall it left gobs of sticky thick lace behind. The lacing effect was so interesting to look at, I didn't want to pick it and drink for fear of ruining the look. But alas...
The aroma was a big hop blast right up front. Huge grapefruit, pine and tangerine. The malts in the aroma take quite a back seat to the hop aromas but they are present in the form of caramel and biscuit.
On first sip, the hops come pouring through. On the front line are pine, white grapefruit, grapefruit zest (lots of it). The second line brings the tangerine and ruby red grapefruit. It is interesting that both the bittersweet white grapefruit and the sweet-bitter ruby red are easily discernable in the beginning and the middle, respectively. The malts are caramel and biscuit from the nose, but there is a bit of simple syrup that rounds out a semi-sweet malt profile. On the finish, the bitterness set in and lingers quite along time. It is not an overwhelming bitterness but one that is welcome and draws you in for the next sip.
Interestingly, the body of this beer is not as full as I would have thought. I would say it ahs a medium body, leaning a little to the lighter side. As it warmed, the body got even lighter. The carbonation is both lively and creamy at the same time. The finish is a touch astringent, leaving the pallet a little dry and a touch puckered. This is cured by another sip.
The drinkability is top notch for a DIPA. The 8% does not show itself and the beverage quaffs very easily. With an unlimited supply of both money and this beer...
This is one of the finest Double IPAs I have had.
Thanks For Reading
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Gthig15 from Virginia
4.68/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
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, 2024Reviewed 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
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, 2024aroma of mango, pine, hops and fruits.
taste is hoppy, fruit flavors followed by intense hops.
great balance overall.
Some malts in background.
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota
4.64/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
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, 2024Rated by The_Dean from Illinois
4.85/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
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, 2024Reviewed by MalteredBeast
4.01/5 rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
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, 2023Reviewed by george_pond from Maine
4.2/5 rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
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, 2023The 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.
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
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, 2023L-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.
Pliny The Elder from Russian River Brewing Company
Beer rating:
100 out of
100 with
15691 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!