Pliny the Younger - Save the Date?

If you get there at 8-9 am you should be good.

 

To offer some more advice to the original author. PtY is great. Fantastic even. However, it is, in my estimation, only a tad better than PtE. PtE is not that difficult to come by in OC - it is regularly on draft at Hollingshead's and Tustin Brewery. I think that waiting in line for a rare and awesome beer can be fun. If you enjoy that, do it. If, however, you are like me and hate crowds, then it will not be worth the effort and energy. It is better than PtE, but not much better. Cheers and good luck!

 

They aren't very similar. I think there are other beers that are much closer to the Younger than the Elder. Simtra, RuinTen and Drake's Hopocalypse are more in that area. PtE is damn good beer though.

I do make the trip to Santa Rosa from LA every year, but not just for THAT beer. My wife and I really enjoy the trip. Visiting Lagunitas, Bear Republic, hiking in the redwoods, and of course hanging out at Russian River. We get in line early and talk to people around us. The Younger is a great beer, but don't make it just about that or the "work" to get it won't be worth it.

 

Hey guys didn't think I needed to start a new thread but I'm makin the trip up to Sonoma with a buddy of mine and I will be at the pub on the last day. I've never been to Russian river during younger time so a) if I get there around noon do you think it will be ok and b) how crowded is the last day of younger and will there still be plenty left? Is the last day more or less crowded than other days and has anyone been there when it tapped for good? Thanks

 

Agreed, do it once, just for the experience. But, if you value your time as much as I do, don't do it again.

 

Any idea if/when Churchill's in San Marcos will get it?

 

Usually have it for CFH release. First week of March. At least they did last year. Better get your tent and sleeping bag outta storage of you wanna drink it there.

 

I'm waiting for Encinitas Ale House to get it since they tend to let their 80in80 members in an hour before they usually open to guarentee them a pint.

 

Hope you've got plenty of funds at your disposal. Their prices are laughable!

 

They ration it to ensure there will be the same amount every day so the last day will be no better/worse than any other day. I reckon if you turn up at noon on the last day you could be looking at a 4-5 hour wait. Last year I went on the last Thursday at 5pm, stood in line for 2.5 hours (in the rain) and then someone came out to tell us it had run out for the day around 7.30pm and there were still about 50 people ahead of me in the line.
A few days later I drank four glasses of Younger at Harry's Hofbrau in RWC when only about 80 people showed up for their 28 tap DIPA event...

 

Just for reference - last year I got in line around 11am. Took about 3.5 hours to get in. And I got one of the last three pours of PtY.

 

Here is the line right now:

 

Beyond nuts, now.

 

That is horrendous. A complete horseshoe around the block. It's super rainy and windy in the North Bay right now. Some of the herd must have given up.

 

Maybe some, but I would really bet a large portion of those people who show up on the first day are out of staters. If that's the case, they came there for one thing and I don't think they would leave.

 

Bottle shop trolling Younger fans in the East Bay.

 

Waiting in line to get into DLD is about as fun as anything you can do with beer.

 

I agree it's nuts and they need to look into other options at least for the weekends(beer garden in the parking lot) but that line doesn't look all that dense. Friend of mine was in line at 645 and is at the fountain right now after the first crush.

 

Maybe, but watch that video above. Those people can lie to themselves about how much fun they're having, but they're not. Fuck all that...I was just miserable walking 100 yards from my car to my house in SF and it was much colder in Santa Rosa overnight. Also, I'm sure they're we some bottle shares going on, but definitely not anything too big. You couldn't pay me to be there. That being said, if people think it's worth it to them...well, knock yourself out.

 

PtY has become a sad mess. The days of crushing pitchers at Hollingshead are long over. I stick to the beachwood donations for a good cause and drinking a pint or two weeks later without a crowd.

The line at DLD is an epic bottle share In the morning. The Munster PD lets anything go outside of the drunk who chucked a bottle at someone and the guy flashing the girls at the port pottys. Good times