"PLINY" the Documentary

I have been hunting for either one of these beers for over a year now. Either I'm not motivated or it's just limited in the Central Cali market. I actually saw a bottle of Elder in a pizza parlor that boast (with grounds) a good beer menu. I saw it and got super pumped up and immediately ordered a glass of it only to find out that the owner's son had placed it in the display case as a joke. Almost cried.

 

I would like you to know that after reading your comments on a few forums, I wrote a post strictly based on how I felt about your bashing of different brews. I'm sure you will have no trouble finding it... I hope it opens your eyes. BTW don't feel too flattered.

 

you sound stupid because you think praise is hype, and you think people calling you stupid for that is people being in love with pliny.

 

You said it, you sound stupid because none of your arguments are valid beyond being mere "opinions." You further show no ability to understand other people's arguments. Need an example? How about your most recent post. Let me tell you the (obvious) reason why Pahn's posting the definition of hype argues his point: every definition emphasizes advertisement, promotion, efforts to publicize, which, as a native English speaker (I'm assuming) you should know beyond any reasonable semantic argument you can make, suggests an effort by the company (as the producer of the product) itself to disseminate the "misleading" information that would result in one buying their product unaware of the deception. No, RR does not do this. No, you can't reasonably follow an argument because, as your posts have made clear, you are all too passionate about being the contrarian (and the worst kind, the kind who hides behind the "well I was just expressing my opinion, we live in America don't we?" bullshit).

 

Funny... We all thought you were on this site just to bash different beers while the rest of us are here because we love it. You should stick to Bud Lite and beer pong and leave this to the adults.

 

Let's think of beer as a work of art (a painting more specifically). Maybe BGrider thinks of Pliny the same way I think of the Mona Lisa. I'm not going to deny that it has significance or that it's a fine work of art. But nonetheless I don't care for it/ it does nothing for me. Ya dig? Let's live and let live.

 

this comment makes me wonder if you gauge the conversation correctly... i would wager that no one who is arguing with bgrider in this thread has any problem with people thinking pliny the elder is a horrible beer. in fact, i don't even think they have a problem with thinking that pliny is overrated or "not as influential/high quality as anyone says." they probably disagree with those viewpoints, but i don't think the disagreement with him is anywhere near thinking it's weird for someone to hold them...

edit: the disagreement comes from someone being so stupid as to think "the pliny love" is "hype" ie some sort of magical advertising and/or collective hypnosis thing where "sheep customers" all parrot the same opinion instead of trusting their taste buds. that kind of cynical view is dumb conspiracy-theory paranoia. people actually like pliny, and as much as the reviews and the praise and the trades imply. if some guy doesn't like pliny, this makes no difference at all to that state of affairs...

...and very notably, that state of affairs really shouldn't make a difference to "guy who doesn't like pliny." i know a lot of people read and loved 50 shades of grey. i'm pretty sure my snobby, james joyce loving ass would be vomiting (ass vomiting) if i tried to read that piece of shit. nonetheless, it makes literally no difference to me at all that a bunch of people somewhere got enjoyment out of that piece of fiction.

 

This....OH GOD....THIS. Somewhere out there, there's that guy that had his first Pliny in 1996 or so, and it was like getting laid for the first time. You don't forget it.

Perspective. It's like driving a '67 Shelby GT500. Sure, the modern day variant would wipe the floors with the '67 performance wise, possibly in all aspects, but that doesn't take away from the beauty and longevity of the classic. This is an important beer, and I think it's time people start respecting their elder (no pun intended....well...maybe a little).

Pliny is more than a perfectly balanced DIPA, it's a sort of history lesson in a glass. I mean, hell, even Greg Koch alluded to it on the back of the Ruination 10th bottle.

 

So you have an issue with a beer because a lot of people love a beer that you simply don't? It's not sports, it's just beer. I think Heady is a great DIPA, but I also don't get the mass hysteria about it...but who cares? Why have an issue with it?

BTW, was surprised to see my mugshot on that video wearing my black Toronado t-shirt!

 

You sound as bitter as an old IPA.

 

I love PTE and I love HT, I'm wed to neither. I can get really fresh HT easier than Pliny, and since I live on the East Coast I assume this fact slants in favor of HT. If you lived on the West Coast it might be reversed. When I do get ultra fresh Pliny it is amazing too, by ultra fresh I'm talking in my hand within two weeks. PTE is just different in style than HT, Pliny IMO is a bit more balanced less in your face hops, I can appreciate the delicate balance. HT in kind of a hop hammer which I love too. There's other DIPA's I like too, and I just take them as they're all just all a little different, different hops etc. If you think HT is the best beer on the planet it's no slight on Pliny, and why should there be?

 

Is there a "beer documentary" category at the Oscars?

 

Obviously Bgrider is even more right than he thinks: all people who like Russian River IPAs are racist fascists.

 

I think you are confusing the word hype with the words popular and famous.

 

(raises his hand)

Except my first experience was early 2000 and it was all I could talk about and think about beer wise for the next 6 months. It was only available in California at the time and all I could talk about to my beer friends in the PNW was this mind blowing DIPA that we had come across in Santa Rosa.

It was the top of its class for so long and clearly remains in the upper tier for good reason. It was a trailblazer and should be respected accordingly.

 

I'm glad that other people are jumping on the overuse and misuse of "hype". If every asinine use of it gets this kind of reaction maybe people will save it for when it actually applies.

 

This always confounds me. I know that the proper way to pronounce it is "plin-ee." But I feel compelled to INTENTIONALLY mispronounce it as "pline-ee," so as not to sound pretentious. It's the most profound conundrum in my life.

 

I was thinking you'd jump on this at some point. cheers

 

Never had Younger. Have had Elder (and did like it).

What do YOU consider to be the best beers in the world? I'm really curious, because anyone who considers Elder to be ``bottled mediocrity'' obviously knows something I don't (and is drinking something I'm not). I mean no disrespect and I'm not trying to be a smartass, but since I'm always looking for great new beers to try, I simply have to ask you this question.

 

HAHAHAHA. Yeah, a $5 bottle should be accessible for a mere $27! What a DEAL!!!