Pliny the Elder or Abrasive--which is better?

I'd go with whichever one you enjoy drinking more.

 

furious - what do i win?

 

Pliny

 

Pliny, of course. I was not impressed with Abrasive either time I had it (and yes it was fresh, a month old or less both times). I don't think they are all that similar.

 

Does it really matter ? Personal taste is subjective. Why is it important which one is better ? Drink what you enjoy drinking and forget what everyone else thinks about your drinking preferences. As a west coast native I enjoy west coast styled IPA/DIPA, I also enjoy brews from other regions of this great beer drinking country, and have enjoyed an Abrasive on occasion. That said I prefer Pliny by a landslide, you asked.

Cheers....

 

Just had some fresh Abrasive... it is pretty fantastic. With what is in the bottle these days, I'd probably take Abrasive. But I won't complain with either.

 

it is. i had a three month old can of furious once that was probably better than 98% of the IPAs i've ever had.

abrasive is a nice IIPA but it's honestly a bit of a mess compared to pliny IMHO.

 

Pliny because it is brewed in the Bay Are.

 

Pliny. Even if it's easier to get Abrasive in Sacramento...

 

Almost exactly a year ago, a small pour of Abrasive was what finally put me over the edge from wanting to like hops (and understanding why other people did) to actually enjoying DIPAs. A couple of months later, I split Pliny, HT, Abrasive and Hopslam side by side, and despite a weird bias against Pliny as the local easy choice, along with a bias toward Abrasive as my hoppy gateway beer, I had to admit that I preferred Pliny. Different hop profiles are just going to click with different people, in the same way that people enjoy different hop/malt balances. That's part of what's fun!

 

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

 

Abrasive by a landslide for me, but thats because I tend to go for Citra heavy IPAs/DIPAs when they're well done (e.g. Zombie Dust, Wet, Ruination 10th); Pliny is a great beer, but I've always got the oniony CTZ notes from it, which aren't my favorite (Personal Preference). OTOH, I've never got into hopslam, no matter how many times I try it, I just don't like it, as I rarely get much grapefruit from it, instead I just pick up massive, harsh bitterness (Even when getting it super fresh).

 

I've never had abrasive before but it sounds like it is on the heavy tropical side. I definitely wouldn't compare it to Pliny. Pliny is just a too much of a different style of IPA. Really balanced and it almost gives off the feeling of sucking on actual hop cones. Maybe a better comparison to Abrasive would be Double Dorado.

 

Why do people still feel the need to compare all DIPAs to Pliny? Especially one called ABRASIVE. I don't think they're going for the same thing at all...