Pliny the Younger

Didn't have it at baileys/upper lip, but I agree. It is not good. I think there could've been better beers chosen in its place

 

Man, it's just so over the top -- boozy, kinda cloying, and full of acetone. Reminded me of overripe fruit or something. That being said, I actually struggled through Pliny more, which, again, I suspect was a contextual thing. That session was rough on my palate.

 

Thats one reason I didnt attend. While these events are fun, I find that trying to fairly judge 6 IPAs side by side is really hard. One reason is that my palate burns out after 1-2 beers. Secondly, the order you drink things really impacts how the following beers tastes. A certain IPA will taste completely different depending if you are drinking it after a stout, another IPA, FOOD, crackers, hefeweizen, etc. etc.

 

Looks like someone tried to create a thread about Bailey's blind tasting in the general forum, but then it got deleted. I get that it's a regional thing, but I figured it would lead to some interesting discussion.

 

We've just added a more detailed breakdown of the results. The things that stood out: pFriem only lost by one point. It also won the second session. Russian River came in third in two of the sessions but fourth in overall tally. Thanks to everyone that came out, and thanks for all the positive comments.
http://www.baileystaproom.com/tbtf

 

Horse Brass tapped their keg last night. No clue if it's still pouring, but it wasn't all that busy in there when I popped in to pick up the GF around 7.

 

HB posted the younger tapping yesterday on their FB page (which also seems to push through to their twitter account.)

 

I had it at Roscoes last night.

The hype really is pretty stupid. Its a very good beer and smells wonderful, but its crazy to me that there is so much commotion over a 10% IPA.

 

Is it still really that big of a deal?
I remember the first year we got it in Seattle there wasn't much commotion made over it but by the second year kegs were blowing like 45 minutes. This was obviously several years ago, but I'd thought the hype had died down a bit with the rise of the NE IPA.

 

I'm not sure. Frankly, I almost always go in the rear entrance, so I can't tell you the last time I even saw that board. I usually just look for the check marks on the back page of the menu that indicate freshly tapped things or ask the bartender to surprise me.

 

I mean, places are blowing their kegs in 20 minutes and there are beer write ups talking about it being a bucket list beer.

 

Also had it at Roscoe's last night. It did not seem as busy as previous years. I have to say it was tasting especially good this year. I remember something seemed off a couple of years ago. Not sure if the hype is justified anymore with so many other good options out there now, but it is a world class beer. Tried it alongside Notorious and some of the other offerings there and the Pliny definitely seemed to pop a little more than the Notorious, which I always thought was one of its closest comparisons. Melvin Shaolin was also real good, but just different. More tropical.

 

PtY made a brief appearance in Salem yesterday at Venti's. They got the keg Wednesday, tapped it around 2:30pm without announcing it, and it was gone in about 2 hours.

It's a very good beer, and it deserves its reputation, IMO. However, like its little brother that was once the gold standard for DIPAs, the Younger has been surpassed by some of the "new guard." I drank Notorious and Pfriem TIPA yesterday as well(unfortunately not side-by-side with PtY), and I feel like both are better. Given the choice between PtY and Notorious, I'd take Notorious 99 times out of 100.

 

Interesting, I didn't think there was a huge difference between the 2, but as I mentioned, everything just seemed to pop a little more with the PtY over the Notorious. There are other factors that could have played into that too I suppose. Everything I tried that night including the Melvin, Fat Heads Head Smasher, and Luponic distortion were all top notch. Wanted to try the Pfriem TIPA and Safe Word, but there's only so much I can handle on a Wednesday night. Had those 2 before anyway. Also very good.

 

That hop nose is the best! Taste for me is OK, but not good enough to ruin my palette for a couple days.

 

The hype was thankfully subdued this year. I was able to get multiple pours at different bars without any lines or anything. Including Apex at 2am in an empty bar, that was funny! I know everyone here hates Apex, but I have literally never had a single bad experience there, and I go at least monthly. $5 a pint for Lupulin River is not expensive. I have never been mocked or talked down to, but then again, I just go in and order whatever beer looks good. I've had long, interesting, and actually friendly conversations with bartenders. But fuck me, right?

It is hilarious they charge $90 for Cantillon bottles, though!

 

Add me to the list of people who have only had positive experiences there. Apex is one of my favorite beer spots in Portland.