Russian River's Pliny the Elder

No Bottles of Pliny the E. on the East Coast. Some kegs but that is it. The best bet is to trade for it.

 

It will show up on occasion in Washington, DC, but even then it's hard to come by, expensive and usually out of date. Best bet is to trade or get into Philly while it's on tap.

According to http://phillytapfinder.com/ it's not on tap anywhere in the city right now. I'd guess lots of places are holding kegs for a Younger release.

 

You can order bottles on-line. Most places will limit you to 1-2 per order. Shipping costs are not that bad if you order 8-12 bottles (add $3-5 per bottle over retail to cover shipping). I have generally had very good success with bottling dates, but on occassion you will get an old one (I recently got a Deschutes Fresh Hop that was best by late Nov.). It probably wouldn't be worth it if all you wanted was Pliny, but I like it because I can stock up on all the hard to find west coast IPAs.

 

For future reference, fresh hop beers are usually fall/early winter to coincide with the harvesting of hop crops.

On topic, most online stores don't ship to PA, but it pops up often on tap.

 

and if they do, they require an ID and signature, which means you have to be at your house/apt at like 11am on a tuesday, which is pretty much impossible for many people.

 

I'm lucky in that my work place is pretty laid back. I get all my trades and such shipped here and open them at my desk. It's one of the few things about my job that doesn't crush my soul.

 

I knew that going in, but I still think it would be better if beer stores exercised some quality control of their own initiative, especially given the number of breweries that don't bottle date. Because if I had really cared, I would have considered that mid Jan should still sneak in the usual 90 day window. But maybe they only use 60. At the same time, it's an assumption of risk on my part so one or two out of 12 I can live with.

 

Looks like someone will be moving to Santa Rosa, California (which is where Alfred Hitchcocks' "Shadow Of a Doubt" was filmed).

 

Conn. Ave Wine and Liquor here in DC just received Pliny yesterday, dated early Feb. The price? $15 a bottle. I chose to pass, but only because I've enjoyed Pliny before. It may be worth it to anyone who's yet to try it.

 

OP - PtE shows up in Philly from time to time on tap, around $7 for a pint. Phillytapfinder and twitter are your friends.

 

Blackwell's online. You can order up to 6 bottles for $5 a piece. Shipping is where the costs gets a bit err costly

 

Go to Monks and drink it on tap

 

Link? I'm in VA and really, really want to try it.

 

Well, I'm not in NOVA I'm in the Southeast near NC.

 

Yeah :-(

 

I will absolutely seek out events. Thanks for the advice!