Russian River Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger was Pliny the Elder’s nephew, in the case of this beer, the "Younger" is a triple IPA. Pliny the Younger is hopped three times more than our standard IPA, and is dry hopped four different times.
4.4
765 reviews
Santa Rosa, United States
Community reviews
Incredible taste!
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Butelka. Pite dwa razy. Butelkowane 14 lutego, pite jak miało 2 tygodnie i butelkowane 14 lutego, spożywane jak miało ponad 2 miesiące. Typowy west coast. Żywica. Konkret goryczka, jak najbardziej na plus. Słodowość nie męczy. Alko nie czuć. Świetne. Dalekie od obecnych hazy/słodkich/niegoryczkowych/przeowocowych/soczkowych trendów i takie ma być. W skali untappd to takie solidne 4.5/5
Rami Rami is drinking a Pliny the Younger (2020) by Russian River Brewing Company at Muzeum Azji i Pacyfiku
Slodki, owocowy zapach. Jest kapink utlenienia. W uscie slodkawe, dosc pelne, ale tak a la „syropek z chmielu” a nie zboze. Ma nieniska ale krociutka goryczke. Tak, robi wrazenie, ale - co oczywiste - nie, nie nadaza za hajpem. Aha, tak, ma 2 miechy :(
Rami Rami: Alko slicznie schowane, ponad 10 vilt a czuc tylko w posmaku
Pours a clear, golden yellow, with smallish head that quickly dissipates. Aroma has some pine, citrus, bread, grass. Flavor is bitter, with pine, citrus, grass, bread/biscuit. Pine-spruce hop finish. Mouthfeel is a bit thin. It's good--I don't know about "world-class"--but good. Glad to be able to give it a try.
Finally getting to try this thanks to Joe! From bottle. Pours clear golden with a white head. Notes of pine, oranges, citrus, resin, herbal, pale malts, lightly tropical, super oldschool dusty ish bitterness, big malty back bone. Just as expected hah
On tap at 2SP Jennersville. Cloudy golden pour, frothy head. Grapefruit aroma. Citrus flavor, some herbal notes underneath a solid citrus/grapefruit hop. Complex hop profile. Citrus, herbal, resin comes out a LOT as it warms. Waited a decade for this, glad to tick.
510ml bottle. Crisp, massively hoppy and bitter with some grass, tropical fruits, pine, resin, citrus, floral and herbal notes. Tasty stuff for a hophead. It's been a while since I've had a properly bitter beer like this. Nomnom
Arguably the most sought-after IPA in the world, the almost mythical offspring of Russian River's legendary Pliny the Elder, created in 2005 as a superlative to the Elder in a sense - effectively creating 'triple IPA' as a genre, even if double IPA and triple IPA are obviously a continuum and both are regarded as one single category on this site. Hopped with Amarillo, Chinook, Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and more - a complete line-up of famed New World hop varieties, in other words. Originally released as a winter seasonal and so far only made available from tap in the two tasting rooms of the brewery each year in February, but thank the beer gods that the Cilurzos decided to try and bottle it this year - enabling it to travel, with so far one single bottle having reached Belgium, a bottle I was very honoured to get a sample of. If, among all those famous and top class American masterpieces, there was one I never thought I could ever taste, it's this one - so I cannot thank Bart enough for inviting me to the tasting of this celebrity. Medium thick, snow white, mousy, opening head with a waferthin, disparate 'veil' of foam left in the middle; equally hazy bright yellow golden robe. Vibrant, colourful, zesty and slightly dank aroma of drying orange peel, green olives, lime zest, gin, orange water, freshly cut green onions, unripe mango, raw pineapple, dough, peanut oil, yellow grapefruit. Clean but bright and intense fruitiness hinting at unripe mango, green banana and hard pear, lively carbonated though nowhere harshly so; full, smooth-edged, oily body. A rounded, clean white-bready maltiness is soaked in aromatic, yet well-contained hoppiness, pineapple-ish and (green-) oniony, but most of all very zesty (lime, pomelo), providing long lingering 'green and yellow' aromas as well as a long-stretched, but refined peppery bitterness, highlighted by a gin-like alcohol warmth - and topped with an ever so subtle sweaty note (frying shallot). This is about as radiant, refined, wonderfully balanced and at the same time expressive and powerful IPA gets: a truly fantastic beer and a standard in IPA in general indeed, even if the hazy New England idiom has meanwhile taken over the larger part of it. I feel humbled by this kind of perfection - for me, having initially developed a taste for West Coast boldness, this masterpiece is very much worth the hype, though I also have to add that I would probably not wait for eight hours in line for two bottles, like many people in California apparently did a few weeks ago when this was released. That said, I have no idea how IPA can be made any more beguiling, beautiful, radiant, balanced and intelligent; I cannot immediately think of a better one I had and at this level of 'mythical status', scores seem rather petty - so heck, have a near perfect score as far as I'm concerned, you deserve it. Considering how bottles are already sold on the second hand market for hundreds of dollars, the very reason why the brewery never wanted to bottle this beer in the first place, it remains doubtful if this 'experiment' of bottling Pliny the Younger will be repeated next year - so for the time being, I'll consider this a once in a lifetime opportunity, which obviously adds to the experience and, I admit it, to my personal appreciation.
On tap at Falling Rock Tap House in Denver! Incredibly smooth. But with intense flavor. It’s all about the palate here. The balance is bonkers. So light but so good.
2020 batch Tap at Tustin brewing. Pours light gold, little head. Honey, resin aroma. Taste is similar, very smooth, piney hops and caramel malt. Big finish of resiny hops. Dope. And the booze is not apparent. Classy triple ipa. 4.3
2023 batch Tap at Tustin Brewing. Pours very pale yella almost no head. Big earthy yeasty aroma. Natural amd yet something like what you get when you wak into an old world market: freshly picked root veggies, fruits and smoked meats. It's a west coast barley wine goddamnit! Soft, light body, subtle and explosive at the same time. The abv is insanely deceptive.
Hop aroma pine taste no after taste over all it's better then most but missing something very good but extremely over hyped there are many other IPA that are as good or better. But younger is very good
Poured from the tap. Slightly hazy golden with white head. OMG! Worth the search!
Pine, floral, caramel, and hoppy. Light golden with a slight amber. Taste is caramel, hoppy, malty, spice, sweet citrus, pine, light alcohol burn, medium bitterness. Very balanced. Easy to drink. Powerful beer. Worth getting once, too expensive otherwise.
Tremendous triple IPA. Builds on all the flavors I enjoy with Pliny the Elder.
Awesome Triple-IPA
Trully disappointed by the fact that this jug contained awesome beer instead of Russian River water.
Pours a mostly clear golden orange on tap with fluffy peaks of rocky white foam that dissipates slowly to leave good lacing on the way down. Aroma of resinous hops, pithy citrus and pine with touches of catty dankness and fruity undertones, and a nice sweet maltiness to remind you of it's abv. Taste follows, resinous and dank, hoppy as all get out without being overly bitter due to the malt backbone and the booze, all balanced to perfection. Is this an amazing beer? Hell yes. Is it one of the best IPAs in the world anymore? Maybe not, but still amazing, and the scarcity lends to its high ratings throughout.
Awesome beer! Pretty smooth for a triple IPA! Been hunting this one for three years here in Colorado. Was finally able to have it earlier this year! Definitely will have to find again.
Hop forward, backward, upstairs, downstairs and aroundstairs. Evergreen and citrus aroma moves into your nose and takes over. Taste is spice and hop and is well balanced. Long lasting hop finish. Looks fine too with white head.
10 oz pour on tap at Blue Palms Brewhouse (unfortunately, it kicked later than night so no more--maybe next year!). Appearance is lightly hazy yellow with nice sparkle, thin cap of white head with fair retention and trace leggy lacing. Aroma is strong pine, grapefruit, citrus. Taste is strong grapefruit, pine, lighter tropical fruit and citrus. Palate is medium bodied with smooth, thick texture, soft carbonation and fairly dry, crisp finish as taste, dominated by a pleasant grapefruit/piney bitterness. Overall, very, very nice. Bold aroma and flavor but not quite as complex as Elder. It's no wonder these two have received the iconic status they have, given how long they have been around (Elder added '01, Younger '05). They still stand up and obviously paved the way for more flavorful, juicy IPA's but must have been truly revolutionary back in the day.
Beautiful beer, foamy head giving off aromas of pine, citrus, honey. Smooth, creamy, robust but impeccably balanced. Really enjoyed it.
It pours clear golden with a white head. It has s fairly full body with semi sharp carbonation. It has a load of pine, spice, funk and grassy hops. There is lightly toasted malt there too, but super hop forward. Glad I was able to luck into this being on tap at beer mongers while on vacation on Portland
Thick, syrupy, thin, carbonated, paradox. Slightly hazy. Strong, piney, citrus, long finish. Pure intense carbonated hop juice, aftertaste like you chewed on a hop pellet.
On tap at Apex in Portland, OR. What a beer! Slightly hazy golden pour with minimal head. Sticky, oily mouthfeel. Huge resin and pine aroma and taste, with lots of tropical fruit behind in the taste. Complex. Balanced. The fruit hints at a sweetness that never comes forward. Bitterness never overwhelms, either. Alcohol well hidden. A beer to be sipped and appreciated. Lovely.
Mission accomplished! I was finally able to have Pliny the Younger. This is a piney, extreme tropical hoppiness bomb on the nose! Taste follows with a very smooth finish. This felt more like a DIPA than a TIPA. It has a subdued bitterness on the finish and hides the alcohol very well. For my palate, I think I actually prefer Pliny the Elder to this one, though. Still very, very good and worth the wait to try it!
Maybe it's that I've sampled a few different TIPAs of varying quality over the past few weeks, maybe it's that I've been sitting in my basement in southeast Tennessee sipping Younger and feeling extra special, but goddamn if this beer isn't the platonic ideal of what a massive, gargantuan India Pale Ale should be. Enormous amounts of citrus on the nose, yet the fruit only forms part of the taste, instead allowing plenty of room for deep, herbaceous pine and hints of berry and resin, with a modest but sturdy malt backbone and clingy bitterness on the finish. Amazing. Balanced, full, and gentle despite the whopping ABV. So friggin' good.
Draught at Mikkeller SF. Amber color, white head. Bitter taste with grapefruit, floral hops, resin, caramel, pine and a bit of mango. Bitter finish with grapefruit, floral hops, resin, pine, a bit of caramel and mango. Excellent imperial IPA, although not living up to the hype.
A bit hot.
Bardzo interesująca butelka która od razu przykuła moją uwagę. Smak jak dla mnie jest dosyć trudny do określenia bo jest mocną mieszanką ale jak najbardziej polecam mi osobiście pasowało
Earlier Rating: 1/7/2019 Total Score: 3.9
Earlier Rating: 1/7/2019 Total Score: 0.5