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Beer Reviews

Pliny the Elder

Russian River
Guerneville, CA
USA
http://russianriverbrewing.com

Style: Imperial/Double IPA
ABV: 8.0%

Rings’s Rating:
   (World class.)


Comments:
From Russian River: “Pliny, the man, lived in the first century 23 to 79 A.D. According to our brewing references, he and his contemporaries either created the botanical name or at least wrote about Lupus Salictarius, or hops, currently known as Humulus Lupulus.”

Their brew is even more acclaimed. One of the highest rated beers in the world on Beer Advocate, Russian River’s flagship brew is known far and wide as one of the holy grails of brewing. Very limited production—and distance—make this a tough procurement for a Beer Dork from the Midwest. A friend on a return trip from Cali was kind enough to include a couple bottles in his provisions, however, and I was all too happy to partake.

The Elder pours a deep golden color with a small head and gentle lacing on the beer clean glass. Immediately, one is struck by its exceptional balance. Despite falling into the double IPA category, the IBUs are reasonable and in spicy harmony with the medium body. There are notes of pear, raisin, grapefruit, and pine and it lingers in your mouth like a fine scotch. This is complex, yet satisfyingly clean and easy to drink without overwhelming the palate in any particular direction.

I was surprised that such a subtle and nuanced beer has found favor among some in the beer geek world—who often tend to overlook more delicate concoctions in favor of sledgehammers, in my opinion—but they’re right on this one. I was pleasantly surprised, after adjusting for my expectations of HUGE flavors to find a world class brew: balanced and exceptional.

Reviewed by Rings on December 13, 2012.

Drinkin’ And Thinkin’

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