Review – Russian River Pliny The Elder
From Russian River: Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, “Lupus salictarius”, meaning wolf among scrubs.” Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle’s legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Russian River Brewing Co. Pliny The Elder – Chilled draft beer poured into a room temperature pint glass. 8% abv. Enjoyed at Toronado, San Francisco, CA.
Appearance
A cross between ruby red and bright orange in color. A full inch of pearly white head that held strong. Superb carbonation even from the draft. I could tell this was a favorite because it was so fresh.
Aroma
Full spread of fruity citrus smells including grapefruit, orange and lemon. One of the most appealing brews I have ever come across in terms of aroma.
Taste
Tons of hop flavor doing backflips in my mouth. This is a bold beer and the sweet malt flavors are hidden deeply behind the hops. You really have to look for them to notice at all. Definitely a strong pine tree or evergreen flavor as well.
Mouthfeel
Nice and sticky on the tongue and cheeks. Actually a little lighter in texture than one would think for an IPA but still has a decent body.
Overall
This beer has such a huge following out West that it was my first choice at the Toronado, when I visited there last week. In fact, I bet one out of every three beers poured the entire night I was there was PTE. I heard it called just about everything in the book. I was not surprised after absorbing all this that it was one of the best beers I have ever tasted. It is bold yet refined and I couldn’t help myself but have a few more after my tasting session was over.
