Finding the Elder (marylamd)

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Kmcogar

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I Have been looking for Pliney the elder for sometime now. No where to be found in Maryland. So I'm heading up to Philadelphia. If anyone else on Maryland is looking for it. Let me know. I live near Annapolis and work near DC

I will be looking for Ballast Point and some Cigar City as well. Let me know if I can help with your search for the same.
 
Good luck. I live in Washington State (2 states away and only a ~13 hour drive from the brewery ) and its really hard to find here. They just dont make that much of it. Or hoard it all for Cali.
 
Good luck man. Hell, I live in Sacramento...90 minutes from the brewery, and it's still not always easy to find.

I was at a liquor store the other day. I was looking through their beers and the clerk struck up a conversation with me. After a few minutes he realized I knew a little bit about beer and decided it was safe to tell me that he had a case of Pliny in the back. I bought a couple of bottles, but honestly that's how it is around here. Mom and pop shops will order it and hide it for their regular customers. It's like going into a speakeasy for Pliny. Too funny.

On the flip side of that, I've gone into hole-in-the-wall pizza joints in San Francisco that have it on frickin' tap! Seems like a lot of their production run funnels into the bay area.
 
My personal suggestion is to wait until you can get it fresh. We get it here in Colorado, though very sporadically. Ive had it as young as two weeks in the bottle and it was phenomenal. Up to a month, it is still exceptional. After that though, it is still a fine beer, great even. But you will struggle to see why it is so hyped. I mean, it probably won't live up to the hype regardless. But this is a beer to drink fresh! I just brewed a clone and would say the same was definitely true.
 
Good luck man. Hell, I live in Sacramento...90 minutes from the brewery, and it's still not always easy to find.

I was at a liquor store the other day. I was looking through their beers and the clerk struck up a conversation with me. After a few minutes he realized I knew a little bit about beer and decided it was safe to tell me that he had a case of Pliny in the back. I bought a couple of bottles, but honestly that's how it is around here. Mom and pop shops will order it and hide it for their regular customers. It's like going into a speakeasy for Pliny. Too funny.

On the flip side of that, I've gone into hole-in-the-wall pizza joints in San Francisco that have it on frickin' tap! Seems like a lot of their production run funnels into the bay area.

I think most Whole Foods around there carry their sours and Pliny
 
I think most Whole Foods around there carry their sours and Pliny

I can get Damnation, Supplication, Redemption, and Sanctification pretty much any time at my local Whole Foods...but they have never carried Pliny. Probably a regional thing.
 
I called around a few places. They said they have a keg of it but no bottles......very tempting. No one has it. They said my best bet is a bar if i only want a taste.(beer)Day trip might be nice. I might have to try that online shipping way
 
I think the distributors make the stores that want to carry Pliny carry their sours first. I know a local bottle shop has said as much as well. They carry a bunch of other RR beers (like the hard to move sours...) but they get to carry Pliny on a regular basis (in very limited quantities). The distributors are tricky, and do hang out in the grey area.

Kmcogar, just bring a growler, you need to drink it ASAP anyway!
 
thrillhouse said:
If you're going to pass on the keg, where did you find it? I live in Silver Spring and would love to try it.

It was 150 miles north. Beer Heaven Philadelphia, pa. If you get it, let me know!
 
What ballast point stuff are you looking for?

Pliny shows up around here, but I usually drink it on tap. I wouldn't send you a bottle unless I could get it really really fresh.
 
thrillhouse said:
If you're going to pass on the keg, where did you find it? I live in Silver Spring and would love to try it.

It was 150 miles north. Beer Heaven Philadelphia, pa. If you get it, let me know!
 
Try ordering online, I've gotten Pliny from Blackwell's Wine and Spirits before. Well worth the shipping, it's amazing beer.

I don't think you can ship beer to Maryland. I know that I was considering moving from VA to MD and my BOTM club wouldn't ship anywhere in the state.

That said, if you want Ballast Point, make the 40min drive from Dunkirk to Alexandria and go to Rick's... or Whole Foods Market on P St. in DC.

Alternately, pay me to bring you some. I live in Alexandria, VA and work in Lexington Park, MD.

Cigar City... the closest I've seen it sold is Richmond, VA. I know the Total Wine there had Guava Grove in bottles. Not sure what else.
 
Jwood said:
What ballast point stuff are you looking for?

Pliny shows up around here, but I usually drink it on tap. I wouldn't send you a bottle unless I could get it really really fresh.

Please tell me more!

I was looking for the ballast point sculpin IPA. If you see some fresh pliney, please send it this way as well.

I have a friend living in London. He is sending me some hard to get brewdog beers. I'm not sure which ones yet. He said he sending me a multi pack of surprises. I do know, one will be the nuclear penguin. So I want to have a beer to give him when he comes back from being stationed over there.

Also, I don't know if it's hard for anyone to get dogfish but, I can get it pretty easily. My local store has the 120minute for $9.99. I've seen it for $15 in some stores.
 
I was looking for the ballast point sculpin IPA.

Sculpin is readily available in nearby VA. I saw it at Balducci's in Alexandria last night. Rick's also usually has it.

Call this number: (703) 823-4600
Ask if they have it.
Reserve a bottle and/or pay for it over the phone
Then go pick it up here: 3117 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314

They were also getting in Founder's Frangelic Mtn Brown and Devil Dancer today too.
 
Thanks so much guys. I work in Clinton,md. Sooooo I'm about 15-20 minutes from Alexandria. I'm gonna run over there sometime on my lunch break and grab me a sculpin IPA. (I'll make sure I call first)

Now back to the search for PLINEY!
 
Thanks so much guys. I work in Clinton,md. Sooooo I'm about 15-20 minutes from Alexandria. I'm gonna run over there sometime on my lunch break and grab me a sculpin IPA. (I'll make sure I call first)

Now back to the search for PLINEY!

Rick's is ez-mode.
Take the local 495 lanes and get off on Telegraph Rd / Duke St - and then take Duke St towards Landmark (i.e. away from Old Town). It's probably about 4-5 lights down on your right, next to a Giant, Game Stop, and Noodles & Company.
 
I visit a huge amount of DC liquor stores, especially the ones known for carrying craft beer. There is no Pliny in the district. I have seen Ballast Point Sculpin IPA around though. I guess from this thread I should go out and buy some as quickly as I can. Oh, I saw cases of Laughing Dog Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA at the Costco in Pentagon City, if you like the IPAs.
 
I visit a huge amount of DC liquor stores, especially the ones known for carrying craft beer. There is no Pliny in the district.

That's not always the case. I've seen Connecticut Ave Wine & Liquor in Dupont Cir. with it before.
 
iambeer said:
I visit a huge amount of DC liquor stores, especially the ones known for carrying craft beer. There is no Pliny in the district. I have seen Ballast Point Sculpin IPA around though. I guess from this thread I should go out and buy some as quickly as I can. Oh, I saw cases of Laughing Dog Sneaky Pete Imperial IPA at the Costco in Pentagon City, if you like the IPAs.

Save some for me!
 
I think Ballast Point recently increased their distribution to Virginia so it should be relatively easy to find. Sculpin is usually on all the store shelves I frequent in Richmond, and lots of pubs carry it on draft.

Your best and maybe only bet for Russian River in the area is Pennsylvania. GL!
 
You're not gonna find Pliny in bottles east of Denver. Philly gets bottles of the wild ales and kegs of Pliny but never bottles of Pliny.
 
hbtstu said:
You're not gonna find Pliny in bottles east of Denver. Philly gets bottles of the wild ales and kegs of Pliny but never bottles of Pliny.

So what your saying is.....I need to jump on a plane to California and go to the brewery?
 
Pliny does not get distributed east of CO in bottles. Some kegs get out to Philly. The only RR beers on the east coast is the sours and belguims and only in Philly.
 
It is a shame too. Such a good dipa. Just did a trade of some shorts and fff for some pliny, it is stellar.
 
RR has a policy that Pliny has to be refrigerated 100% of the time as soon as it leaves the brewery, which really limits their distribution. The object is to avoid situations like World Market where they take a great beer and store it in a hot warehouse until it is barely drinkable. That could really ruin a breweries reputation if you didn't know that it was the handling that ruined the beer.
 
As I continue my search for the elder I find out my step father had to travel to California for work. I thought to myself.....perfect! I asked him to pick me up a bottle and mail it over to me. I even called all the liquor stores closest to his hotel to find out which one was carrying.
No word of him picking it up yet, but he was kind enough to send me a picture of him drinking if at some local bar (bastard). He also was kind enough to tell me it was delicious. :(
I then happen to hang out with an old buddy of mine, drinking some craft beers, catching up, and I tell him about the Elder. He says...."my sister lives in California....maybe she could grab some for ya" ME: really?! Where??! Him: Santa Rosa
PERFECT! She lives miles from the brewery.
The Elder will be mine....Oh yes he will be mine
 
On the flip side of that, I've gone into hole-in-the-wall pizza joints in San Francisco that have it on frickin' tap! Seems like a lot of their production run funnels into the bay area.

Yeah, hate to say it but in downtown SF you can't swing a dead cat without knocking into a Pliny tap. Well, I don't hate to say it, what with working downtown and all. There are definitely quite a few places a short walk from Union Square that have it on tap. So come on out and have a beer vacation of a lifetime!
 
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