My 2 Year Quest for Pliny the Elder

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kaz4121

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have been happily homebrewing for just about two years now. Before I jumped into brewing my own beers, the only craft beer I really drank was Sam Adams and Wachusett (local MA micro). Like many others on this forum, once I started brewing, I fell in love with craft and micro beers. More importantly, I fell in love with TRYING new beers. I’ve tried 300+ different beers in just over two years now (something I am extremely proud of). I quickly fell in love with all kinds of beers, even styles I used to hate. I became most interested and obsessed with IPAs, particularly DIPAs. The hoppier the beer, the more intrigued I usually am.

Anyway, obviously if you poke around HBT (and BeerAdvocate) for long enough, you will eventually come across one of the “holy grails” of the IPA/DIPA world; PLINY THE ELDER. For just about two years now, I’ve read about Pliny and all of its glory and brilliance. For the vast majority of the time, I realized that I could only dream about having one. I just recently graduated from college (read: broke) and have been working at a medical device company close to home as an engineer, which required little to no travel. In addition, I live in the Boston, MA area and had absolutely zero immediate plans to travel to the West Coast. As much as it pained me to do so, I accepted that I would probably not try Pliny for many years down the road.

That all changed recently, however. In December 2011, I was asked if I would like to travel to Colorado for an orthopedic conference in early March. I jumped at the opportunity to travel for two reasons; first, I have never been west of Chicago, and second, I would be able to get my hands on some Odell brews (specifically their Myrcenary DIPA). About a month before my trip, my boss asked me if I would be interested in traveling to San Diego, CA to meet with some clients PRIOR to the CO trip. I was elated! Forget the weather, the women, and the fish tacos! I was excited because San Diego meant PLINY!

Once I landed in SD, I immediately wanted to seek out Pliny. I checked the locations posted on Russian River’s website for SoCal stores that carried their product. The first night I was there, I didn’t get out of meetings until ~10pm. I drove around to the presumed locations of Pliny. First, Market Bar & Grill in Del Mar. Strike one: they were closing when I pulled up. Next, Del Mar Wine Co. Strike two; they too were closed for the night. With two strikes, an empty stomach, and jet-lag, I decided to call it a night and try and find Pliny tomorrow. The anticipation was killer.

Day 2 in SD and wouldn’t you know it? Meetings all day AGAIN! I was dying. All I could think about was Pliny. The time seemed to trickle bye. 10:00AM. 12:00PM. 3:00PM. 3:30PM. Finally, it was quitting time and I raced to my rental car and was back on the hunt for heaven. This time I drove straight to Del Mar Wine Co for bottles. Would they have any in stock? How many bottles can I buy at once? What if they don’t even carry it anymore? My nerves were getting the best of me. Finally, I burst through their door and my eyes flooded the room to find the single bottle section. A quick scan of the rack from ~30 feet away and I couldn’t make our any labels. As I got closer I could finally see a big red circle on green paper. There it was! PLINY THE ELDER! And PLENTY of bottles too. I bought every single bottle on the shelf (9 in total) and rushed home to my hotel room. They were already chilled, so I cracked one open and immediately poured it into one of the miserable hotel glasses. But I didn’t care. I was so overwhelmed, I forgot to take note of the hop aroma!

My notes from the night read as follows (I'll be the first to admit I am not a good reviewer): pours a golden yellow with 2-3 finger think white foam, which smells intensely of pine and citrus. Tastes slightly sweet, although not necessarily malty, up front, with a gradual zing of citrus, pineapple, and a piney finish. No heat from alcohol and overall an extremely well balanced DIPA. Reminds me of DFH 90, except slightly hoppier, less malt, and with a drier (v creamier) finish. Beer nirvana!

Was it worth the wait? Did it live up to the hype? ABSOLUTELY! Best beer I’ve ever had.

I even managed to pack three in my checked bag and they made it home safe and sound...only to be consumed within hours.

IMAG0265.jpg
 
Jeez, what did you do with the other seven, lol? That must have been one hell of a night.

Pliny is so piney to me that near the end of a bottle, it sort of upsets my stomach. I really doubt I could even drink two in a sitting. I've had it maybe 3 times (it's something you just stumble upon every blue moon in colorado). I'm not a huge ipa/dipa drinker, though.
 
It's good... but mostly hype. I've had it fresh from Russian River. I actually prefer FW's Union Jack.
 
I did the same thing when I went to San Diego about a month ago. The store I found it at would only sell two bottles per person so my wife and I each grabbed two. I told the clerk that I'm from Michigan and he said "Pliny tastes like piss compared to Bells Hop Slam". I thought that was kind of funny, you always want what you can't find.

I thought it was a good IPA, very well balanced, but nothing overly special.
 
Congratulations on the Pliny score!
I have been home brewing for about a year, and first heard of PTE here. I had been yearning for a PTE for about 6 months when I had a business trip to Oakland. Stayed downtown about a block from Occupy Oakland. About a block in the other direction I stumbled into Pacific Coast Brewing Co. They had PTE on tap. I had 2. A mythical experience! While I do not have your depth of experience on craft brew, it was definitely the best brew I had ever tried. I have assembled all the necessary ingredients to clone it and will give it a try shortly. I do not expect to match it, but even if I get close I will be happy.
 
I got to try a sample the other day. It's a great IPA, but nothing can live up to such hype. It has much more to do with the rarity and word of mouth than the beer itself
 
I bought three 4 packs of Heady Topper ... 2 for drinking and one for trading specifically for Pliny (I am east coast as well). All I can say is that the hype is just that. Heady Topper is so much better! Now as someone who also is a hophead on a quest for great beer I can appreciate your enthusiasm. But us east coasters finally have a DIPA to be proud of. Now make VT your next stop and get some Heady!!
 
It's good... but mostly hype. I've had it fresh from Russian River. I actually prefer FW's Union Jack.

+1......except make it Double Jack. I had Pliny last week. It wasn't bad by any means but it certainly didn't live up to the hype. I would take FW Double Jack.
 
rmmepv said:
I bought three 4 packs of Heady Topper ... 2 for drinking and one for trading specifically for Pliny (I am east coast as well). All I can say is that the hype is just that. Heady Topper is so much better! Now as someone who also is a hophead on a quest for great beer I can appreciate your enthusiasm. But us east coasters finally have a DIPA to be proud of. Now make VT your next stop and get some Heady!!

To be clear, there are many great east coast IPAs and DIPAs, but there are few "epic" ones. Heady Topper is epic IMHO. Pliny was amazing but as everyone else has said, tough to live up to the hype.
 
@FarmerTed I drank 6 over the span of three days, and brought the remaining three home with my in my checked luggage.


@mikeosoft I have heard that Hop Slam is incredible also. I was in Columbus last month on the prowl for it, but could not find it anywhere. Is is only a seasonal release right?

With regards to the hype, I hear what you guys are saying. When I was drinking the beer, I was thinking to myself:

Is this beer so great that it is ranked #4 in the world?
Or is this beer so great BECAUSE it is ranked #4 in the world?

A buddy of mine tried some as well (huge hophead like me) and he said the same thing. Although I think we can all agree it is an extremely well balanced and delicious DIPA. I also think part of my "quest" and journey in reading/locating/drinking came into play a bit.

pliny.jpg
 
never heard of Heady Topper until this post. Looks like it is a force to be reckoned with! Slowly creeping up on PTE on BA. Is it only available in the VT area? I don't think I'll be heading up there anytime soon, unless they sell it in Southern VT
 
I had one sent from San Fransisco, some wine shop-it cost me tripple for shipping.It was worth it! The blind pig was pretty good but not exactly my goto ipa either.They were packaged nicley in styrafoam moldings.It was well below freezing and they arrived safely.
Before i heard of this shop on hbt, my mom was in Cali and asked her to pick one up but they didnt have any which can happen often because it sells quick. I was bummed but found out how to order them.
The bottles were less than 2 weeks old. It was a very fresh tastey beer for shure.
 
Elder is one of my favorite DIPAs. I recently did a trade on here for some Hopslam and I did a side-by-side with Elder and I much prefer the Pliny. That being said, Younger blows Elder away. It has a ridiculous amount of hops in it, but it's so well balanced that it doesn't come off bitter. After having Younger, Elder seems like the, "almost, but not quite perfected" recipe of the two.
 
I kinda feel guilty living in CA when reading these posts. Waiting 2 years when I can drive 2 minutes whenever I get a hankering
 
I have never tried a Pliney but Hopslam is probably the best ipa i have ever had. If someone wants to trade me a Pliney or two or three I would be willing to trade some hopslam, i have some union jack also that is a great beer.
 
@kaz4121, yes, Hopslam is seasonal, but it's not a limited release so it's usually easy to find.

@longdrum, I agree, The Oracle blows Hopslam away. For those that don't know, The Oracle is a limited release DIPA from Bells. I was lucky enough to find a 6-pk sitting on a shelf at my local liquor store last year.
 
Hopslam is seasonal,but its very limited around here.Being seasonal makes it somewhat limited though.My guess is they made more this year due to demand.I seen it come and go very quick though. Im going to have to look for the oracle,i enjoy hopslam but ive enjoyed some other DIPA's more, i enjoy that its a diffeernt beer than pliney and not really on the same level to compare them,just like a majharaja is a double ipa,really i think that thing should be a tripple ipa.Not shure if double or imperial is different .
I think the whole absence and limited availbitly makes that beer different than the rest.It is a really good beer but i bet if i tried it again i wouldnt remember it being what it was when i had it the first time.Maybe not though.Its so hard to get yet its only 5 bucks.That probably will change some time,maybe not. Its a mysterious beer.Maybe not.Its a hell of a damn good ipa,i know that.For someone else,maybe not.
 
+1......except make it Double Jack. I had Pliny last week. It wasn't bad by any means but it certainly didn't live up to the hype. I would take FW Double Jack.

Double Jack FTW! Maybe my favorite ever...and its actually available unlike PtE...so +1 for that too!
 
I also prefer Double Jack over Pliny. It's the best double IPA in the country in my opinion. Pliny is still an excellent beer when it's fresh. If you've never had it on tap, you're missing some of that special.....something that makes Pliny, Pliny.
 
Pliny is the best double IPA IMHO.

Tried it for the first time a week ago in San Francisco. Spent $30 on cab rides just to try it on tap. Toronado in San Francisco.

It is perfectly balanced.
 
Now the problem is....how long until you try the Younger? Philly has had Younger fever for a month.
 
Living 5 minutes from the Firestone brewery in Paso Robles, I am not that big a fan of many of their beers, but the double jack is my favorite from them. That being said I am still looking to get my hands on some Pliney, and Blind Pig. Seems every time I head up north I just miss it at the places I check. One of these days I will get it though.
 
I live in the SF Bay area and Ive had Pliny...not impressed. Its not worth the hype. But I really really like Double Jack. Yummo. But damn the bombers are expensive...$8. And so far no 6packs. And I recently went down to the Paso Robles area (cambria) and there was no doublejack to be found. Weird. But I can get it here at bevmo. Its soo good.
 
To me it's hilarious that this thread was started yesterday... my father-in-law brought me back a PtE from Cali on Saturday so I had it for the first time. Three words: TOO MUCH HYPE. It is by no means a bad beer, but best in the world? No way. By contrast I had a Green Flash West Coast IPA that was better IMO. Glad I got to try it, but wouldn't search it out again.
 
Got some PtE on the way as we speak thanks to a swap with a fellow HBT'er. I had hopslam over christmas and it was pretty good, but I still like Great Divides Hercules DIPA. It's more malt character and a little sweeter and is more in line with spicier/piny hop flavors than the citrus flavors that Hop Slam gives off. Endeavour just came out from St. Arnolds here in Texas and that was a damn good DIPA. It will be interesting to see how PtE lives up.
 
I would guess to each their own,,,some describing balanced as better,,,,,I think a balanced IPA is not an IPA,,,,they should be way hop forward. If I want balanced I'll go with a nice brown beer.
 
never heard of Heady Topper until this post. Looks like it is a force to be reckoned with! Slowly creeping up on PTE on BA. Is it only available in the VT area? I don't think I'll be heading up there anytime soon, unless they sell it in Southern VT

It is just now making its way down to MA. I heard you can find it around Boston and the British Beer Company in Walpole had it not too long ago. Definitely worth it if you can get your hands on it.
 
@boswell I am actually trying to plan a visit to Northern Cali for early Feb next year to try and be around when Younger hits taps. We collaborate with UC Davis which is only 1-2 hours from Santa Rosa where RR is located.

@azmark you bring up a good point. I don't necessarily believe that "a balanced IPA is not an IPA." I do think that the IPA category has subdivisions, even within the American, English, and Imperial IPA BJCP categories. I enjoy a hop forward beer more often than not, but I do have greater respect for a well balanced DIPA. Something about bringing so many elements into harmony makes a beer like Pliny (and others) stand above the rest.

@scottieo2 I'll have to keep my eyes peeled. I check on The Alchemist Brewery website and they only showed VT as locations where Heady Topper is available. My brother goes to school at BC so I'll tell him to keep his eyes peeled for it.
 
Also I had Green Flash West Coast IPA on tap at their brewery which was very good (and ironically available here in MA I've come to find out) but their Imperial IPA was much better IMO. There's a good example of hop forward . . .
 
I think it is interesting how the "best" beers are often beers that most people can't get. ;)

I also think it is interesting how a regional beer is often perceived to be the "best" by people who live in the same region.

How many Californians think Bells, Three Floyds or The Alchemist makes a better DIPA than Russian River? I'm guessing maybe a dozen.
 
@kaz if you are going to be in Dave, I would make the 1 and a half trip to Sierra Nevada. Last time I went they had Hoptimum in 4 packs and I wish I would have bought them all. So damn good. I have not seen that beer outside of the brewery though.
 
Thanks for the advice. I should be seeing west coast trips in my schedule more frequently (every other month or so) since there is new management and I have more opportunity to travel for work. While in SD I wanted to hit up Stone Brewery but unfortunately didn't have time this trip. Upon returning it's going to be #1 on my list.

Sierra Nevada is another place I would like to visit since they have awesome beers. It is fairly close to one of the vet hospitals (Sage) located in Concord, CA but it might be hard to "justify" the 2 hour return trip after having so many delicious beers..
 
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