Pliny the Elder Recipe

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Grinder12000

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So I see AHB has a Pliny the Elder clone for $118. I had never heard of this beer and looked it up on Beer Advocate. It's one of the highest rated brews I've ever seen with 700 votes. A+

This is the first A+ clone I've ever seen by ANYBODY.

A anyone here ever tried the beer?
 
Pliney the Elder is probably the best beer I've tasted to date.

I have the ingredients on my wish list at AHS and will probably be one of my next brews (I'm just a bit apprehensive on the cost of all those hops!). I believe Vinnie from Russian River handed out the recipe at NHBC several years ago.
 
I drink a few pints of Pliny every month. It is always on tap at 3 or 4 places I go, so it is sort of a standby beer for me.

I almost got smacked by a bartender when I said, "Oh... I guess I'll have a Pliny."
 
It's a winner in my book. Surprisingly light in color for an IIPA.

I've a keg that is just about 3-4 weeks from being ready to drink.

It does take a butt load of hops though.

Pliny.jpg
 
i just ordered the AG pliney the elder clone from AHB. i can't wait to see how close it is to the real thing, i can get it on tap and bottles in my area.

who here has brewed it from AHB? does it come with whole hops or pellets. with 17 oz of hops, how much preboil water did you start with to end up with 5 gallons of wort minus hop trub in the kettle or whole hop wort absortion?

any tips on making AHB version would be helpful.

thanks
 
i just ordered the AG pliney the elder clone from AHB. i can't wait to see how close it is to the real thing, i can get it on tap and bottles in my area.

who here has brewed it from AHB? does it come with whole hops or pellets. with 17 oz of hops, how much preboil water did you start with to end up with 5 gallons of wort minus hop trub in the kettle or whole hop wort absortion?

any tips on making AHB version would be helpful.

thanks

I have this on tap right now, it's fantastic! I ended with 6 gallons, 10.16 pre-boil(90minute boil), it comes with pellets. You'll want to filter this out or you will lose a crap load of beer. I believe the boil uses 10 ozs, and the rest are dry hops.
 
I snagged the AHS mini-mash Pliny Clone when it was on sale for 1/2 off. It's damn good. I won't say my version was as good as Vinny's but SWMBO was VERY impressed and that just doesn't happen:rockin:
 
has anyone had this beer? umm... it is considered the holy grail of IIPAs by a lot of people including me until I find a better one ;)

That being said, I did the AHS clone and turned out good but man I wasn't expecting so much darn hops in the dry hops, lesson learned but I have to drink these bottles with extra hop flavor leftover :)
 
Pliny is the bomb, but $118 for a recipe kit is a lot. The recipe was released by Vinnie at RRB in a Zymurgy edition a few months ago, and it floating around in a Pliny thread somewhere on here. It only requires three varieties of hops, so IMO you're better off buying a pound each of those varieties in bulk. That way you can make it many more times for cheaper than this premium kit costs. I think the cost per 5 gallon batch for me was $45 when buying bulk hops. Trust me, if you're a hophead, once you try it you will want to brew it multiple times. My first batch was gone very quickly.
 
The recipe in Zymurgy and AHS recipe are different, I would go with the Zymurgy recipe if brewing this again. I would also recommend filtering out the hops if you keg, the last half gallon or so in the keg had enough hop sediment I couldn't drink it, the pints were pouring green and tasted like vegetation!
 
I have brewed the Zymurgy recipe, and it's pretty close.

I have since tweaked the recipe, and in a blind taste test, neither I or my brothers could tell the difference.

I can post it. I'll try to grab it tonight, if you are interested.
 
I have brewed the Zymurgy recipe, and it's pretty close.

I have since tweaked the recipe, and in a blind taste test, neither I or my brothers could tell the difference.

I can post it. I'll try to grab it tonight, if you are interested.

Please do.:mug:
 
Text file from Beersmith: All grain.

My measured OG was 1.076, final was 1.016.

Recipe: Old #43 DIPA
Brewer: Regner
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (48.0) Incredibly smooth, even after 3 weeks and prior to dry hopping. BIG hop flavor, balanced bitterness, nice malt flavor.
2nd tweak of the Zymurgy Pliney recipe.
Attempting to get a spicer malt profile, using buscuit and Rye.

My best DIPA yet!

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.076 SG
Estimated Color: 9.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 197.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.64 %
2.00 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 11.94 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
1.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (Dry Hop 12 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (Dry Hop 12 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Zeus [16.40 %] (60 min) Hops 88.5 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (30 min) Hops 23.2 IBU
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (20 min) Hops 43.1 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (15 min) Hops 30.0 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (10 min) Hops 12.9 IBU
0.25 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 1.49 %
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 16.50 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 20.96 qt of water at 163.5 F 152.0 F
10 min Sparge Add 10.00 qt of water at 206.3 F 168.0 F
10 min Sparge#2 Add 8.00 qt of water at 168.0 F 168.0 F


Notes:
------
A dead-on clone for Pliny the Elder. Maybe a bit smoother!
 
I love Pliny the Elder. You can mostly get it in Southern California. Around the San Diego area it is on tap every where. The first time I had it was at the Stone Brewery in Escondido CA. Wow was it amazing. Cant really find it here on the east coast.

One of the best beers I have had to date.
 
I was looking for this beer for a long time, until I just decided to call up Russian River and ask them about it. They told me that it's distributed mainly along the West Coast, in Denver, and there is limited supply in Philly (he thought). I asked him to give me the name of the distribution company in Denver (since I have a friend that goes there all the time). I call the distro company, and they told me exactly where I could get it. I had my friend go and bring one back to Chicago for me. I've been sitting on it for about a month and a half now, because I've been waiting for a good reason to drink it (I'm weird like that.) I threw it in the fridge last night, and I'm popping it tonight while I brew up BMs Centennial Blonde.

I'll report back with my thoughts.
 
I drink a few pints of Pliny every month. It is always on tap at 3 or 4 places I go, so it is sort of a standby beer for me.

I almost got smacked by a bartender when I said, "Oh... I guess I'll have a Pliny."

Hey Carne, do you know of any liqueur stores or shops around that sell the bottles? I've been looking and I can't find any.
 
Look in the photo forum, there is a nice discussion regarding the AHS Pliny vs. the Real Deal.

I just kegged mine last week and it's tasting mighty fine. I won't be dry hopping with pellets anymore though.

I decided to switch out 3 ounces of pellets with whole hops and added them to the keg in a sack. Should keep the hop flavor for the entire time.
 
Tasting it right now, for the first time. It's just like re-losing my virginity. It's better than I ever imagined, I can't control myself, and it'll be over before I know it. I even made an 'Oh' face after my first sip....
 
Tasting it right now, for the first time. It's just like re-losing my virginity. It's better than I ever imagined, I can't control myself, and it'll be over before I know it. I even made an 'Oh' face after my first sip....

I reacted the same way. I was telling the people with me that it was so hyped in my mind that there was no way it could live up to it. Then after trying it, I was floored that it actually did. I am a total hophead, and Pliny is the best IPA or IIPA that I've ever had, and I try everything I can get my hands on.
 
I've been sitting on it for about a month and a half now, because I've been waiting for a good reason to drink it (I'm weird like that.) I threw it in the fridge last night, and I'm popping it tonight while I brew up BMs Centennial Blonde.
Howdy;
Just thought I'd mention that if you like Pliny after having tasted it after a month of what I have to assume was less-than-refrigerated storage before putting it in the fridge, you might try keeping it refrigerated while storing it. I don't know what the temp is in your area of Chi-Town this time of year so it may have been okay stored in the garage, but in the house, not refrigerated, it is losing its flavor every day.
Vinnie is pretty specific about storing Pliny on the label of the bottle. I know, it may seem heavy-handed but, from a purists point of view, it must be given at least a respectable consideration due to Vinnie's expertise and strict demands about storage (of all his beers, really).
No admonishment here, by the way. I'm no expert, but I love my Pliny, drink it all the time at the brewery:p, and love to see people react to their first, fresh pint of what I think is one of the world's greatest beers. Happy brewing!:mug:
 
How should I dry hop this?

I just racked to secondary after 10 days. Tasted great. I have only dry hopped once recently and made the mistake of trying it in a 5 gallon secondary and had expansion problems with only one ounce.

Should i just toss in the ounces of pellets into my secondary (6.5 gallons) learned my lesson. Or add a hop bag? If so how do I sanitize the bag first?
 
How should I dry hop this?

I just racked to secondary after 10 days. Tasted great. I have only dry hopped once recently and made the mistake of trying it in a 5 gallon secondary and had expansion problems with only one ounce.

Should i just toss in the ounces of pellets into my secondary (6.5 gallons) learned my lesson. Or add a hop bag? If so how do I sanitize the bag first?

I have a batch in secondary waiting to be bottled...I used pellets to dry hop and about 1/3 of them have floated to the top and show no signs of sinking out after a few weeks. Not sure what happened as I have dry hopped before and everything sank out, but in the future I'll probably try and find some way to "contain" them or use whole hops (the later is less appealing as I just ordered 8 lbs of pellet hops).
 
Text file from Beersmith: All grain.

My measured OG was 1.076, final was 1.016.

Recipe: Old #43 DIPA
Brewer: Regner
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (48.0) Incredibly smooth, even after 3 weeks and prior to dry hopping. BIG hop flavor, balanced bitterness, nice malt flavor.
2nd tweak of the Zymurgy Pliney recipe.
Attempting to get a spicer malt profile, using buscuit and Rye.

My best DIPA yet!

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.076 SG
Estimated Color: 9.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 197.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.64 %
2.00 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 11.94 %
0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM) Grain 2.99 %
1.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (Dry Hop 12 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (Dry Hop 12 days) Hops -
2.00 oz Zeus [16.40 %] (60 min) Hops 88.5 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (30 min) Hops 23.2 IBU
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (20 min) Hops 43.1 IBU
2.00 oz Centennial [11.20 %] (15 min) Hops 30.0 IBU
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.20 %] (10 min) Hops 12.9 IBU
0.25 lb Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 1.49 %
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 16.50 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 20.96 qt of water at 163.5 F 152.0 F
10 min Sparge Add 10.00 qt of water at 206.3 F 168.0 F
10 min Sparge#2 Add 8.00 qt of water at 168.0 F 168.0 F


Notes:
------
A dead-on clone for Pliny the Elder. Maybe a bit smoother!

Did you dry hop the Centennial and Simcoe hops at the same time? I have never dried hoped did you let it sit for three weeks in the fermenter and then rack to to a secondary on top of the hops?
 
Yep.

I have brewed this two more times, using different yeasts. I Notty still seems the closest.
 
Last 15 minutes of the boil. Just to increase hop utilization and reduce carmelization.
 
In the July/August 2009 issue of Zymurgy there is an article by the brewmaster of Blind Pig Brewery where he talks about brewing Double IPAs. He also provides a clone recipe for Pliney the Elder which I brewed Tuesday night. The grain, hops and yeast with tax cost $70.41. The 13 oz of hops accounted for $37.55 of the total. The recipe is for a 6 gal batch with a net of 5 after hop loss due to dry hopping. The boil is 8 gals and I have a 35 qt pot so it was very full but after the boil, chill and transfer to my primary fermenter, I ended up with 5.5 gals, not 6. Here is the recipe as it appears in the July/August 2009 issue of Zymurgy:

11 lb Two-row pale malt
0.5 lb Crystal 45 malt
0.5 lb Carapils (Dextrin) malt
0.4 lb Dextrose (corn sugar)
3.50 oz Columbus 13.90% AA 90 mins
0.75 oz Columbus 13.90% AA 45 mins
1.00 oz Simcoe 12.30% AA 30 mins
1.00 oz Centennial 8.00% AA 0 mins
2.50 oz Simcoe 12.30% AA 0 mins
1.00 oz Columbus 13.90% AA Dry hop (12 to 14 days total)
1.00 oz Centennial 9.10% AA Dry hop (12 to 14 days total)
1.00 oz Simcoe 12.30% AA Dry hop (12 to 14 days total)
0.25 oz Columbus 13.90% AA Dry hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
0.25 oz Centennial 9.10% AA Dry hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
0.25 oz Simcoe 12.30% AA Dry hop (5 days to go in dry hop)

Tomahawk/Zeus can be substituted for Columbus
White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast or Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast.

Original Gravity 1.070
Final Gravity 1.011
IBUs: 90-95 (actual/not calculated)
ABV: 8-8.5%
SRM: 7

Directions: Mash grains at 151-152 degrees F (66-67 C) for an hour or until starch conversion is complete. Mash out at 170 degrees F (77 C) and sparge. Collect 8 gals (30 L) of run off, stir in dextrose, and bring to a boil. Add hops as indicated in recipe. After a 90 minute boil, chill wort to 67 degrees F (19 C) and transfer to fermenter. Pitch 2 packages of yeast or a yeast starter and aerate well. Ferment at 67 degrees F until fermentation activity subsides, then rack to secondary. Add first set of dry hops on top of the racked beer and age for 7-9 days then add the second set of hops. Age 5 more days then bottle or keg the beer.

Extract substitution: Substitute 6.5 lb of light DME for two-row malt. Due to the large hop bill for this recipe, a full wort boil is recommended. Steep grains in 1 gal of water at 165 degrees F (18 C) for 30 minutes, then remove and rinse grains with hot water. Stir in dextrose and top up kettle to 8 gallons and bring to a boil. Add hops as indicated in the recipe. After a 90 minute boil, chill wort to 67 degrees F (19 C) and transfer to fermenter. Pitch 2 packages of yeast or a yeast starter and aerate well. Ferment at 67 degrees F until fermentation activity subsides, then rack to secondary. Add first set of dry hops on top of the racked beer and age for 7-9 days then add the second set of hops. Age 5 more days then bottle or keg the beer.

My notes: I assume the 9.10% AA is a typo for the Centennial hops. The Centennial hops I bought were 8.00% AA and that is what is listed in the first addition of Centennial to the wort. I used the Wyeast American Ale yeast but at $7.25 I only used 1 package. My fermenter is bubbleing vigorously as I write this. I also did not reach 1.070 OG partly due to a mistake I made by adding malto-dextrin instead of dextrose at the beginning of the boil. Duh! I'll look at the label next time! My OG was 1.058. I later dissolved 1 lb of dextrose in sterilized water, cooled it to 70 degrees and added it to the fermenter. I know Charlie Papazian would tell me not to worry about it and relax and have a homebrew so that's what I did.
 
brewtorius said:
I also did not reach 1.070 OG partly due to a mistake I made by adding malto-dextrin instead of dextrose at the beginning of the boil. Duh! I'll look at the label next time! My OG was 1.058.

There was a follow-up to that issue with the recipe and I think they scaled it differently after the fact. Here is an email I read from the AHA:

Subject: Zymurgy Pliny the Elder Clone Recipe

The Pliny the Elder recipe Vinnie Cilurzo originally provided to us (July/August Zymurgy) was in percentages for the fermentables, which we calculated for a 5-gallon recipe. In fact, it should have been calculated for a 6-gallon recipe to allow for the loss of wort due to the hop additions.

Taking this into account, here are the adjusted amounts for the fermentables (6 gallons at 1.070 O.G. with 75 percent efficiency):

13.25 lb (6.01 kg) two-row pale malt
0.6 lb (272 g) Crystal 45 malt
0.6 lb (272 g) Carapils (Dextrin) malt
0.75 lb (340 g) dextrose (corn) sugar

Could your lower OG have been the results of not scaling the grains upwards since you started with 6 gallons? I dunno, I'm kind of confused on this one.
 
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