Pliny Substitute

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MacGruber

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Finally had the opportunity to try Pliny the Elder. I'm around the Philadelphia area, so this was quite an awesome surprise. I need to know another DIPA that comes close/near it that I can drink on a regular basis. I've had DFH 90 Minute and I'm a fan, but it's not as bright/ balanced as Pliny. I'm going to try my hand at brewing Pliny, but I need something to drink in the meantime. What are your suggestions?
 
Hopslam. It's only available around this time year. If you can find it in your area grab it because it never lasts long.
 
Hopslam is a great beer, though it can be a little sweet for my taste. I'm a big fan of Terrapin Hopsecutioner. Sierra Nevada Celebration is quite tasty as well.
 
SN:Celebration didn't seem anything like Pliny to me... Completely different style. More bitter than hoppy (others might dis-agree that's my take). I just had Lagunitas- HopStoopid. It was tasty and closer to the Pliny flavor to me. I will pick that up again since it's available near me.
 
I think Heady Topper is pretty similar. Although the hops profile is more similar to Ballast Point Sculpin than Pliny, it has the same kind of malt balance, bitterness level, and finish.

Of course it is my understanding that Heady Topper is not any easier to come by than Pliny the Elder on the East Coast.

I had a sample of Hopsecutioner a couple months ago, but honestly don't remember anything about it.
 
SN:Celebration didn't seem anything like Pliny to me... Completely different style. More bitter than hoppy (others might dis-agree that's my take). I just had Lagunitas- HopStoopid. It was tasty and closer to the Pliny flavor to me. I will pick that up again since it's available near me.

I've never had Pliny (they don't sell it anywhere around here)... I was trying to think of other hoppy beers that I like. So... take my advice with a grain of salt. ;)
 
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid - it's the only double IPA listed thus far that has that massive west coast hop profile and finishes somewhat dry, much like Pliny.

Ballast Point Sculpin - mind blowingly good dry WC IIPA also.
 
I've never had Pliny (they don't sell it anywhere around here)... I was trying to think of other hoppy beers that I like. So... take my advice with a grain of salt. ;)

HaHa, Commenting on a Pliny Sub without ever trying it. Your funny. I finally got a hold of a Pliny about a month ago. I thought it was overrated. Hopslam is much better in my opinion. I have a clone on tap right now. From what I remember Hopslam is not very sweet although it has huge hop flavor and aroma. Hopefully getting a Hopsalm this weekend for a side by side.:ban:
 
I've never had Pliny.

For people who have had both, how does Stone Ruination compare?

Also, it's not an imperial but Uinta Hop Notch IPA is pretty damn hoppy.
 
ayoungrad said:
FWIW, I posted to find out how beers I've had compare with Pliny - kind off topic but I'm curious because I can't get Pliny up here.

FWIW, I was just effin with Maffewl.
 
I agree with Scott. I've had both beers several times and I actually prefer Firestone Double Jack. I had them side by side at a bar in LA (both fresh examples which is VERY important) and both me and my buddy chose DJ. I probably could have gone the other way as well. They are fairly close. Pliny has hype and history, but it's only a matter of time...

Matt Brynildson really knows what he's doing and there is a reason why Firestone does so well. Of course, he has nothing on Vinnie's sours.
 
I had my Growler filled with double dry hopped stone ipa, I would take that over a pliney any day. Heritic brewing has the evil cousin, which I thought was very comparable to pliney. Would love to try anything from bells but haven't found any here in SoCal
 
I think Evil Cousin is waaaay danker than Pliny. It has different hops as well. It tastes like Heretic uses Summit as well which I don't think Pliny uses (probably mostly American citrus hops)
 
Fresh Ithaca Flower Power is really damn good. You can get that in the Philly area. They had it at Capones the day they released some Pliny. I enjoyed the Flower Power much more than the Pliny. The keg was really fresh!
 
Stone Ruination does not compare to PtE. Both are excellent, but Ruination is more over the top bitterness, while PtE is very well balanced, clean and crisp.
 
pliny, like many craft beers, differs from batch to batch so having it one time out of a bottle in NY will be different than the next time on tap in SOCAL or their bar in santa rosa.
 
Hopslam is a great beer, though it can be a little sweet for my taste. I'm a big fan of Terrapin Hopsecutioner. Sierra Nevada Celebration is quite tasty as well.

Hopsecutioner is great, as is Founders Double Trouble
 
I wouldn't say it differs that much unless we are talking about freshness. Most breweries strive to put out a consistent product and Pliny tends to Be fairly consistent when fresh.
 
I wouldn't say it differs that much unless we are talking about freshness. Most breweries strive to put out a consistent product and Pliny tends to Be fairly consistent when fresh.

The hops have definitely changed over time. Pliny now did not taste like it did a few years ago. I am not saying it is better or worse, but it definitely has a different hop character.
 
I have done some bottle trades with a west coaster, I got pliny and he got some Bells offerings (including hopslam) and Southern Tiers 2XIPA. Which I think are available to you. He commented that the ST 2XIPA was a comparable brew to Pliny.
 
Southern Tiers 2XIPA. Which I think are available to you. He commented that the ST 2XIPA was a comparable brew to Pliny.

i was going to say just that. i think Pliny is a little better overall and has better hops flavor and aroma, but the 2XIPA is a similarly balanced IIPA. it's actually fairly tasty, i have one in the fridge that i think i'll enjoy later. that said, Pliny's Pliny, there's similar IIPAs, but nothing quite like PtE.
 
I wouldn't say it differs that much unless we are talking about freshness. Most breweries strive to put out a consistent product and Pliny tends to Be fairly consistent when fresh.

exactly my point, how fresh can it be on the east coast. the bottle of pliny i buy at the corner produce market here in oakland tastes different than the pint i have at the brewery in santa rosa. they are both unmistakably pliny but not exactly the same, the hop character varies from batch to batch.
 
exactly my point, how fresh can it be on the east coast. the bottle of pliny i buy at the corner produce market here in oakland tastes different than the pint i have at the brewery in santa rosa. they are both unmistakably pliny but not exactly the same, the hop character varies from batch to batch.

In response to you and the other poster about NY freshness... We are not graced with Pliny here in NY. I had an acquaintance in Cali send me a bottle and it was 3 weeks old when I drank it on NewYears Eve. (I recieved it @ the 2 week mark)
I understand the difference in batch and Keg-vs-Bottle... But we're also discussing realistic alternatives. Alot of the suggestions are very good and the better ones are quantifying their assessment for people to make thier own decisions.
 
I love Nugget Nectar and I love Firewalker, never had their double so I'll be on the lookout. I just loved how bright and incredibly balanced Pliny was. The nose got better on each sip. I wanted to live in that tulip glass.
 
Fireston Double Jack is probably my favorite beer, and while not like Pliny, it is simply a must, truly an amazing IPA

Hop Stoopid is another great one, one of the best aromas of any IPA you can try
 
Surprised no one has said Founders Double Trouble, it is such a damn good beer.
 
I'm re-affirm what I said. I had Double Jack on tap last night: Every bit as good as Pliny.
 
Every friday on the way home from work I stop by the liquor store...my arm is magically drawn to a bottle of double jack everytime. I simply can't go a week without one!
 
I personally didn't think Pliny lived up to the hype when I tried it. I mean, it was good no doubt. But it wasn't the best I've tried in my opinion.

I ran into another homebrewer at a local craft beer bar that told me more about Pliny. When I told him how underwhelmed I had been, he told me the reason was that due to the recent hop shortage, they started substituting with Hop Extract, which changed the flavor from what it originally was. I can't confirm how true this actually is, but he recommended I purchase a book called "Brewing Classic Styles." In this book is a recipe for Pliny the Elder, from the creator himself, he told me this recipe tastes much different than what they sell now.

I'm planing on brewing this recipe for my next batch, so we'll see how it turns out.
 
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