Avery The Maharaja Video review, aka the Pliny killer!

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wedge421

wedge421

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This beer is just amazing stuff. Easily one of the best imperial IPA's on the planet and much better then Pliny in my opinion. THis beer is so insanely under rated it drives me to tears haha. What do you guys think?

 
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Its a great beer but I don't see how you could say its "much" better than Pliny. Pliny is top notch as is Maharaja, Hopslam, Double Trouble, Double Crooked Tree, IMperial IPA by green Flash..... They are all great.
 
Fair enough, I just think Pliny gets elevated to this deity like level when honestly there are beers out there that are just as good if not better.
 
wedge421 said:
Fair enough, I just think Pliny gets elevated to this deity like level when honestly there are beers out there that are just as good if not better.
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I agree 100%. I did a sampling with some friends of just imperial ipas and in the end we all put it as our third favorite.
 
I think if Pliny was easier to get it would be a different story but because it is so hard to get it loses a bit in my book.
 
I love the Maharaja and I think Pliny is a completely different beer. The Avery brew definitely has way more sweetness and body than the Pliny, which to me is incredibly dry, refreshing and borderline sessional for somebody with my palate. Both are excellent, but different, beers.
 
I am going to SD in a couple of weeks and I am going to try this Pliny. Based on the hype I should leave the bar with a sticky stain in my lap. Based on this thread I may just leave with salty tracks under my eyes. I love the Maharaja as well as Avery's Dugana. I'm also a rabid fan of Founder's Double Trouble and Great Divide's Hercules Double IPA.

If Pliny fails to make me look upon these favorites a piss water then I will be disappointed with the hype. The Maharaja is available year round in my comfortable neck of the woods. If they are truly comparable then I will likely forget I ever bothered with Pliny.
 
Love me some Avery. Avery and Great Divide are my two favorite local breweries. Maharaja is great but I actually like their "regular" IPA better. Neither hold a candle to Pliny though. Hard honest truth.
 
Maharaja is sooo good! I bought a growler of it while on vacation in Hilton Head last year. It was so good that I took a coffee mug full of it to the beach with me when we walked our pup in the evenings. Best beer I've ever had out of a coffee mug.
 
If somebody was willing. Pliny is EASY for me to get. In fact all Russian River beers are easy for me to get (except PtY). I have never seen any of these before.

I would be willing to trade a Pliny for one of these beers, just to get my own opinion on the differences.
 
JoeBronco said:
If somebody was willing. Pliny is EASY for me to get. In fact all Russian River beers are easy for me to get (except PtY). I have never seen any of these before.

I would be willing to trade a Pliny for one of these beers, just to get my own opinion on the differences.
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I'd be 100% willing to trade. I'll take as many PtE bottles as you can get. PM me.
 
Wow, GD and Avery are both in Colorado so I can't imagine how it gets to the East coast but not the West. Founders is in Michigan so that is a bit more understandable.
 
TheSeether said:
Wow, GD and Avery are both in Colorado so I can't imagine how it gets to the East coast but not the West. Founders is in Michigan so that is a bit more understandable.
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It is easy to find both Maharaja and the Great Divide beers here in LA. They sell them both at BevMo, for crying out loud. I cannot imagine they aren't available in SF.
 
Havent seen them, but i really haven't looked too hard =(
Guess ill check BevMo. I normally go to my local "Craft beer liquor store"
 
Yah Maharaja is readily available in San Diego so I would think it would be available North. Im not saying that Pliny is a bad beer, its not by any stretch of the imagination. Im just saying there are beers out there that give it a run for the money and I think Avery makes a few of them, Maharaja and Dugana both are worthy of the title.
 
wedge421 said:
Yah Maharaja is readily available in San Diego so I would think it would be available North. Im not saying that Pliny is a bad beer, its not by any stretch of the imagination. Im just saying there are beers out there that give it a run for the money and I think Avery makes a few of them, Maharaja and Dugana both are worthy of the title.
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Pliny will be king (in my book) but i am looking for a close second...

:D
 
Posting from sunny and beautiful San Diego (Pacific Beach) to let you all know that while Pliny the Elder is a damned good beer and worth the drinking it is seriously over hyped. Skies did not open and angels did not cry. Excellent DIPA that holds its own with those already mentioned in this thread but it does not dominate in any way. Coronado Hoppy Daze and Firewalker IPA were a couple new beers that impressed me over here on the left coast. San Diego certainly has a thriving beer culture with some excellent public taps and breweries.
 
TheSeether said:
Posting from sunny and beautiful San Diego (Pacific Beach) to let you all know that while Pliny the Elder is a damned good beer and worth the drinking it is seriously over hyped. Skies did not open and angels did not cry. Excellent DIPA that holds its own with those already mentioned in this thread but it does not dominate in any way. Coronado Hoppy Daze and Firewalker IPA were a couple new beers that impressed me over here on the left coast. San Diego certainly has a thriving beer culture with some excellent public taps and breweries.
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Double Jack Imperial IPA from Firestone is one of the best DIPA's on the market!
 
Double Jack is good stuff. I had some (the small 10 oz or so glass on the top right) when I was there during xmas break.

5284779248_0520ff68ca_b.jpg
 
Just found this press release from Avery:

"Beginning in April 2011 beer shipments will be ceased to Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Tennessee. Avery Brewing Company hopes to re-enter these eight states at some point in the future once production capacity can catch up with demand. The brewery is also leaving several partial state markets, including: Northern California (Bay Area and Sacramento), Eastern Arkansas, Upstate New York (outside of New York City), Central Florida (Orlando area) and Wisconsin."

Sounds like the kid from the East Bay will have to make the Pliny for Maj trade if he wants to try one.

Personally I think the Maj is too malt forward for a DIPA but that's just me. It's a good beer but it's a bit meatier than it needs to be. I like Vinny's philosophy of drying it out as much as possible to focus on the hop characteristics, which as a bonus boosts ABV.
 
Irrenarzt said:
Just found this press release from Avery:

"Beginning in April 2011 beer shipments will be ceased to Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Tennessee. Avery Brewing Company hopes to re-enter these eight states at some point in the future once production capacity can catch up with demand. The brewery is also leaving several partial state markets, including: Northern California (Bay Area and Sacramento), Eastern Arkansas, Upstate New York (outside of New York City), Central Florida (Orlando area) and Wisconsin."

Sounds like the kid from the East Bay will have to make the Pliny for Maj trade if he wants to try one.

Personally I think the Maj is too malt forward for a DIPA but that's just me. It's a good beer but it's a bit meatier than it needs to be. I like Vinny's philosophy of drying it out as much as possible to focus on the hop characteristics, which as a bonus boosts ABV.
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Yeah I saw that the other day! Really sucks but hopefully they will move back into the markets when they can
 
Maharaja was the first IIPA that made me lurch back because of the overall flavor. I was seriously amazed by that beer. I was underwhelmed by Pliny, but that might be because of the hype and the fact that I only had it for the first time a month ago. I guess my hop pallet/tolerance(?) might have advanced that much in the last 3 years.
 
Interesting. I had suspected, but I thought it was mostly psychological. It sounds like it could also be (or mostly be) chemical based on what you guys are saying. I wonder if taking a break from the IIPAs would reverse the process, like in most drugs. I'm on a 1 week vegan detox diet; no alcohol, gluten, meat, or dairy. Maybe I'll get another Pliny when I'm done; if there are any left up here.
 
Just went to the booze store on lunch break and snagged 2 bottles of this guy. Pretty excited to try it given the reviews. Thanks.
 
holy man....

after seeing this thread I picked one up. I've had it before, but it's been awhile.

Anyone ever suffer from palate exhaustion? I mean literally, I was physically exhausted 2/3rds into the bomber. just so much...
 
Jamil was able to clone this on the beer nation podcast...he gave out an exact recipe to include mash temp, ferm temp, dry hop schedule...etc. I'm brewing it today. My brewing software says 147 IBU's....seriously!!?!?!
 
mcaple1 said:
Jamil was able to clone this on the beer nation podcast...he gave out an exact recipe to include mash temp, ferm temp, dry hop schedule...etc. I'm brewing it today. My brewing software says 147 IBU's....seriously!!?!?!
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wow that's a lot of IBU's,but I can believe it. Can you post this recipe by any chance?
 
Maharaja is definitely a good beer but is pretty balanced IMO, at least from my memories of it. That being said, it is hard to make a 10% beer hop forward.

Either way, it's a darn good beer.
 
kpr121 said:
wow that's a lot of IBU's,but I can believe it. Can you post this recipe by any chance?
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Yep sure can...just not today. I left my recipe at home. I brewed this up last night, but I had to make some hops subs as my LHBS does not carry Simcoe. :(

Oh well, hopefully it turns out OK. Hit my target OG of 1.084, so we shall see if the rest of my techniques were on par for the night. :eek:
 

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