Pliny anyone?

I just brewed a Pliny the elder clone and have to say, EVERY ipa I have ever loved seems well, just not as good. Don't get me wrong, I still brew them, buy them, of course drink them, but I feel empty inside if I start with a Pliny (clone) and try to drink my own recipes (which I used to love) or even some of my old favs like ranger after one. What is really disheartening is after I visited the Russian River site, it seems there won't ever be a way to actually try the original Pliny short of buying a plane ticket in the hopes I can find it in CA.
Are there any bleeding hearts out there willing to work out a trade or show me how I can buy some? I am in the heart of a three tiered slow to get with program state (Iowa, Des Moines-check out the south park episode where they find the guy frozen for 3 three years and send him to Des Moines to listen to Ace of Base, lol). They just approved brewing beer higher than 3.5% here a year ago.
To make matters worse, I can't brew it again since I can't get simcoe till fall due to the shortage that supposedly didn't exsist, and daddy needs his medicine!:cross:
Help!? Daddy is sick!?

Guess what brother, that is not a Pliny that you made. It's a Moinky.

The recipe is only half the game at best. You did the mash, the sparge, the boil, the hop additions. You pitched the yeast and controlled the ferm temps. It was all you.

There are probably guys that could not have made a decent beer were they at RR with Vinnie looking over their shoulder.

Don't feel empty, feel proud. Fill up on your Moinky!

Where did you get your clone? Extract or AG? I'm looking for an extract clone.

I can't! Simcoe shortage! Thanks for the confidence builder, and you are correct, but I never would have attempted this without all of the hype around the original. Moinky is humble, and bows to the Vinnie, if this is what the creation is.

http://hopville.com/recipe/650808/imperial-ipa-recipes/pliny-the-elder-clone
That's what I followed, came from an interview I read with the Vinnie. The greatest joy when you open a beer that has been fermenting (well sort of, secondary dry hops, and sitting in bottle forever) is that smell. Smells just like opening a packet of hops, my favorite part of the brewing process. I wish I could describe it to you guys online, but my computer still won't transfer tastes and smells. Thanks the inernet-lordee, (imagine porn).
What I am getting at is THE Pliny the Elder must be truly masterful. Wish I could find one. Hope this helps you, but it will only make you jones...

moinkyschmoink said:

I just brewed a Pliny the elder clone and have to say, EVERY ipa I have ever loved seems well, just not as good. Don't get me wrong, I still brew them, buy them, of course drink them, but I feel empty inside if I start with a Pliny (clone) and try to drink my own recipes (which I used to love) or even some of my old favs like ranger after one. What is really disheartening is after I visited the Russian River site, it seems there won't ever be a way to actually try the original Pliny short of buying a plane ticket in the hopes I can find it in CA.
Are there any bleeding hearts out there willing to work out a trade or show me how I can buy some? I am in the heart of a three tiered slow to get with program state (Iowa, Des Moines-check out the south park episode where they find the guy frozen for 3 three years and send him to Des Moines to listen to Ace of Base, lol). They just approved brewing beer higher than 3.5% here a year ago.
To make matters worse, I can't brew it again since I can't get simcoe till fall due to the shortage that supposedly didn't exsist, and daddy needs his medicine!:cross:
Help!? Daddy is sick!?

Click to expand...

If Iowa allows shipments of beer, there are lots of stores in CA that will sell you Pliny. Just use google (I use South Bay Drugs, but they aren't shipping currently while they move to a larger location).

The trick is, retailers get specifically timed and small shipments of Pliny so anyone who sells it online will sell out in a day or two. So find a place that sells it, call, ask when their next shipment is, mark your calendar, and buy some that day.

Also, if you want it draught, you just have to fly to Denver or Philly. It is always on at Falling Rock in Denver. I'm sure someone can tell you where to go in Philly to get it.

I agree you brewed it, it is yours.

I agree PTE and clones are freaking awesome!

I agree the Simcoe shortage sucks...


Happy drinking!

I am right there with you OP. My clone of THE Pliny was named "the best IPA I have ever had" by a friend of mine. I agree that this was a game changer as far as fully hopped IPAs go for me. THEE Simcoe is a key ingredient in the beer, as is THEE columbus in the dry hop that gives you all that glorius hop oil to coat your mouth. GD my friend, you have given me a powerful thirst now, and I am stuck at work for the next few hours! I must admit I saw the writing on the wall in the Spring and purchased enough Simcoe to take me through the summer. Yes, blame me for my local shortage, or just blame Canada Last year I drug my family from Elmo's world in PA to downtown Philly to try and get a pint of the real thing. Alas, the keg was dry and a new one was not in for another few weeks. The real Pliny is as elusive as a tax free society

As Simcoe will not be available until the next harvest, you might want to give "Falconer's Flight" hop blend a try as a substitute.

"Hopunion LLC Falconer's Flight™ is a proprietary pellet blend comprised of many of the Northwest's most premier hop varieties including the highly acclaimed Citra™, Simcoe®, and Sorachi Ace along with experimental hops and numerous other NW varieties."

Austin has whole leaf simcoe online, why not buy from them?

it's the shipping that is expensive unless you only get two bottles or so. my wife just bought 2 blind pigs and a pliny the elder from the corner store this morning, can't wait to get home...

Blind Pig is awesome

Where in Philly can I get some?

My buddy works for a large grocery store here in Seattle. They get Pliny about every two or three months. I told him about it. The beer guy there came to get him and show him the new Pliny in the back. My buddy bought six. After coming over that night with them he was overwhelmed. He went back that night and bought the entire rest of the case. They never made it to the shelf for general consumption. Love it!

Misfit said:

Where in Philly can I get some?

Click to expand...

I second this guy's question...

Russian River Accounts in Philadelphia

Here is a list of the "official" accounts that are supposed to carry Russian River products in Philly.

It would probably be best to call first to find out if they have any Pliny on hand.

Not to be a dick, but th bar two blocks from my house always has Pliny on draught. Oh and every February has Pliny the Younger on draught. Pliny the Elder is only the best until you've had the Younger. Only thing I've had that comes close is Stone Ruination. Given I've never had DFH 120.

Thanks for all of the replies, I am ordering the simcoe and amarillo. Still haven't found a place with the real deal Pliny, but the search will continue.:rockin:

I'm preparing to brew this myself, so I created a Beersmith recipe from the information I found here. I'm a relatively new user of Beersmith (I had been waiting for version 2 so I could run it on my macs), so please use your best judgement when reading through this. If you see anything totally wrong, please let me know.

Pliny the Elder CLONE.bsmx

I can get Pliny Here in Denver on tap and in the bottle. I have to get my name on a waiting list to get the bottles. To get the former I just need to walk my happy ass to the Falling Rock..:rockin: I can get up to 4 bottles. I am up for trades.

arturo7 said:

Blind Pig is awesome

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Yes it is. I think I can get that in Denver as well. At least i used to be able to

move to philly....you can find it here

fall-line - where did you get the recipe?

Below is the recipe I used. This is the text version of a PDF that I found online, probably from another thread on this forum! This was put out by Vinny for the homebrew world.


HOP BILL
3.50 oz CTZ 13.90% A.A. 90 min.
.75 oz CTZ 13.90% A.A. 45 min.
1.00 oz Simcoe 12.30% A.A. 30 min.
1.00 oz Centennial 8.00% A.A. 0 min.
2.50 oz Simcoe 12.30% A.A. 0 min.
1.00 oz CTZ 13.90% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 Days Total)
1.00 oz Centennial 9.10% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 Days Total)
1.00 oz Simcoe 12.30% A.A. Dry Hop (12 to 14 Days Total)
.25 oz CTZ 13.90% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
.25 oz Centennial 9.10% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
.25 oz Simcoe 12.30% A.A. Dry Hop (5 days to go in dry hop)
(adjust your hop addition quantities accordingly with your exact alpha acid.s)
MALT BILL
87% 2-Row Malt
4% Crystal 45 Malt
4% Carapils (Dextrin) Malt
5% Dextrose Sugar
O.G. - 1.070
T.G. - 1.011
BU's - 90-95 (actual/not calculated)
ABV - 8-8.5%
Mash Rest - 151-152
Boil Time - 90 min.
SRM - 7ish
California Ale Yeast
HOMEBREWING PLINY THE ELDER
8 Gallon Gross Kettle Volume / 5 Net Gallons Post Fermentation
"NO RANDALL, NO PROBLEM, THIS RECIPE IS HOPPY ENOUGH TO NOT NEED A RANDALL”


I’m Having a Lupulin Threshold Shift


TM
lupulin threshold shift \lu·pu·lin thresh·old shift\ n 1. When a
once extraordinarily hoppy beer now seems pedestrian. 2. The
phenomenon a person has when craving more bitterness in beer.

3. The long-term exposure to extremely hoppy beers; if
excessive or prolonged, a habitual dependence on hops will
occur. 4. When a "Double IPA" just is not enough.
www.russianriverbrewing.com

It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. I have never had Pliny and have been dying to try it. They dont distribute in AZ. I had a buddy come down from CO and I asked him to bring me a bottle so I could try it. When I met up with him I asked him if he did. He said "yes, but I drank it. You can have the bottle." I guess I hyped it up too much to him and he was a little tempted. I laughed it off but should have beat him with the empty bottle. Anyhow, I'm heading to Stone next month for my birthday and I'm still looking forward to finally trying some Russian River. After all the hype it better be impressive. My favorite IIPA is Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas. I'd love to visit those guys.

zman said:

I can get Pliny Here in Denver on tap and in the bottle. I have to get my name on a waiting list to get the bottles. To get the former I just need to walk my happy ass to the Falling Rock..:rockin: I can get up to 4 bottles. I am up for trades.

Click to expand...

pm'd ya

Acoma said:

It is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. I have never had Pliny and have been dying to try it. They dont distribute in AZ. I had a buddy come down from CO and I asked him to bring me a bottle so I could try it. When I met up with him I asked him if he did. He said "yes, but I drank it. You can have the bottle." I guess I hyped it up too much to him and he was a little tempted. I laughed it off but should have beat him with the empty bottle. Anyhow, I'm heading to Stone next month for my birthday and I'm still looking forward to finally trying some Russian River. After all the hype it better be impressive. My favorite IIPA is Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas. I'd love to visit those guys.

Click to expand...

i wondered if the whole russian river thing was just hype or what so i piled the old lady and my girls into the truck and drove up there a couple of weeks ago for a tasting tray. it is not hype. they make great beers up there in that little brewery. even the beers i would never buy or drink much of (brett, pedio, lacto and other weird inoculates) tasted of quality and balance. not one of the 15 or so beers we tasted did i feel indifference to. took home a growler of happy hops that we polished off right when we got home. i feel another visit coming on....

My Dad lives about 15 minutes from RR. His local grocer carries PTE and Blind Pig. Even being that close, PTE is usually sold out by about noon.

That said, I'd say it's worth the plane ticket to RR... :rockin: Not to mention the other great breweries around the bay area.

Sorry for the crappy cell pics. I've posted these before, but still think they're awesome.

Pliny:


Sampler:

Acoma said:

Anyhow, I'm heading to Stone next month for my birthday and I'm still looking forward to finally trying some Russian River. After all the hype it better be impressive. My favorite IIPA is Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas. I'd love to visit those guys.

Click to expand...

Happy Birthday, I'm sure you'll have a blast. Lagunitas is about 8 minutes the other direction from my Dad's:

eastoak said:

i wondered if the whole russian river thing was just hype or what so i piled the old lady and my girls into the truck and drove up there a couple of weeks ago for a tasting tray. it is not hype. they make great beers up there in that little brewery. even the beers i would never buy or drink much of (brett, pedio, lacto and other weird inoculates) tasted of quality and balance. not one of the 15 or so beers we tasted did i feel indifference to. took home a growler of happy hops that we polished off right when we got home. i feel another visit coming on....

Click to expand...

Yeah, RR is a must stop anytime I'm in NoCal. Their pizza is disturbingly good too. Mmmm... Pizza and Pliny...

I just bottled my PTE and its yummy.

Here is a link to the article written by Vinnie with the recipe for 6 gallons of PTE included.

http://486286.cache1.evolutionhosting.com/attachments/0000/6351/doubleIPA.pdf

Thanks for the PDF link!