Pliny The Younger Coming Soon

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We'll be making our second annual trip up there. I think we'll be there whatever that thurs morning is. Also gonna hit Lagunitas and maybe Bear Republic.
 
Kills me. I was in Santa Rosa three times when I lived in Oakland and never made my way to Russian River. Doesn't matter, I'm an hour away from Philly (only city on the East Coast supplied with RR beers) and there is almost always a bar there that gets some PtY.
 
I won't tell you what day I'm going cuz it may cause a rush :D
Last year I went.. my first time. I couldn't believe i waited in line for 13 hours.. I was asking myself questions.. W H Y ? But, I met a lot of folks from around the country.. and from other countries that plan their vacation for this.. or simply make their journey to the "holy grail" of beer.

Went a couple of days later and only spent four hours in line.. but it was with a 'local' HBT'r and another friend.

Went a third time.. on the special day.. and just walked right in. Bet you can guess the day.. and you might not have to think too hard about it.
 
I won't tell you what day I'm going cuz it may cause a rush :D
Last year I went.. my first time. I couldn't believe i waited in line for 13 hours.. I was asking myself questions.. W H Y ? But, I met a lot of folks from around the country.. and from other countries that plan their vacation for this.. or simply make their journey to the "holy grail" of beer.

Went a couple of days later and only spent four hours in line.. but it was with a 'local' HBT'r and another friend.

Went a third time.. on the special day.. and just walked right in. Bet you can guess the day.. and you might not have to think too hard about it.

How early did you arrive? I'm going for my first time this year and trying to plan how early I want to get there before they open.
 
Last year I went on a Saturday and got there about two and a half hours before they opened. I think we ended up waiting about three and a half hours.
 
Weekdays don't make much difference when they first start pouring PTY.. But, toward the end.. in about two weeks.. it gets good.. IF it lasts that long. Last year they made something like an extra 30%.. not sure about this year. I think last year SacDan got there quite early and didn't wait too long.. but, remember this is like the opening day for a new Apple iPhone.. Think CULT FOLLOWING. First few days are bananas.. then starts to taper after Superbowl Sunday.
 
Yeah I'm sure it'll still be crazy. I'll get there a few hours before they open sometime around the 5th or so. How many glasses are you allowed?
 
I'm hoping first thing on Thurs the 7th isn't too crazy, but I'm sure it won't be as bad as Sat was last year.
 
Sat last year was the first time I went.. and spent 13 hrs in line. Had it not been for a lot of great people around me.. I'da left. Met people from all over.. including out of the country who planned it as vacation time. Wow!! This is true marketing.. Very limited amount of a great beer. Sold till it's gone.. not to return till the following year.

But, if you're not interested in beautifully balanced hop bombs.. It's not for you.
 
Day-ohm.

Some friends and I are driving up on a Monday (it's about an hour away from us). Very excited to be part of the spectacle. This talk of long lines, however ... I don't know if Aunt Hedwig* has the patience. Four hours in line, or four hours to brew most of a batch of beer? Choices, choices ... is it really worth it?

(* my whiny alter-ego)
 
Last year we went on the second Saturday and waited about 4 hours to get in and about an hour to get a table once we were in. This year we're going on Thursday to make the wait shorter.
 
Finally went down today.. the line was only about an hour long..

Despite the other thread "hashing" PtY.. I can now say.. I disagree. Pty was a beautifully balanced beer this year again. It isn't a hop bomb.. it's a beautiful high gravity beer 10+ABV and there is a wonderful balance between maltiness and hops. I'll go back again a couple of times before it's cut off. Valentines Day I believe.
 
I'll likely go again.. possibly tomorrow.. but, won't be until around noon. I don't drink before noon :fro: Yah. Right.

EDIT: Ok.. went today.. had some more.. and picked up a growler or PtE and a PtY T-shirt along with some PtY coasters..

So, will I go back again tomorrow? I'll bet. $4.50 a glass for a 10.8 beautiful beer.. :D :D :D
 
Was there on the 1st.. 3rd in line, all the way from Denver. Was worth the trip! I'm jealous of the locals!

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Isn't it great??? Yah, it's local.. but.. I can't believe how delicious this is every year. You come in thinking it's a hop bomb.. but neither Elder nor Younger have an overpowering hop flavor.. as I said before.. beautiful balance.

Vin is a master.

Oh, and welcome to our part of Sonoma County. Hope you got a chance to go to Bear Republic and Lagunitas.
 
It was a great beer but nothin to go crazy about in my opinion. I definitely wouldn't wait 8 hours plus for it. That's ridiculous! Over hyped in my opinion.
 
Went yesterday morning. It was as I remembered it from last year, amazing aroma and extremely well balanced for what it is. Hit Bear Republic last night and Moylans and Lagunitas today. Still gotta figure out dinner for tonight and hitting the road tomorrow for the long drive back home.
 
Too bad we weren't in contact.. I'd a had you up for some BBQ or sumptin. I drove by today about 1PM and the line was around the corner.. twice as long as it was on Wednesday. I'd guess it's due to the weekend. I'll go back on Monday around noon.. after some food.. and enjoy a couple more. That'll likely be my lst for this go around.

Mrshotshot.. Maybe.. but, IFFFF.. I could make a beer half that beautiful.. I'd consider myself a winner :) We all have different tastes.
 
i'm heading there tomorrow with some friends. though its only like 5 mins from my house so not much of a trek
 
I went last Thursday. Waited 2.5 hours and got in at about 330. They didn't run out until about 7. Needless to say I had already had my fair share. I think thus year's batch is amazing. It's so well balanced.

I saw Vinny roaming around do I went to say hi. He thought it was their best batch yet, he thought it was because they were sourcing great hops.



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Next year, I recommend heading to the Double IPA Fest at The Bistro in Hayward. This year they had Younger available for much of the afternoon, as well as many other double and triple IPAs that certainly rival the great one. What a day it was, although I don't remember how it ended.
 
Went back again today.. dang this is a great 'vintage" Today was more than the one hour last week.. it was a bit over 2 hrs. Had three glasses.. OMGosh.. I absolutely love this brew.
 
We went there yesterday (Monday). Arrived at 10:45 and the line went all the way down the block. However, once the place opened, about half the line disappeared, and was only a 1-hour wait after that. They let patrons drink as much Pliny the Younger as desired. We stayed for a couple hours and the beer poured freely. The staff seemed to be handling the chaos with grace and patience. Yay them. I imagine it's both a stressful and happy two weeks for them.

My first impression of The Younger was "peaches" followed by "flowery hops." Smooth as velvet. You'd never know it was 10.5% ABV. I would give it 4.99999999 stars out of 5. The 0.00000001 star deduction can be summed up as, "Thanks a lot for ruining every other beer for me for the rest of my life."

Speaking of non-cloying peachiness: I know (do I know? maybe not. I ... "speculate" then) they probably don't use the proprietary Persica yeast in it, which is supposed to lend peach/apricot notes. However, as a side-digression completely unrelated to Pliny the Younger, the trip inspired me to do a batch with Persica and see what comes out.
 
We went Sunday morning. Got in line around 8:45-9:00. By 9:30 the line had turned the corner around D Street. We (barely) made it in the door with the initial group, so I had a Younger in my hand at 11:00. Took around 1hr to get a table, but we had an awesome time. The staff does a fantastic job, and everyone is in a great mood. The vibe in that place is something special.

Pretty spectacular IPA. Was it worth the 2hr wait? I don't know. Is any beer? But this was definitely one of the best I've ever had, and I can cross it off the bucket list.

I brewed a clone last spring, and while pretty close, I think I've got a damn good idea what to tweak.

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Talked to a few friends who have been doing this longer than myself.. All agreed that this is the best year so far. Best in my shorter experience :D
 
Next year I'll post before heading down there. It's now an annual trip for the wife and I. We had such a great time in line last year we went back. The line does suck but it sure helps to make friends in line. We were 5th in line on Saturday Feb 2nd morning. RR opened early at 10:30 to let us in and we were there for 6 hours! Last year's younger was a bit hot but this year's was amazing. Anyone there early on the second?
 
I was trying to get a buddy to go with me tomorrow midday, but he's going to be in Reno with his wife. I'm still debating going, though I don't much care to drink alone. Any HBT'rs going in the few days?
 
Anybody heard anything about availability outside of Santa Rosa? Seems like it should be showing up soon at the places that are lucky enough to get a keg. I missed it last year, planning to try again...
 
Anybody heard anything about availability outside of Santa Rosa? Seems like it should be showing up soon at the places that are lucky enough to get a keg. I missed it last year, planning to try again...

A number of kegs have been tapped (and drained) in the bay area already. I'd expect a few kegs to make their way up to Portland soon. You might want to 'like' the local bars that get RR beers on Facebook, as a lot of those places only announce tappings there.

I heard they brewed more this year than any year prior, but there were also 8hr lines at the brewery, so who knows?
 
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