I tried Pliny the Younger

[LovesIPA]

I live almost exactly two hours from Russian River Brewing company in Santa Rosa. I figured that the middle of the week would be a good day to do. I realized that we would be standing in line for probably an hour or so anyway, but I was prepared.

I wasn't prepared for how wrong I was. We arrived at 1:15 and the line was all the way down the block. And moving SLOW. At about 4:00, an employee came out and said that he would run out of the day's allotment of Pliny the Younger roughly a few people behind where we were. He said there was a chance we wouldn't get any, but in all probability we would be able to have some.

We finally got in the door at about 6:30. That's a 5:15 wait. I have never waited in line for anything so long in my entire life and I probably never will again. Looking back on it, it went by incredibly quick but standing on a sidewalk all day just plain sucks. There is no way it doesn't.

I immediately went to the bar and ordered up three Youngers for myself, my good friend, and my girlfriend.

It was served in a 10-ounce as it clocked in at about 10.25% ABV. This is not a chugging beer. The hop presence was immediate and powerful. You didn't have to stick your nose in the glass to smell it, but I did anyway.

There was virtually no head. It's a little darker than I imagined. The color is pale but there is a definite orange tint to it. As you bring the glass to your lips all you can smell are hops. It's citrusy and just plain hoppy.

It tasted like a 10.25% beer that needs time to age. It was boozy and a little harsh. Some aging time would benefit the booziness but at the expense of hop flavor and aroma, no doubt.

The hop flavor and aroma is just off the charts though. I don't know if it's the intense aroma from the triple dose of dry hops or the massive amounts of late hop additions to the kettle or both, but there is just so much hop flavor in this beer.

Shortly after we started our first round, the last keg of Younger for the day kicked. Effectively, I waited in line for five and a half hours to drink 10 ounces of beer.

I'm going back again before Younger ends on 2/20 and getting up a LOT earlier. I am not standing in line for that long again for so little reward.

On the upside, I have a growler of Pliny the Elder in my fridge and two amazing sours that I am saving for a rainy day.

 

[dhoge]

Wow, what a story. Was it worth it? I guess so if you are going again.

 

[GarageDweller]

seems ridiculous.

 

[beernutz]

Thanks for sharing so that if I ever have the desire to experience it for myself I can now recall your post, smile, and think GTF out of here. If I'd waited that long in line for 10 ounces of beer I believe I'd have captured the moment and the beer with some photos.

 

[randomgnarkill]

Dang! what a wait. Is there a limit per person?

 

[randomgnarkill]

http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Overflow-crowd-of-beer-lovers-awaits-Pliny-the-5214552.php

 

[jbaysurfer]

I was there for the opener. In Santa Rosa on business. I drove by the pub at 7am on Friday morning and the line was around the corner and the next one, wrapping around to the back side of the pub. It was raining. People had waited all night in line. Some of those people got kicked out of the pub at closing on Friday night and put their chairs right back on the street to do it again. It rained as hard as I've ever seen it rain (lived in Sonoma county for a time too....) that night.

Drove by the pub at 6 the next morning and the line was even longer. One employee estimated it was 11 hours long when I was there (again at about 10am on Saturday). I went in the back door, growler only entrance, wore the caltrans vest and got the "no younger" handstamp and filled my growlers, talked to a couple people who had flown in the night before and waited in the rain all night on the street. To be honest they looked in a daze. The pub was eerily quiet too. Compared to the buzz on the street it was weird. Full, but quiet. I think everyone was spent, hungry and thirsty. I then drove to Hayward for the SF Beer Week Double and Triple IPA festival, where I waited in line all of about 15minutes for a taste of the Younger. Only a 3oz pour, but there was plenty of great giant hoppy beers to drink there.

I've had Younger 3 times now. I'm not sure if I'll ever have it again. I love Russian River, and I admire Vinny and Natalie very much, but for christsakes. It's JUST beer! People need to put some of those resources (where they travel across the country to stand in line all night for a beer) into supporting their local beer scene. Younger is great beer, but it's not magic. Convince your local brewery you'll support their effort if they make a similar beer and make the beer drinking world a better place ;-)

Congrats to Vinny and Natalie and the whole RR crew for all their success btw..they earned it!

 

[mtnagel]

I think I waited 3-4 hours in the line for Dark Lord Day last year. It was an experience, but won't be doing that again.

 

[ktblunden]

We went last year and the year before. Both years we got there about 2 hours before opening and waited a total of around 3 and a half hours. Sounds like this year has been much crazier. Younger is a damn good beer, but I wouldn't say it's worth standing in line for half a day.

 

[Phunhog]

Yeah....I will have to pass on the hype of it all. I am sure PTY is a fantastic beer but really is it worth 11 hours of your time? You know what it reminds me of?? The Black Friday sales where people will line up for days to say they can score a 50 dollar television! Like someone else said IT IS JUST BEER.....and guess what.....they can make more! In fact is there any reason why RR can't make either Pliny ALL THE TIME?? Other than of course it is fantastic marketing(limited release)

 

[mtnagel]

In the article someone linked above, they said it's time consuming. Whatever.

 

[helibrewer]

I was in line for 6 hours for the Beatification release. Won't do that again, I still have 2 bottles and am not that crazy about it...it was way too sour for me. To me, volatile acidity only goes so far in a beer. I think Crooked Stave and Almanac have their sours dialed in very nicely.

 

[Jwerner23]

Damn that is crazy, no way I would wait for 11 hours to try a beer. I would see the line and get something else.

 

[Malric]

I live 5 minutes from 3 floyds and I haven't stopped by for at least 6 months. As much as a I love beer, I'm not will to wait.

 

[Nightshade]

So how much does a 10oz pour cost?

 

[LovesIPA]

So how much does a 10oz pour cost?

I can't believe it took someone this long to ask that. The pours are only $4.75, and so are most of the rest of their beers, including Elder. The sours are more expensive obviously.

I agree it's ridiculous and in one sense I feel like I wasted time, but I did meet some really interesting people both in line and in the pub. Standing on a sidewalk all day with a group of strangers creates a bond of sorts.

People were honking their car horns, waving at us, and quite a few people stopped to ask what we were in line for, including this really hot girl I got to talk to.

It was crazy. An experience for sure but I don't want to repeat it again for a while.

I cannot believe people waited all night in the pouring rain. We got dumped on here in Sacramento - I remember those storms - and I sure wouldn't have wanted to wait outside in that.

Damn I thought I was nuts.

 

[BoomerHarley]

I was in line for 6 hours for the Beatification release. Won't do that again, I still have 2 bottles and am not that crazy about it...it was way too sour for me. To me, volatile acidity only goes so far in a beer. I think Crooked Stave and Almanac have their sours dialed in very nicely.

You want to sell or trade one of those? I tried in on tap and thought it was very nice. I enjoyed it much better than the current batch of Supplication.

 

[Phunhog]

So it begs the question.....IF these particular beers are popular...WHY don't they make them all the time? Correct me if I am wrong but is there anything in PTY that makes it an extremely limited release?

 

[blizzard]

I was in line for 6 hours for the Beatification release. Won't do that again, I still have 2 bottles and am not that crazy about it...it was way too sour for me. To me, volatile acidity only goes so far in a beer. I think Crooked Stave and Almanac have their sours dialed in very nicely.

I'll have some very nice crooked stave beers to trade if you want to get rid of that Beatification.

 

[Nightshade]

So it begs the question.....IF these particular beers are popular...WHY don't they make them all the time? Correct me if I am wrong but is there anything in PTY that makes it an extremely limited release?

Rarity breeds hype and demand

 

[Setesh]

Wow, that's dedication...or something

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

 

[Weezy]

Its unfortunate. I'd like to see someone smarter than me write an honest assessment of the state of the craft industry. Hype and marketing is dominating. Only 9%+ and barrel aged beers matter.

 

[mattd2]

I can't believe it took someone this long to ask that. The pours are only $4.75, and so are most of the rest of their beers, including Elder. The sours are more expensive obviously.

Not being from the US is that a good price or not? To me it is good as at any bar you pay around US$5 for a 16oz of BMC type beer and up around US$8 for craft.

So it begs the question.....IF these particular beers are popular...WHY don't they make them all the time? Correct me if I am wrong but is there anything in PTY that makes it an extremely limited release?

If they make PTY all the time then the total beer they can produce would reduce since it takes longer to turn out a batch.

 

[mtnagel]

Not being from the US is that a good price or not? To me it is good as at any bar you pay around US$5 for a 16oz of BMC type beer and up around US$8 for craft.

That's a great price for such a hard to get beer. I don't think I've ever paid less than $6 for a 10 oz beer. I know I've paid up to $10 before too. I believe I paid $8 for 10 oz of Three Floyd's Permanent funeral.

 

[LovesIPA]

Yes, $4.75 is crazy cheap for what this beer is. In fact, all their beers are extremely reasonably priced. It just goes to show you that craft breweries are charging prices based not on what it costs to bring the beer to market, but what the market is willing to pay. They could easily charge triple or more what they do now and it wouldn't hurt the demand much, if any, at all.

 

[mattd2]

That's a great price for such a hard to get beer. I don't think I've ever paid less than $6 for a 10 oz beer. I know I've paid up to $10 before too. I believe I paid $8 for 10 oz of Three Floyd's Permanent funeral.

I guess thats the thing then, at least they are not price gauging because of the intentional limited supply. Now that I think about it $4.75 for a 10+% with a load of hops is probably equivenlant to about $2 for a "standard" ber in terms of ingredient costs.
I just can't see RR winning here - Either:
1)make PTY all the time and have people complain about less supply of there other beers and increased prices as overheads are absorbed into the lower volume.
2)Limit the release and have people complain about waiting in line for the beer
3)Increase the price and have people complain about getting riped off

#2 does seem to be the best choice for RR

 

[mytommygundont]

I'll be waiting in line next Sunday at Falling Rock Tap House in Denver for my chance at rare beer glory. As long as it dosn't snow I think it will be worth the wait. The experience of hunting down such a sought after beer will be awesome.

 

[LovesIPA]

Or #4: Don't act like you're allergic to debt, and borrow the money needed to brew all the amazing beer anyone wants to buy.

They are one of the top 2 or 3 craft breweries in the country. I can't understand why they insist on limiting themselves.

 

[iijakii]

Was it actually something special though? Not counting the wait, just in general. When I finally got my hands on a PTE I was incredibly disappointed. Give me a Ruination or Sculpin over that any day of the week.

 

[mytommygundont]

This beer is not some crazy money maker. As a matter of fact, I would bet that the profit margins are extremey thin. What it does do though, is takes storage room from a proven money maker like Blind Pig. Thus bringing down the profit margins on that beer as well.

Or #4: Don't act like you're allergic to debt, and borrow the money needed to brew all the amazing beer anyone wants to buy.

They are one of the top 2 or 3 craft breweries in the country. I can't understand why they insist on limiting themselves.

I don't get this line of thinking. Them getting into debt so that they could produce more of a beer that makes them very little money is not a smart business practice.

These beers serve as a marketing tool as well as a creativity outlet for the brewers and that's it. We wouldn't be talking about this beer if it was available all year.

 

[Weezy]

These beers serve as a marketing tool as well as a creativity outlet for the brewers and that's it. We wouldn't be talking about this beer if it was available all year.

I think Vinnie invented the double IPA as a way to clear out the hop bin, to make room for the new hop shipment :cross:
J/k

 

[revelation]

Yes, $4.75 is crazy cheap for what this beer is. In fact, all their beers are extremely reasonably priced. It just goes to show you that craft breweries are charging prices based not on what it costs to bring the beer to market, but what the market is willing to pay. They could easily charge triple or more what they do now and it wouldn't hurt the demand much, if any, at all.

I don't get your statement at all. Brewers that I know (I work for one) charge a small margin over their costs.

The reason RR can charge $4.75 is that when you buy a beer from the maker, you are outside the three tier system and therefore the brewer makes all the money. When you are selling through the three tier system, everyone takes their cut and by that I mean each tier adds 33% to the price. So if the brewery sells at $3, the distributor charges the retailer $4, and the retailer charges $5.50 to the consumer. When you are talking 22oz beers, it could cost the brewer $3 for the beer, they charge $4 to the distributor, who charges $5.50 to the retailer, who then charges the consumer $7.50. If the brewer can cut out the other two tiers, they make all that profit.

 

[mattd2]

I don't get your statement at all. Brewers that I know (I work for one) charge a small margin over their costs.

The reason RR can charge $4.75 is that when you buy a beer from the maker, you are outside the three tier system and therefore the brewer makes all the money. When you are selling through the three tier system, everyone takes their cut and by that I mean each tier adds 33% to the price. So if the brewery sells at $3, the distributor charges the retailer $4, and the retailer charges $5.50 to the consumer. When you are talking 22oz beers, it could cost the brewer $3 for the beer, they charge $4 to the distributor, who charges $5.50 to the retailer, who then charges the consumer $7.50. If the brewer can cut out the other two tiers, they make all that profit.

I think he might be comparing to other brewpubs that still charge like a wounded bull for limited releases even though there are no middle men

 

[LovesIPA]

I think he might be comparing to other brewpubs that still charge like a wounded bull for limited releases even though there are no middle men

Ding ding ding

 

[LovesIPA]

I don't get this line of thinking. Them getting into debt so that they could produce more of a beer that makes them very little money is not a smart business practice.

Borrowing money is how businesses grow. Fact of life.

These beers serve as a marketing tool as well as a creativity outlet for the brewers and that's it. We wouldn't be talking about this beer if it was available all year.

I don't know - Heady Topper is available year-round and is rated almost as high as Pliny the Younger.

 

[ktblunden]

Borrowing money is how businesses grow. Fact of life.



I don't know - Heady Topper is available year-round and is rated almost as high as Pliny the Younger.

HT is also (up until just recently) the only beer The Alchemist produces. RR can stop brewing PtY altogether and continue to sell Blind Pig, PtE, and their sours and be just as profitable. You're also comparing an 8% beer to a 10+% beer with a lot more hops.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Home Brew mobile app

 

[brettg20]

You can't really fault RR because PTY is such a success. There are many other yearly releases that don't get the hype, but if they did you can't say the brewery would start brewing them non-stop. PTY is a yearly released beer that is good but is extremely trendy...buy you can't fault RR. I have had the younger at a local spot last year, it was a damn good beer but I would never wait 10+ hours in the rain for a 10oz pour.

 

[paperairplane]

Maybe they prefer to stay small, control quality and be happy with their success. If they wanted everyone to have a pty, and just make money, I'm sure bmc would be happy to buy them out any day for a princely sum.

 

[fizgig]

After 5 hours in line in the California sun, a high life would taste amazing, no wonder there's hype...

 

[LovesIPA]

After 5 hours in line in the California sun, a high life would taste amazing, no wonder there's hype...

I said that exact same thing while standing in line. More than once.

Not that the weather is like it would be in July though. That would be brutal.