Pliney the Younger is here!

[brick_haus]

My wife and I LOVE going to every small brewery possible, and we plan on going to Santa Rosa Ca. this weekend. Our first stop was going to be Russian River Brewery, but UNFORTUNATELY, Pliney The Younger is "in season" until the 19th and lines will be VERY long, just to get in. The website and the young lady to whom I spoke on the phone today say it could be up to a 12hr wait :-(

I am NOT going to wait 12 hrs to get into a restaurant/pub, I dont care how good their tripple IPA is.

Anybody tried PTY? Can it possibl;y be worth the wait (I know the answer already, but want to hear it from you).

So much went into this trip already. I have brewed two batches of PTE(clone, two different water profiles) in anticipation. One will be ready to keg next week. I Really wanted to pick up some PTE to bring home for comparison tasting...But I dont think i want to climb over PTY just to get to PTE...

 

[atom]

the good news is that other local places (that have PTE on tap) will be less busy as beer nerds froth at the mouth for PTY...

 

[feinbera]

I think most places get fresh bottles of Elder on Thursdays... most Whole Foods markets have 'em, City Beer Store in San Francisco (although, they're likely to be crazy due to other S.F. Beer Week events), and many beer bars throughout the greater Bay Area.

...but, no, not even Younger is worth the sh*tshow Russian River's brewpub becomes this week, much less any of their other beers (although, I have the luxury of living much closer to many other Younger releases, so, take it with a grain of salt).

 

[chocotaco]

No need to scrap your trip. Go to Santa Rosa and visit Bear Republic. Once the PtY runs out (or the next day) then go to Russian River.

Pick up some Supplication, Consecration, and Temptation when you're there. Pliny (elder and younger) are not even close to being Russian River's best beers. IPAs are very tasty, but their 3 main sours will blow your mind. I promise this is true even if you've never had a sour beer or you think you don't like them (I was once like you)

 

[NTexBrewer]

Is pliny the younger sold in bottles or only on tap?

I was there a few weeks ago. If you wanted to eat or drink at the bar the wait was long. If you were just getting your growler filled or buying from the gift shop which included what they had available in bottle they gave you a different stamp and you could go.

Worth a call back to confirm.

 

[wardens355]

Is pliny the younger sold in bottles or only on tap?

I was there a few weeks ago. If you wanted to eat or drink at the bar the wait was long. If you were just getting your growler filled or buying from the gift shop which included what they had available in bottle they gave you a different stamp and you could go.

Worth a call back to confirm.

Tap only.

 

[brick_haus]

Yea, tap only.
All I really want is to pick up a case of Pliny The Elder for my comparison tests and possibly to trade some of you from the east coast for some of your hard to get beers. I live only 400 miles away from RR Brewery and can't find it in any store. Whole foods used to get a little every Tuesday and limit two bottles, but that is no longer the case locally.

 

[NTexBrewer]

Worth a call to see if you can just pick up a case of PTE.

 

[brick_haus]

Pick up some Supplication, Consecration, and Temptation when you're there. Pliny (elder and younger) are not even close to being Russian River's best beers. IPAs are very tasty, but their 3 main sours will blow your mind. I promise this is true even if you've never had a sour beer or you think you don't like them (I was once like you)

Sounds like good advice. Maybe its time to try sours! I will definately pick up some of all three.

 

[AndrewNSachs]

I had it a few years ago down here in San Diego. I'm glad that I did, it was a great beer, but it didn't live up to the second-coming-of-the-messiah hype that surrounds it. Only a few people knew the bar was even tapping it that morning. They passed out tickets an hour before they tapped the keg, and eventually ended up offering seconds/thirds because so few people showed up.

 

[ktblunden]

Call in the evening and see if they've tapped out for the day. The crowd will thin considerably once Younger is gone. It'll still be busy, but you won't have to wait in line for hours.

 

[nateburn]

Younger is only on tap but you can get bottles and growlers filled in the back. Go around to the entrance in the parking lot behind the brewery. They take bottle and growler fills for most things. No growlers for PTY or their Nitro porter or their sours.

 

[CorwinGraves]

I tried Younger once, back in 2007 and without any lines or crowds to contend with. It was worth a try, but I prefer Elder and Blind Pig, as both are more drinkable.

I was in Santa Rosa last weekend, but avoided RR for obvious reasons. It would have been nice to get a growler fill of Perdition, but no way in hell I'm going to wait 12 hours for it. I'll come back next month when things have settled down a bit.

 

[brick_haus]

Well, I'm here at the great RR Brewery. Been in line four hours and looks like another two or three to go.
Went through the front and picked up a limit of Blind Pig, Pliny the Elder and one each of the sours.
If I don't die in line, I'll give my opinion of the total experience.

 

[OldWorld]

It's a largely hyped up beer. The beer used to be much smoother. For the past few years I've noticed a hotness on the alcohol. Earlier batches when the Santa Rosa brewery was first open actually had a higher ABV and smoother finish.

I don't think the beer is bad, but it's not nearly as exceptional as it used to be. I'm guessing hop varieties vary from year to year just like wine's do.

Please report back to us your experience of the beer. I would agree with the others about the sour beer being the pinnacle of Russian River Brewing.

Pliny in the bottle is quite harsh compared to the tap. But it could also be that I'm getting a really fresh bottle.

 

[brettg20]

Have had PTY 3 times...great beer but wouldn't waste a day for it.

 

[brettg20]

*pliny btw

 

[brick_haus]

OK. It was very good, I would even say excellent. If there was an alcohol heat in previous years, they corrected the process/recipe this year because it is not there. Very smooth, low aroma but pleasant citrus/grapefruit notes. Carbonation was fairly low. White creamy head (albeit small) that lasted. Good lacing on the 10oz glass. Flavor was citrus pine with only a hint of grapefruit, typical of an American IPA. VERY good balance with a slight hop forward. Bitterness was fairly high and subsided quickly and was not at all harsh.
Overall. Probably the best example of an American IIIPA that I've had to date.
Was it worth waiting 71/2 hours in line? I'm going to have to say yes, just because of all of the hype, I can now put my curiosity to rest.
My conclusion is that if you are in the area anyway and have the time, you should give it a try.
We met many great people and the conversation was fantastic. I was surrounded with several other certified beer geeks that were a pleasure to hang out with.
We (wife and I) are now in our hotel room, on valentines day, with plenty of Pliny The Elder and Blind Pig on hand and going to enjoy the rest of the evening...

 

[tmccoy]

It is worth the wait, I went this past Wednesday. Got there at 10am, was drinking by 2:30pm. Not too bad. Granted it was a weekday.

 

[jmadway]

I have it every year at the annual Double IPA Festival at The Bistro in Hayward, CA (it also features many, many great triple IPAs). I waited in line for about 10 minutes to try it this year. So next year I recommend going to Hayward on the first Saturday of SF Beer Week to try The Younger. And it is very good, but it's never the best triple IPA there. I'm partial to Notorious from Boneyard.

 

[Silentdrinker]

Worth a call to see if you can just pick up a case of PTE.

There's normally a 1 or 2 bottle limit per person for Pliny the elder. So I doubt getting a case is possible. Most places only receive a case at a time.

The beer is good. I had it on draught at a tap room here in Portland. It was $8 and that's expensive. I honestly don't understand the hype. It's good, but 12hr wait good, definetly not. The experience may be worth it I guess if standing around with people is your thing... Worst part is there is no hairy potter movie or iPhone 8 at the end of that line :fro:

There are smaller breweries here that have better stuff in my opinon, but even they're not worth 12hr waits. Thats craziness.

 

[brick_haus]

The wait was for Pliny The Younger. Pliny The Elder was available to go in bottles in a separate line( no real wait, just metering people in to avoid overcrowding). I picked up my limit of 24 bottles of PTE and 6 bottles of Blind Pig while my wife held my place in the other line.

 

[helibrewer]

I tried Younger once, back in 2007 and without any lines or crowds to contend with. It was worth a try, but I prefer Elder and Blind Pig, as both are more drinkable.

I was in Santa Rosa last weekend, but avoided RR for obvious reasons. It would have been nice to get a growler fill of Perdition, but no way in hell I'm going to wait 12 hours for it. I'll come back next month when things have settled down a bit.

They have growler fills and bottle sales in a separate gift shop now so you don't have to wait in the Pliny line for that stuff.

 

[CorwinGraves]

They have growler fills and bottle sales in a separate gift shop now so you don't have to wait in the Pliny line for that stuff.

Good to know - thanks! Will stop by this weekend for a growler fill.

 

[xcghgh]

the good news is that other local places (that have PTE on tap) will be less busy as beer nerds froth at the mouth for PTY...