So on the 4th of July I was at Fort George Brewing in Astoria, OR. As I usually am on the fourth. I got kinda excited when I heard they had a keg of Pliney the Elder since I had not ever tasted but only heard all the hype about this beer, most recently in Zymurgys best beers of the year issue. So I made a b-line to the taps and ordered my glass. As with most things of hype I usually am disapointed. I thought it was a good well balanced IPA at best, the best in America, deffinitely not. I just don't get it, why the hell would anyone stand in line for hours, or pay anything more than $5 or $6 for a glass of this IPA. After all its just an IPA. Here in the North West we have dive bars with just as good of IPA's on tap. Maybe someone needs to explain all this hype to me. I do give props to RR for what the brew. And more so for the hype they have surrouned around this beer. They got my money that day and I guess now I can say I've tried it. Anyway thats just my 2 cents.
Pliny the Elder, Really? Whats the hype?
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MisterTipsy
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Because Pllllliiiiiinaaaaaay !!!!
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It's hard to get; it has a cool name; Vinnie is good guy; hence it has a cult-like following...
Ballast Point Scuplin is much better in my opinion.
Ballast Point Scuplin is much better in my opinion.
MisterTipsy
Well-Known Member
Because people like to say Pliney. It's all marketing.
It is up there,my opinion is its not the best but well worth it.Its a great beer. Try a sculpin ipa or majaraja.Its your opinion really. There are also alot of great NW ipa's as good if not better in opinion. Lagunitas and Bear country have great stuff also that i think i may like better. I mean widmer,hell even some of Summits stuff from MN.
Pliney is a great classic well made West Coast style ipa. I agree though Pliney could become a houshold name- i will still like a great ipa- which it is.
Pliney is a great classic well made West Coast style ipa. I agree though Pliney could become a houshold name- i will still like a great ipa- which it is.
Hopper450
Well-Known Member
Pliney is a fantastic DIPA. But in the end it's still just a beer. And sure there are other equally good beers out there but then again I would say they aren't all that common either.
MisterTipsy
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Drinking Pliney on the reg is Baller status. That's why.
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Beerbeque
Well-Known Member
and it's spelled Pliny. No e.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder
Actually a turn here... I didn't do much Google fu. It is dependent on the bartender and the patrons. That last word I wrote has another pronunciation as well...
http://www.quora.com/Whats-the-right-way-to-pronounce-Pliny
But then I digress to this....
Pluralities
by Eugenie A. Nida
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese;
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
Cows in the plural may be cows or kine,
But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.
And I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
But I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this and the plural is these,
Should the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?
Then one may be that and three may be those,
Yet the plural of hat will never be hose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim.
So our English, I think you all will agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see.
http://www.quora.com/Whats-the-right-way-to-pronounce-Pliny
But then I digress to this....
Pluralities
by Eugenie A. Nida
We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes;
But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.
Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese;
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a whole lot of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
Cows in the plural may be cows or kine,
But the plural of vow is vows, not vine.
And I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
But I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular is this and the plural is these,
Should the plural of kiss be nicknamed kese?
Then one may be that and three may be those,
Yet the plural of hat will never be hose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But we say mother, we never say methren.
The masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine she, shis, and shim.
So our English, I think you all will agree,
Is the trickiest language you ever did see.
First, no one waits in line for pliny the elder, now pliny the younger that's a different story.
...and Fresh, this is a fantastic IPA - is on the level of Heady or Double Citra - no, definitely not.
That's my less than .02
...and Fresh, this is a fantastic IPA - is on the level of Heady or Double Citra - no, definitely not.
That's my less than .02
I was just at Fort George and I did the same thing the OP did. I was all set to get a working girl porter or sunrise oatmeal pale ale and notice the infamous Pliny the Elder. I have a friend that told me it is the best IPA he has ever had. Also, after reading tons of posts here at HBT about how awesome this beer is, I was really looking forward to the chance to enjoy it. I will say that I liked it. I thought it was a very well balanced beer that did finish very well. However, I'm not sure I would elevate it to best beer ever. There is a small brewery in Bend, OR called Good Life Brewing. They have an IPA called Descender. IMO, it's better. There, I blasphemed.
It's a well made, well balanced (yeah, yeah, DIPAs aren't "balanced") DIPA. It's shipped cold only to vendors who agree to store it cold, which automatically limits the distribution range considerably. As such it can be difficult to find and tends to sell faster than it can be stocked. All of this gives it a level of hype that few beers can live up to. I did a trade on here for some Hopslam after hearing how good it was. It was...good, not fantastic. I prefer Pliny, but I can get that without too much difficulty.
Younger is a different story. I waited in line for hours to get into the RR brewpub and I will do it again next year.
Younger is a different story. I waited in line for hours to get into the RR brewpub and I will do it again next year.
Excuse me for a moment while I climb up on my soapbox.
Let me start off by saying that I have been lucky enough to get to try a whole lot of beer, in a whole lot of different states and a whole lot of different countries for that matter.
I like me some Heady Topper and I love me some Zombie Dust but neither beer comes close to the perfect balance that Vinnie and Pliny have managed (it is truly a superlative beer).
Anyone who comes away from a Pliny sighting (or sipping as the case may be) less than wowed is a victim of inverted hype. Pliny is so hard to get and so beloved in the craft industry that its become the victim of it's own success.
At the risk of offending (but what the hell, it's Friday and I'm three pints in): I think Pliny is the anal sex of beer. Forbidden fruit that once attained can't help but pale slightly in comparison to the overwhelming expectations born of denial. That being said, stick with it - you'll come to see what all the fuss is about.
Again, apologies to the offended. Remember - they're just words.
Let me start off by saying that I have been lucky enough to get to try a whole lot of beer, in a whole lot of different states and a whole lot of different countries for that matter.
I like me some Heady Topper and I love me some Zombie Dust but neither beer comes close to the perfect balance that Vinnie and Pliny have managed (it is truly a superlative beer).
Anyone who comes away from a Pliny sighting (or sipping as the case may be) less than wowed is a victim of inverted hype. Pliny is so hard to get and so beloved in the craft industry that its become the victim of it's own success.
At the risk of offending (but what the hell, it's Friday and I'm three pints in): I think Pliny is the anal sex of beer. Forbidden fruit that once attained can't help but pale slightly in comparison to the overwhelming expectations born of denial. That being said, stick with it - you'll come to see what all the fuss is about.
Again, apologies to the offended. Remember - they're just words.
Figure out who gets RR stuff regularly on tap and make friends with them and ask if they think they'll be getting Younger. It releases some time in February and when it's gone, it's gone for the year.
Thank you for reminding me I have a bottle of Double Jack. Into the fridge it goes.
r2eng
Well-Known Member
It's no different than women: If everyone had the same taste in women, we'd all be competing for the same girl.
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
I had my first Pliney recently...it was very good, bordering on amazing. However, not the best IPA I'd ever had. I'd buy it regularly if it were available to me.
Xpertskir
Well-Known Member
OP, out of curiosity what beers do you think are deserving of the praise pliny gets(and where are you located)? I personally think its a fantastic beer, ridiculously balanced DIPA, which is not a common thing in current beer culture. Is it the best? I don't even care to worry about that, but I would drink pliny over most choices, but there is a ton of ****ty sub par beer being made by the hundreds of "craft" breweries. BTW, IMHO Alpine makes the best suite of hop forward beers in the country and get very little love because of their limited distribution and press.
Also OP, I think this is a good example of the reason I under-promise and try to over-deliver in all aspects of my life. Its an easier recipe for success...If you give people a lot of expectation, its that much harder to meet expectations, let alone exceed them.
Also OP, I think this is a good example of the reason I under-promise and try to over-deliver in all aspects of my life. Its an easier recipe for success...If you give people a lot of expectation, its that much harder to meet expectations, let alone exceed them.
Pliny fresh is amazing IMO. I've had two bottles, same bottle date, tasted two days apart and found them to be very different. The aroma fades quickly and that aroma is a big part of what I like. I also would not say it is balanced. To me it is a great example of that west coast unbalanced IPA. I like it a lot, but I also like Ruination, but because that beer is easy to come by I believe it doesn't enjoy that white whale status that keeps the Pliny legend going. If you had a Pliny and were underwhelmed, you might want to keep trying to find that fresh glass. Or you may just not prefer that particular beer as much as others do... It happens.
jigidyjim
Well-Known Member
To those of you calling Pliny just another good IPA - are you intentionally considering DIPA and IPA the same thing, or are you just not aware that it is a DIPA?
As someone who is not that into hop bombs, I find Pliny amazing. It is well balanced and doesn't leave my mouth bitter. Yes, there are other DIPAs that do the same. For me Pliny was one of the first beers I truly thought was great.
As someone who is not that into hop bombs, I find Pliny amazing. It is well balanced and doesn't leave my mouth bitter. Yes, there are other DIPAs that do the same. For me Pliny was one of the first beers I truly thought was great.
jigidyjim said:
It's actually somewhere in between (due to it being so UNbalanced). The definition one chooses depends of what guidelines they prefer and which particular dimensions they think are most important in defining the difference.
jigidyjim
Well-Known Member
emjay said:
In what way is it in between? RR calls it DIPA. The BJCP lists it as an example for imperial. Its ABV is out of range for IPA.
jigidyjim said:
I kinda consider it an IPA myself. When compared to other similar west coast beers such as Ruination, Union Jack, Odell IPA, Green Flash West Coast IPA, etc... These are all in the 7-8% abv range and mostly referred to as IPAs. It may not fit standard guidelines, but to compare like beers, that's how I look at it.
jigidyjim
Well-Known Member
emjay said:
You'll have to explain that one more - since balance to me is what makes a drink enjoyable.
jigidyjim said:
I know homebrewers tend to think of the BJCP as the be-all end-all of style definitions, but it's really not. They set guidelines for the purposes of their competitions, nothing more.
And even in the BJCP, Pliny's OG better fits as an IPA, just scraping the very bottom of the IIPA range (and even doing THAT in past versions of the guidelines), with the OG even falling below the guidelines for BOTH styles - if one is going to be a super BJCP style nazi, it would actually be disqualified based on the numbers (that's not how competitions work, but still). Point is, taking such a strict and narrow BJCP-centric view on styles doesn't magically invalidate everything else.
jigidyjim said:
I don't want to speak for anyone else. But for me, it has almost a complete lack of malt backbone. It is intentionally unbalanced. For reference try drinking a DFh 90 Minute right after a Pliny. To me the 90 Minute tastes almost cloyingly sweet by comparison, I like my IPAs unbalanced in the west coast style.
jigidyjim said:
Balanced in the ACTUAL, more absolute brewing definition of a certain "balanced" malt/gravity to hops/bitterness ratio.
ie, a truly "balanced" IIPA-like beer would usually be considered a barleywine in steady. And Pliny falls further from this balance than even the vast majority of other IIPAs do.
Enjoyable means enjoyable, and balanced means balanced. The two are entirely separate concepts.
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1.070 OG and 8.0% ABV are in the 14C range. Not sure what you're getting at.
Good comparison, and I agree.
jigidyjim
Well-Known Member
jkendrick said:
I think that's fair. What I was thinking was that if I order an IPA without knowing anything about it I wouldn't be expecting a 8%ABV beer. But I agree that it is an arbitrary line, and when comparing to other similar beers you will find some on both sides of the line.
AZ_IPA said:
Read it again, then? I didn't say otherwise.
Regardless, the BJCP is hardly the only authority (though on HBT, I can see how one could be led to believe otherwise), and even within the BJCP guidelines, the actual hard numbers have very little importance compared to the descriptions.
All I was really getting at was that just because the BJCP numbers happen to match a certain beer (and the FG and ARGUABLY the IBUs technically don't) doesn't automatically invalidate any other opinion or definition.
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