Pliny the Elder

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So… did you brew it and now you’d like to compare to the real thing?
 
To be honest your best bet is to get on to Facebook and join a beer trading group. That’s what I do. You will easily be able to trade for it if you have access to some sought after southern stout breweries or some big name hop breweries like Tripping Animals, New Anthem, Burial, the veil, etc
 
I know this isn’t helpful to the OP’s inquiry but a few years ago my parents went on a wine tour of the Russian River valley. I had asked them to pick up a couple of bottles of Pliny if they saw it (we live in Massachusetts). They went to a local liquor store a few miles from the brewery. In the fridge, there was a big handwritten sign next to an open space saying “No Pliny the Elder.” My dad asked the guy running the store and he did have it but keeps that sign up to dissuade “resellers.” So even in places where they supposedly have it, it’s hard to actually get it!
 
The morebeer kit is pretty close actually (Vinny actual designed it for them). With proper water adjustments you can get even closer

It's interesting how there's a 45 and a 30 minute addition, which nowadays people would say are a waste.
 
It's interesting how there's a 45 and a 30 minute addition, which nowadays people would say are a waste.
Hopping has definitely changed in the past 5 year. Pliny is very much an old school ipa so it likely had those additions for that deep resinous complexity it has.

the real Pliny recipe could have changed by now anyway
 
Not sure how legit this is because its one source, but Pliny may have changed recipe in 2019 based on Electric brewery website anyways. Russian River Pliny The Elder (Double IPA)

I will say that Just last week I was fortunate to try this out for the first time as I had a friend spend some time in CA recently and really loved it. Its a nice change of pace for me from the NEIPAs and honestly even if someone doesn't love the west coast style, but are beer enthusiasts, most will appreciate that this beer is still VERY well done overall. Its just NOT a NEIPA that most love. I was actually expecting a much more bitter beer from the "west coast" style Ive been experienced with (Stone Ruination anyone? BTW - they recently downgraded their IBUs as well! lol). The pliny is really flavorful overall and I genuinely loved it for what it is - a really nice flavorful IPA with great resinous pine along with citrus. Their DDH pliny was very good as well. Would love to get out there some day to their brewery.

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IMG_9987.jpg
 
Sorry to Hijack I just found this thread interesting.

Here's a recipe from a BYO article from 2004. Is this pretty close? I've never had but I'm curious now.

Link to article

Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Elder clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.074 FG = 1.014
IBU = 100+ SRM = 6 ABV = 8.3%

Originally brewed to be part of a first-ever “Double IPA festival” back in 2000, Pliny has become the standard by which many modern double IPAs are measured. As with any hop-heavy beer, Pliny is best enjoyed fresh, while the massive hop aroma is at its peak.

Ingredients
12.8 lb. (5.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.28 lb. (0.13 kg) crystal malt (45°L)
0.86 lb. (0.39 kg) Carapils® malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dextrose
42.9 AAU Warrior® hops (90 mins.) (2.75 oz./78 g at 15.6% alpha acids)
6.1 AAU Chinook hops (90 mins.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12.2% alpha acids)
14.3 AAU Columbus hops (45 mins.) (1 oz./28 g at 14.3% alpha acids)
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 mins.) 1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
20.5 AAU Centennial hops (0 mins.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 9.1% alpha acids)
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (0 mins.) (1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
3.25 oz. (92 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1.75 oz. (50 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
1.75 oz. (50 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast
3/4 cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by step
Mash the grains at 150–152°F (66–67°C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Mash out, vourlaf, and sparge. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the time indicated in the ingredients list. Chill the wort and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C). Dry hop 2 weeks after primary fermentation slows for 5 days. Bottle or keg as usual.

EXTRACT WITH GRAINS OPTION: Replace the 12.8 pounds (5.8 kg) 2-row pale malt with 6.7 pounds (3 kg) extra light dried malt extract. Steep the crushed grains in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 151°F (66°C) for 20 minutes. Rinse the grains with 2 quarts (2 L) of 170°F (77°C) water. Top up the kettle to 5.5 gallons and stir in the dried malt extract. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.
 
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Sorry to Hijack I just found this thread interesting.

Here's a recipe from a BYO article from 2004. Is this pretty close? I've never had but I'm curious now.

Link to article

Russian River Brewing Co.’s Pliny the Elder clone
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.074 FG = 1.014
IBU = 100+ SRM = 6 ABV = 8.3%

Originally brewed to be part of a first-ever “Double IPA festival” back in 2000, Pliny has become the standard by which many modern double IPAs are measured. As with any hop-heavy beer, Pliny is best enjoyed fresh, while the massive hop aroma is at its peak.

Ingredients
12.8 lb. (5.8 kg) 2-row pale malt
0.28 lb. (0.13 kg) crystal malt (45°L)
0.86 lb. (0.39 kg) Carapils® malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) dextrose
42.9 AAU Warrior® hops (90 mins.) (2.75 oz./78 g at 15.6% alpha acids)
6.1 AAU Chinook hops (90 mins.) (0.5 oz./14 g at 12.2% alpha acids)
14.3 AAU Columbus hops (45 mins.) (1 oz./28 g at 14.3% alpha acids)
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (30 mins.) 1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
20.5 AAU Centennial hops (0 mins.) (2.25 oz./64 g at 9.1% alpha acids)
12 AAU Simcoe® hops (0 mins.) (1 oz./28 g at 12% alpha acids)
3.25 oz. (92 g) Columbus hops (dry hop)
1.75 oz. (50 g) Centennial hops (dry hop)
1.75 oz. (50 g) Simcoe® hops (dry hop)
1 tsp. Irish moss (15 mins.)
White Labs WLP001 (California Ale), Wyeast 1056 (American Ale), or Fermentis Safale US-05 yeast
3/4 cup (150 g) dextrose (if priming)

Step by step
Mash the grains at 150–152°F (66–67°C). Hold this temperature for 60 minutes. Mash out, vourlaf, and sparge. Boil the wort for 90 minutes, adding hops at the time indicated in the ingredients list. Chill the wort and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C). Dry hop 2 weeks after primary fermentation slows for 5 days. Bottle or keg as usual.

EXTRACT WITH GRAINS OPTION: Replace the 12.8 pounds (5.8 kg) 2-row pale malt with 6.7 pounds (3 kg) extra light dried malt extract. Steep the crushed grains in 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water at 151°F (66°C) for 20 minutes. Rinse the grains with 2 quarts (2 L) of 170°F (77°C) water. Top up the kettle to 5.5 gallons and stir in the dried malt extract. Follow the remaining portion of the all-grain recipe.
Thats pretty close to Kals recipe on Electric Brewery I linked from 2004. Kals recipe was built on 12 gallon batch but came from what Vinny shared at the 2004 HBC
 
This is my closest take to pliney. Probably my favorite home brew ever.
 

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I started brewing the Plinian Legacy kit from Northern Brewer years ago and I've kept it on tap constantly ever since. I've never had the opportunity to try Pliny, but I love the IPA these kits produce. In fact, when I get IPA drinkers over, I usually have a hard time getting them to try anything else - all they want to do is drink the Pliny clone.

Northern Brewer has recently come out with a limited edition kit for a double dry hopped version - to match the one introduced by Russian River last year. I intend to brew that one when my current keg starts running low. It's the same recipe as their regular kit, except the dry hop amounts are doubled, and they are added in the primary during active fermentation, rather than in the secondary.

I was going to post this question when I got ready to try the double dry hopped version, but I'll ask it now since I've gone this far. If you were adding pellet hops to an actively fermenting beer (like 10 ounces of hops), would you just dump them in or would you try to bag them? I use a Big Mouth Bubbler for a secondary, and I have one of their Depth Charge attachments, so I've never had to worry about bagging my hops when I add them to the secondary. If I add the hops in the primary, I think I'll still transfer to a secondary to let it clear more. This beer has a great clear look to it, right from the first glass, and I want to be sure I keep that.
 
Yeah, I can pull a decent selection from the local spots, so if anyone wants something let me know.
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That's really nice.
I was in working Tracy, California a couple of years ago for a week, and regret not driving over to Russian River.
If you ever go to Tracy, stop by Morgan Territory Brewing, they had a triple IPA, Menace 2 Sobriety, that was supposed to be 340 IBUs, it was mighty tasty. They also had a rye saison that I enjoyed as well.
There's no beer for sale on the island where I work, so if I don't bring it or ship it, I don't have any.
I buy up about as much as I can fit in my luggage, weight wise, before I come out each time.

Another fellow out here has been brewing some kits and is getting better, and he likes to share it, so that helps.

And a friend of mine is shipping out an all-in-one system, either a Grainfather or a Klarstein Maischfest and we will start brewing together when the equipment gets here. I have brought all of the equipment we need to set up a kegerator from an old fridge, we will have three taps through the door. So I will have beer that I brewed soon.

I have a dedicated brew area at home and a three tier system there, where I would brew ten gallons at a time.
 
I was going to post this question when I got ready to try the double dry hopped version, but I'll ask it now since I've gone this far. If you were adding pellet hops to an actively fermenting beer (like 10 ounces of hops), would you just dump them in or would you try to bag them?


I would just dump them in.
 
I started brewing the Plinian Legacy kit from Northern Brewer years ago and I've kept it on tap constantly ever since. I've never had the opportunity to try Pliny, but I love the IPA these kits produce. In fact, when I get IPA drinkers over, I usually have a hard time getting them to try anything else - all they want to do is drink the Pliny clone.

Northern Brewer has recently come out with a limited edition kit for a double dry hopped version - to match the one introduced by Russian River last year. I intend to brew that one when my current keg starts running low. It's the same recipe as their regular kit, except the dry hop amounts are doubled, and they are added in the primary during active fermentation, rather than in the secondary.

I was going to post this question when I got ready to try the double dry hopped version, but I'll ask it now since I've gone this far. If you were adding pellet hops to an actively fermenting beer (like 10 ounces of hops), would you just dump them in or would you try to bag them? I use a Big Mouth Bubbler for a secondary, and I have one of their Depth Charge attachments, so I've never had to worry about bagging my hops when I add them to the secondary. If I add the hops in the primary, I think I'll still transfer to a secondary to let it clear more. This beer has a great clear look to it, right from the first glass, and I want to be sure I keep that.
I just kegged a Pliney clone from More Beer and I just tossed in the 5 ounces for dry hopping (which the recipe called for) into the primary (I don't use a secondary) on day 9, and then cold crashed and kegged on day 14. I use a floating dip tube for a no oxygen transfer from the Fermonster (thank you Dgallo!) and the samples look pretty clear.
 
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