Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder American Double / Imperial IPA at 8% ABV | 100 IBU (US$5.45 at Russian River Brewing Company, 510 ml, packaged on 7-Jun-2017, acquired 18-Jun-2017, reviewed 20-Jun-2017)
Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy white head diminishing gradually to a thin skim, moderate lacing. (3/5) Aroma: dank resiny pine, pithy citrus, caramel malt, floral. (9/10) Taste: moderate sweet, high bitter. (10/10) Medium oily body, moderate-soft carbonation, off-dry lingering massive bitter and warming finish. (5/5)
I feel like I should’ve had a drum roll for this. You could be forgiven for thinking it’s impossible for any beer to live up to the hype surrounding this thing, despite the fact that Bell’s Two-Hearted just beat it out as the best beer in the US. (By the way? No way! Two-Hearted was a 7.5/10 for me. But I digress…) And initially, I started to feel like maybe, just maybe, it doesn’t live up to the hype. Except then it pretty much did. This is a beast of a beer, with huge, palate-wrecking bitterness that just leaves you wanting more even as it scours the first few layers of skin off your mouth and esophagus. Then the ABV starts to make itself known, numbing the pain and inviting another sip. It’s not perfect – I’d really like to see better head retention and lacing; and the aroma, though not muted, is just a little milder than I think it should be – but it’ll do until perfect comes along. (18/20)
My 239th from the 2010 Edition of 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, 228th from the 2013 edition, and 251st combining both editions.
9/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
