Russian River Pliny

Last weekend at San Diego Brewing Company, I had the pleasure of having a pint of Russian River's Pliny the Younger. (11.0% abv, pictured)

Pliny the Younger is a very limited release Double IPA by Russian River. San Diego Brewing Co only got one keg into their brewpub, and it was rumored that all of SoCal got only 20 kegs.

This beer was a beautiful bright pale color in the pint glass. Lots of piny and citrusy floral notes in the powerful aroma. Flavorwise it was beer nirvana: lots of clean, strong hoppy flavor with only a bit of bitterness. Complex but drinkable, delicious and wonderfully enjoyable.

I actually prefer their more common Pliny the Elder (8.0% abv), which is very similar but a slightly milder verson of the same Double IPA style. These are two amazing beers by an amazing brewery, a must have if you ever see it on tap. You cannot go wrong either way.

I also want to mention what a great beer joint the San Diego Brewing Co is, where I enjoyed my pint of Pliny the Younger along with many other great beers over the course of many visits. This brewpub is located on Friars Road in the Mission Valley neighborhood of San Diego, a bit east of Qualcomm Stadium. It has been around for over 15 years. They brew several house beers on premises, including a fantastic Amber Ale and their popular Hopnotic IPA. Their house beers are very rich and well crafted, and they are able to hold their own in comparison to the other great (mostly local) microbrews that are on tap. In all, there are over 30 constantly rotating taps to try as well some very good bar food. SDBC is a great place to have a beer, watch some sports, and chat with great people. Highly recommended.

Pliny the Younger:

Pliny the Elder:
San Diego Brewing Co:
Russian River Brewing: http://www.russianriverbrewing.com/
San Diego Brewing Co: http://www.sandiegobrewing.com/