Russian River's Pliny the Elder

There are some beers with so much hype behind them it makes me skeptical. I am one of those guys who watched Donnie Darko after the hype and because of that it just didn't meet my expectations. Sure, it was interesting, but it didn't live up to my pumped up expectations. So when I completed my first beer trade for some Pliny the Elder, I was afraid I would feel similarly let down. Not even close.

Pliny pours a very light gold for the style, but it was clear with a two finger white head. I insisted on putting this legendary IPA in my IPA glass. I knew I had something special just by smelling this beer. Fresh citrus and pine notes hit the nose and foreshadow the taste to come. The taste encompasses all that I want from a hoppy, double IPA. Nice, light malts hit the tongue first. The taste smoothly flows into citrus hops and follow through with a nice, light bitter tinge. The light lacing wraps this beautiful brew up until the end. I can tell Russian River really took their time to take all the things we love about double IPAs and perfected them. I have had beers that have wowed me before, but this one is just exactly what I never knew I was craving. Unfortunately not readily available on the East Coast, I will share my second bottle with a friend, and keep my eyes out for another opportunity to get some more. This is a statement I do not take lightly: This is my favorite IPA thus far; perhaps my favorite beer all together...