Beer Adventure: Pliny the Younger!!!

About a month ago, my friend Garrett approached me to see if I’d be available to take a road trip to Santa Rosa to be there for the first day of pours for Pliny the Younger. He had a friend that had come up with the idea, and there was one more space in the car. It sounded like a great idea, so I agreed to go.

I had introduced Garrett to Pliny the Elder and we are both huge fans. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Pliny the Elder is the signature beer from Russian River Brewing out of Santa Rosa. They are a small operation and have a limited distribution. There are very few beer sellers nearby that carry it and most of them put a limit on the number of bottles that any one person can purchase per day. Most places only get shipments once per month, and it disappears quickly. It is a double-IPA and is generally regarded as one of the best beers in the US, if not the world, and rightly so.

Pliny the Younger is a triple-IPA; very rare and difficult to produce. Russian River only produces a limited amount once per year, and it is generally gone in about 2 weeks.

So, the prospect of a beer trip to Santa Rosa sounded great. However, in order to get there at a reasonable time, meant leaving at 4:00am. When I heard that, I resolved not to go. I can handle most types of discomfort or inconvenience for beer, but getting up before 7:00 is like Kryptonite to me – my one fatal weakness. So, I said, “have fun.” OK, I used stronger language, but this is, after all, a family blog. More or less. Anyway,after a few hours, I steeled myself, and reconsidered.

So, the day finally came and the theoretical 3:30 wakeup became a reality. But, the anticipation was amazing. It was like Christmas Eve. So, while I didn’t sleep much, I bounced out of bed and got up and ready quickly. We made it up to Santa Rosa and were in line by 6:00.

I don’t think I’d realized how dark it still was at that time in the morning. Or how cold it was going to be. And, what was worst was that as the sun began to emerge, it began burning off the fog, but as the fog cover disappeared, it initially grew colder until the sun rose above the building across the street. But, we had all brought chairs and there was a Peet’s Coffee nearby. While we sat there in the dark, a car rolled up and a guy got out to take our picture for Ratebeer.com (turns out it was Mario Rubio, who writes for ratebeer and has a very good blog – well worth following and “like-ing” on Facebook). He then wisely left to get out of the cold.

(this is us from left to right: Garrett, me, Joe, and Kelly; photo by Mario; here's a link to his description of the morning: http://www.brewedforthought.com/?p=5161 )

Around 7:00 the line began to grow. OK, two more guys showed up. But we had chairs and they did not. We were first in line, and they were not. So, much smug self-satisfaction on our parts.  As the sun came up, the line began to grow in earnest. By 10:00 it was down the block and there were several hundred people. The couple that owns the brewery came out and took pictures and thanked everyone for coming out to the opening. They brought out doughnuts and coffee, but by then it was so close to the opening that I didn’t want to eat anything.

And then, at 10:30, the doors opened. We found a table to our liking and ordered food and beer. Four Pliny the Youngers. The first available to customers. So, the beer was extra tasty.

If you have not had anything from Russian River, it is well worth the trip. I’d go for fresh Pliny the Elder, but their other offerings are equally amazing. They specialize in a line of Belgian beers, several of them sours. While the Temptation is probably my favorite (sour based on a blonde ale), I also was enthralled by the Consecration.

Russian River also has great pizza. I hadn’t known this going in, but they do. And the Pliny Bites are quite tasty as well (basically wood fired thin pizza crust with cheese and jalapenos, cut into bite-sized slices).

Talking to other beer enthusiasts is also part of the experience. There were numerous people from distant parts of the state and from across the country and even around the world (well, there was at least one guy from Australia and a guy who was American, but he did have a German accent, so I’m counting him as well). We spent much of the time in line talking beer with a guy (Dwayne?) from Pennsylvania. He told tales of the early days of Dogfish Head, so the time passed quickly.

If you get the chance to go and visit, I highly recommend.

UPDATE: OK, so, I neglected to discuss the actual experience of drinking Pliny itself. Quite the oversight on my part. Anyway, here are my thoughts:

This is a beautiful beer. Dark golden almost orange color. Floral hoppy aroma. Floral slightly bitter start. Very smooth. You’d never know it has about 11% ABV. Very well balanced. Sweet and floral with a mild bitterness that grows increasingly powerful and builds to crescendo; then backs off for a smooth finish. Simply amazingly well crafted

For those who are unfamiliar with the Pliny series, the Elder is a Double IPA, basically a very hoppy, bright, fruity, sunny taste. The Younger is a Triple --apparently more difficult to craft, higher in alcohol, and therefore more difficult to balance the hops and malt.

The name comes from a couple of historical Roman figures. Pliny the Elder reportedly was heroic in saving a number of people in Pompeii from the lava flow descending on the city from Mt. Vesuvius. Not sure why Russian River chose the name, but somehow it works.