I’ve known about Pliny the Elder for a long time. In fact, I wrote about it on my foodie bucket list post a few years ago. I like IPAs and I had looked up the best in the world. I saw Pliny won lots of awards, and people seemed to have formed a cult following around this limited beer, similar to how I saw local Austinites hyping Jester King Brewery releases. That was the extent of it really. People said it was one of the best IPAs and I wanted to try it one day.
When we were planning the Napa trip, I thought maybe it would be my chance. Russian River Brewing, located in Santa Rosa and about an hour from Napa, is distributed in California, so maybe I could find Pliny the Elder at a local bottle shop. Since this trip would be all about my friend’s birthday, I wouldn’t make it a quest (hello, type A trip planner here), but I’d be pretty happy if the stars aligned.
The first day, we walked to a nearby Whole Foods to pick up some snacks and I walked by the beer coolers, just in case…YES there it was! I casually (probably not casually) brought this up to our group and we bought four bottles to start. There was a lot of wine in our future after all.
Pliny the Elder, the Roman author, and philosopher, is thought to be the first person who referenced hops in this writing. Pliny the Elder, the beer, is named after this first hops enthusiast. Rightly so, as the beer is a double IPA with four kinds of hops. It really is one of the best beers I’ve ever had. This beer is hoppy yet refreshing and very approachable for being a double IPA. The balanced flavors of pine, citrus, and floral are well-blended.
After enjoying our first sips of Pliny the Elder in the hot tub at our house, we took a road trip a few days later to visit its birthplace – Russian River Brewing. We were able to try many of their beers on tap, including Blind Pig (another of their flagship beers) and Pliny for President (a dry-hopped limited release). Their special releases and marketing may have helped drive their popularity, but at the foundation is an excellent beer worthy of praise.
It’s satisfying and surreal to have experienced something you’ve thought about for so long. But I’m also left wondering, did I drink the best beer I’ll ever have? The good thing is, there is a lot of fantastic beer out there, so I’ll keep tasting, just to make sure. 😉
P.S. If you can’t get any Pliny the Elder, here are some hoppy beers you could find in a store near you:
- Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
- Lone Pint Brewery’s Yellow Rose
- 4th Tap’s Stay Gold
- IPAs from Pinthouse and Zilker Brewing
P.P.S. Looking for more posts about beer? See my Ultimate Austin Brewery Guide or my experience with an Italian brewery.
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