Fuck man. This beer was the first craft brew I ever had. I went to college in the OC, and when I wasn't punching surfer bros in the fucking face and shredding my gnar, I was in the UC Irvine Anteater Pub drinking a Pliny the Elder and scarfing down some sweet potato fries. This was my college experience:
Emo.
Anyways, in breaks between listening to "The Academy Is" and sobbing to "Panic! At the Disco" I was a budding beer geek with a Classical appreciation of this liquid nectar.
In college I was a Classics Major. Do you know what that means? I deliberately chose a major that, by its definition, wouldn't be relevant to anything in the modern world. I was like a college aged Gwyneth Paltrow in Hook: Tied to the past, thoroughly modern in the present, and destined to be an old ass looking Maggie Smith. To be honest, the only reason I chose to buy a draft of Pliny was that I was writing a thesis on him and Columella and how they wrote about wine consumption in Ancient Rome. Actually the thesis title was "Social Implications of Wine Consumption in Ancient Rome". It was a fucking great thesis. It taught me that Romans used to never just drink wine, no, they had to go and mix it with hot water and honey, creating a Calistoga spa elixir of opulence inside your mouth. It probably tasted like butt, however, people loved it.
Anyways, in breaks between listening to "The Academy Is" and sobbing to "Panic! At the Disco" I was a budding beer geek with a Classical appreciation of this liquid nectar.
In college I was a Classics Major. Do you know what that means? I deliberately chose a major that, by its definition, wouldn't be relevant to anything in the modern world. I was like a college aged Gwyneth Paltrow in Hook: Tied to the past, thoroughly modern in the present, and destined to be an old ass looking Maggie Smith. To be honest, the only reason I chose to buy a draft of Pliny was that I was writing a thesis on him and Columella and how they wrote about wine consumption in Ancient Rome. Actually the thesis title was "Social Implications of Wine Consumption in Ancient Rome". It was a fucking great thesis. It taught me that Romans used to never just drink wine, no, they had to go and mix it with hot water and honey, creating a Calistoga spa elixir of opulence inside your mouth. It probably tasted like butt, however, people loved it.
Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as "Pliny the Elder" was a Roman naturalist and wrote the model for all future encyclopedias when he described the natural world around him and sought to name everything he could. He's the original internet guy going around on comments and writing "FIRST", except he's fucking cool and ancient and not a super douche. He was an agriculturist, was one of the first to describe hops, and died in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius helping people on the beaches of Naples. What a fucking Elder. Also, he adopted Pliny the Younger, who was originally his nephew, which just sounds like the ultimate power move in a family. Anyways, Pliny the Elder and Columella, who laid the groundwork for an author like Pliny, were the first Roman agricultural-natural philosophers and set the stage for all the important biological writings about nature that took place for the next couple thousand years. Sweet. Where does that bring us today?
Russian River brewery looked up the first word for hops, discovered that Plinius Secundus was the one who wrote it down, so they honored him with the name of their new beer. End of story? No. Russian River entered a double IPA competition in Hayward, which is kind of like entering an Oakland sideshow competition except Bub Rub and Lil' Sis aren't there, and won the whole thing. This was in 2000 when Double IPAs weren't the hipster creme freche that they are today. Since then, the Double IPA is a flagship. The IPA above 7 percent is ubiquitous. You have to have one if you're a brewer who wants to appeal to a broad market these days. Pliny the Elder is to thank for that (the beer not the Roman). Also, Pliny the Elder (the philosopher) is pronounced "Plin-knee the Elder", Pliny the Elder (the beer) is pronounced "Ply-knee the Elder". Yes, the beer pronunciation is 100 percent wrong in terms of the person but who gives a shit? British people pronounce shit wrong all the fucking time! Whatever.
Anyways, Pliny the Elder (the beer) is a revolution. Yes, I'm going to stand in line at Russian River brewery. Yes, I'm going to rate this beer five stars on Untappd. Yes, I'm going to go to ridiculous lengths to do a beer trade for this beer. It's great, it's historic, it's epic. Are there beers out there that are just as good? Of course there fucking are. Jesus. But this is one to try. It's historic. You don't watch Blade Runner and think, yeah I get it. You watch Blade Runner and think, I can't believe how many Sci-Fi movies since then use the same metaphors/ideas/mis-en-scene/filming style, etc. Just drink it fucking fresh.
Anyways, Pliny the Elder (the beer) is a revolution. Yes, I'm going to stand in line at Russian River brewery. Yes, I'm going to rate this beer five stars on Untappd. Yes, I'm going to go to ridiculous lengths to do a beer trade for this beer. It's great, it's historic, it's epic. Are there beers out there that are just as good? Of course there fucking are. Jesus. But this is one to try. It's historic. You don't watch Blade Runner and think, yeah I get it. You watch Blade Runner and think, I can't believe how many Sci-Fi movies since then use the same metaphors/ideas/mis-en-scene/filming style, etc. Just drink it fucking fresh.
Nose: PNW Hops. Grapefruit and some tropical notes
Body: Extremely light and dry. A vehicle for hops.
Mouth: This is a fantastic beer. Dry but so deliciously hoppy. Hops are very present but don't drown out the malt. Medium-bodied, straw-colored, dangerously (8.0 abv) drinkable.
Body: Extremely light and dry. A vehicle for hops.
Mouth: This is a fantastic beer. Dry but so deliciously hoppy. Hops are very present but don't drown out the malt. Medium-bodied, straw-colored, dangerously (8.0 abv) drinkable.
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