(Pliny the Younger Review -- 2016 Release)
(Pliny the Younger Review -- 2017 Release)
(Pliny the Younger Review -- 2018 Release)
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| Pliny the Younger at Higgins Restaurant 2/20/2019 |
Beer Name: Pliny the Younger
Brewery: Russian River Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa, CA)
ABV: 10.25%
How sold: Only available on draft.
Where bought: Higgins Restaurant (Portland, OR)
Roscoe's (Portland, OR)
Side Street Tavern (Portland, OR)
N.W.I.P.A. (Portland, OR)
Price: $11.00 for a 9 oz pour (Higgins)
$7.00 for a 10 oz pour (Roscoe's)
$8.00 for a 10 oz pour (Side Street Tavern)
$5.00 for a 6 oz pour (N.W.I.P.A.)
Date Kegged: February 1, 2019
Date Tapped/Drank: February 20, 2019 (Higgins)
February 25, 2019 (Roscoe's)
February 28, 2019 (Side Street Tavern)
March 2, 2019 (N.W.I.P.A.)
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| 10 oz pour at Roscoes on 2/25/2019 |
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| Roscoe's taplist on 2/25/2019 around 5:30 PM (Pliny the Younger tapped at 5 PM) |
What's on the Website: "Pliny the Younger, the man, was Pliny the Elder's nephew and adopted son. They lived nearly 2,000 years ago! Pliny the Elder is our Double IPA, so we felt it was fitting to name our Triple IPA after his son. It is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular I.P.A. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make. And that is why we don't make it more often! This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth." Click here for more!
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| Side Street Tavern tapped PtY at 7 PM on 2/28/2019 |
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| #1 placeholder ticket. That won't happen every day.... |
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| 10 oz pout at Side Street Tavern on 2/28/2019 |
When brewed? Seasonal beer. Only released in February. Places in Portland lucky to get a keg of this will usually get it by late February and tap it right away.
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| N.W.I.P.A. Triple IPA Fest 3/2/2019 |
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| 6 oz pour at N.W.I.P.A. for $5 (gold token gets you one pour) |
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| The beer kicked in less than two hours and no one got a second pour, so they likely only had 1/6 bbl |
Where distributed: Russian River
****UPDATE: Russian River now bottles Pliny the Younger during its seasonal release. Not sure offhand, but I believe the COVID-19 pandemic had something to do with this.
Portland usually taps their kegs of Pliny the Younger in the last two weeks of February.
In 2019, Russian River made a larger batch of Pliny the Younger, so some places were lucky to get more than one keg, and others who may have had a 1/6 keg last year could get a 1/2 keg this year. Usually it depends on the individual account.
Places in Portland that tapped Pliny the Younger in 2019 can be found here.
Smell (25%): Balanced, complementing malt with berry or sweet tropical experience. No octane. 4.75/5
Taste (40%): Follows the nose, with more of the berry and/or sweet tropical increasing towards the aftertaste. Bitterness masterfully held in check. Slight octane. The pour I got from Roscoe's and Side Street Tavern hid the octane much better and showcased more malt-tropical balance. the pour from N.W.I.P.A. had slight octane just like Higgins, but also more grapefruit from start to finish. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Fairly juicy for a West Coast IPA. Sweet tropical lingers in a good way. 4.5/5
Overall (20%): An outstanding Triple IPA. My fifth consecutive year having Pliny the Younger, and I realize how lucky I am to be having his multiple years, let alone once. I decided to go all out this year, getting to as many places as I could. A record four spots in 2019.
In five years, my experience at Higgins was the first time that I got the very first pour out of the keg; the server there told me so. The beer tapped at precisely 8 PM, and I got my glass at 8:01. That said, the major downside was getting it at an expensive restaurant. The $11 glass here was by far the most expensive of all four pours. I did not see any sign limiting orders of Pliny.
Roscoe's had a fair share of people by the time Pliny went on at 5 PM. That said, it was a controlled atmosphere where not everyone clamored for a pour at once. There also was no limit to how many you could get. To the best of my knowledge, Roscoe's keg lasted well into the night and may have survived to the next day.
Side Street Tavern gradually filled up before Pliny tapped precisely at 7 PM. When I got there at about 6:15, I asked if they were selling tickets like in 2018. I was told no; it would be first-come, first-served. Sometime after that, I assume they changed their minds and handed out placeholder tickets like last year. I had a seat at the end of the bar, where they happened to start handing out tickets. Hence I got ticket #1. In the two hours I was there, everyone who wanted Pliny got a ticket and got a glass. I doubt their keg survived the night, though.
At N.W.I.P.A., their small keg didn't last two hours. Two big reasons why: (1) it was held on a weekend; and (2) a few days' advance notice was given that Pliny would be on tap. I would say the first 75-80 people who got tickets got a pour. The keg tapped at 2 PM and last call was around 3:45.
I think this year was a very slight dip in quality from the past three years; more noticeable octane this time (at least from the one at Higgins and N.W.I.P.A.). But the aroma and flavors were otherwise identical. I also detected a bit more grapefruit in the N.W.I.P.A. pour.
I reiterate what I said last year, that more breweries will show up with incredible beers, making Pliny the Younger feel even more overrated. And certainly, the higher price (as compared to other Triple IPAs being sold) is tough for people to justify the purchase as more beers become available. But Pliny the Younger is still delicious, and still a well-crafted beer. Many other Triple IPAs I have had don't mask the octane nearly as well. I figure it's better to be considered overrated than not considered at all.
While people showed up en masse for Pliny the Younger again in 2019, it wasn't a complete madhouse like Apex's event in 2015-16, likely because most places in Portland will now tap the beer on a weekday with little fanfare.
While I didn't get a glass at Belmont Station, I was told their keg lasted upwards of six hours before kicking. Much longer than I would have expected. And that's also with no limits on ordering.
PRO TIP: If you can find a place with both Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger at the same time (i.e. Side Street Tavern), the panda says go for it - but drink responsibly. 4.5/5
Final Weighted Rating: 4.563/5
Portland usually taps their kegs of Pliny the Younger in the last two weeks of February.
In 2019, Russian River made a larger batch of Pliny the Younger, so some places were lucky to get more than one keg, and others who may have had a 1/6 keg last year could get a 1/2 keg this year. Usually it depends on the individual account.
Places in Portland that tapped Pliny the Younger in 2019 can be found here.
REVIEW:
Appearance (5%): Poured clear golden into a goblet or tulip glass. White head. Wonderful lacing. 4.5/5Smell (25%): Balanced, complementing malt with berry or sweet tropical experience. No octane. 4.75/5
Taste (40%): Follows the nose, with more of the berry and/or sweet tropical increasing towards the aftertaste. Bitterness masterfully held in check. Slight octane. The pour I got from Roscoe's and Side Street Tavern hid the octane much better and showcased more malt-tropical balance. the pour from N.W.I.P.A. had slight octane just like Higgins, but also more grapefruit from start to finish. 4.5/5
Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-bodied, good carbonation. Fairly juicy for a West Coast IPA. Sweet tropical lingers in a good way. 4.5/5
Overall (20%): An outstanding Triple IPA. My fifth consecutive year having Pliny the Younger, and I realize how lucky I am to be having his multiple years, let alone once. I decided to go all out this year, getting to as many places as I could. A record four spots in 2019.
In five years, my experience at Higgins was the first time that I got the very first pour out of the keg; the server there told me so. The beer tapped at precisely 8 PM, and I got my glass at 8:01. That said, the major downside was getting it at an expensive restaurant. The $11 glass here was by far the most expensive of all four pours. I did not see any sign limiting orders of Pliny.
Roscoe's had a fair share of people by the time Pliny went on at 5 PM. That said, it was a controlled atmosphere where not everyone clamored for a pour at once. There also was no limit to how many you could get. To the best of my knowledge, Roscoe's keg lasted well into the night and may have survived to the next day.
Side Street Tavern gradually filled up before Pliny tapped precisely at 7 PM. When I got there at about 6:15, I asked if they were selling tickets like in 2018. I was told no; it would be first-come, first-served. Sometime after that, I assume they changed their minds and handed out placeholder tickets like last year. I had a seat at the end of the bar, where they happened to start handing out tickets. Hence I got ticket #1. In the two hours I was there, everyone who wanted Pliny got a ticket and got a glass. I doubt their keg survived the night, though.
At N.W.I.P.A., their small keg didn't last two hours. Two big reasons why: (1) it was held on a weekend; and (2) a few days' advance notice was given that Pliny would be on tap. I would say the first 75-80 people who got tickets got a pour. The keg tapped at 2 PM and last call was around 3:45.
I think this year was a very slight dip in quality from the past three years; more noticeable octane this time (at least from the one at Higgins and N.W.I.P.A.). But the aroma and flavors were otherwise identical. I also detected a bit more grapefruit in the N.W.I.P.A. pour.
I reiterate what I said last year, that more breweries will show up with incredible beers, making Pliny the Younger feel even more overrated. And certainly, the higher price (as compared to other Triple IPAs being sold) is tough for people to justify the purchase as more beers become available. But Pliny the Younger is still delicious, and still a well-crafted beer. Many other Triple IPAs I have had don't mask the octane nearly as well. I figure it's better to be considered overrated than not considered at all.
While people showed up en masse for Pliny the Younger again in 2019, it wasn't a complete madhouse like Apex's event in 2015-16, likely because most places in Portland will now tap the beer on a weekday with little fanfare.
While I didn't get a glass at Belmont Station, I was told their keg lasted upwards of six hours before kicking. Much longer than I would have expected. And that's also with no limits on ordering.
PRO TIP: If you can find a place with both Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger at the same time (i.e. Side Street Tavern), the panda says go for it - but drink responsibly. 4.5/5
Final Weighted Rating: 4.563/5
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