Some beers are famous. Pliny the Elder is the reason an entire style exists. Russian River’s double IPA, first brewed in 1999, basically wrote the blueprint for the American double IPA, and it is still the benchmark everything else gets measured against.

The basics

• Brewery: Russian River Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa, CA)
• Style: Double IPA
• ABV: 8.0%
• IBU: 100

What to expect

Pliny pours a brilliant, clear gold with a dense white head that leaves lacing all the way down the glass. The hop bill is a classic lineup: Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe. The aroma is all grapefruit and pine, with deeper pulls revealing pineapple, peach, and mango.

What separates Pliny from the sea of imitators is balance. Yes, it is bitter, but the bitterness is clean and precise rather than punishing. The malt body is dry and slender, just enough to carry the hops without getting in their way. Lightly sweet malts warm into citrus pith and orange zest on the finish. For an 8% double IPA, it drinks dangerously smooth, which is exactly why the bottle tells you to drink it fresh.

Our rating

9.0/10

Rated by Alex (9). That score says it all. This is a bucket-list beer for a reason. If you have never had it fresh, you have never really had it.