Russian River Pliny the Elder

A bottle courtesy of Jeremy, once again, what a heck of a guy. (Hmmm, is he bribing me or buttering me up for some ulterior motivation?)
I've only had a few of these in bottles before, and didn't take notes, because I knew I'd reviewed it years ago. Before going any further, let's look at the label. Russian River was warning people against aging hoppy beers long before Surly did so with Wet. Here's a taste of that:

"If you must sit, sit on eggs, not on Pliny! Do not save for a rainy day! Pliny is for savoring, not for saving! Consume Pliny Fresh or not at all! Does not improve with age! Hoppy beers are not meant to be aged!Keep Away from Heat! Respect your Elder: Keep cold, drink fresh, do not age! Pliny the Elder is a historical figure, don't make the beer inside this bottle one! Not barleywine, do not age! Age your cheese, not your Pliny! Respect hops, consume fresh!"

We're not done yet…

" "Pliny the Elder, born in 23 A.D., was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer and writer. Pliny and his contemporaries created the original botanical name for hops, "Lupus Salactarius", meaning "wolf among scrubs." Hop vines at that time grew wild among willows, likened to wolves roaming wild in the forest. Pliny the Elder died in 79 A.D. while saving people during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. This beer is an homage to the man who discovered hops and died while being humanitarian. "

Wait, there's more!

"Unlike many Russian River Brewing Company beers, which are agreeable, the beer inside this bottle is meant to be consumed fresh. Keep Pliny the Elder refrigerated and consume fresh to experience the explosive hop character."

I don't know how old this bottle is, but there was explosive hop character aplenty, just like when I had my first glass on tap at O'Briens Pub in San Diego, the Hoppiest Place on Earth, way back in December, 2004. This was one of those legendary brews I'd heard that I had to have, and as soon as I saw it on the chalkboard, I got my glass and found a little spot, excused myself from my friends, and jotted down some words.

"This will be a bare bones review, based on brief jottings made in the noisy environs of O'Brien's pub, in the company of others, but tingling with the excitement of tasting this much anticipated ale, trying my best to capture the experience. When they bottle this nectar, I'll attempt again to encapsulate it's wonder.
Orange is the color, head is white, full, fresh.
Nose is lovely, floral, fruity, just absolutely aburst with pineapple, peach, grapefruit, tons of citrus...absolutely excellent!
Mouthfeel is slick and run over with hop oils. Taste is exhilirating, a blast of hops on the tongue, medium bodied, with a long, sticky, citric finish, and an utterly tangy texture. This seemed to fulfill whatever desires I'd need in a Double IPA, though the 8% abv didn't really make a dent in me...(or did it?)...this was one of the must-try's of my recent California visit, and I had several more samples on the next two days at the Strong Ale Fest just to be sure of it's worthiness. Yes. Yes, indeed. Very much so, and then some.
I'm in twitchin' anticipation for the day their bottling line runs, then this cult IPA can get even better recognition in the world at large!"

Those notes will stand, because it's just as amazing, even now that it's reputation has been dwarfed by it's bigger brother (son?), Pliny the Younger. That one is only on tap or growlers (which is how I've had it, haven't been back to California since...but now that I think of it, what a great idea!), and ranks in at 14% a.b.v., and has a deserved reputation among hop-addicted beer geeks.