Pliny the Elder
- 🍺 Style: Iconic West Coast Double IPA (Imperial IPA)
- 📊 ABV & IBU: 8.0% ABV – 100 IBU
- 🌑 Appearance: Golden amber, clear, topped with a persistent white head
- 👃 Aroma: Burst of grapefruit, citrus, resinous pine, floral and fruity notes (mango, pineapple)
- 👅 Flavor: Sharp, bitter attack (citrus, pine), balanced by a light malt base, silky texture
- 🔥 Finish: Dry, long, with grapefruit and lingering hop bitterness
- ⚗️ Brewing Method: Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus and Simcoe hops; progressive and dry hopping; pale malts with very little caramel
- 🏅 Reputation: Awarded at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup; long ranked among the world’s best beers (BeerAdvocate, RateBeer)
- 📖 History: Created in 2000 by Vinnie Cilurzo, named in tribute to Pliny the Elder, pioneer who first described hops in Antiquity
- ⭐ UNTAPPD Rating: 4.49 / 5 (→ here)
Pliny the Elder (Russian River): history, brewing, tasting, and reputation
Introduction
Originating from Russian River Brewing Company in California, Pliny the Elder is often cited as the benchmark Double IPA. According to many experts, “the answer can only be the famous Pliny the Elder by the brilliant Vinnie Cilurzo.” Inspired by an ancient volume on hops, this strong beer (8.0% ABV) with its generous bitterness (≈100 IBU) has become the flagship of the brewery.
History of Pliny the Elder
Vinnie Cilurzo, co-founder of Russian River, comes from a Californian winemaking family and is passionate about craft beer. After running Blind Pig Brewing (Temecula, California) in the 1990s, he joined Russian River in Santa Rosa in 2003. The idea for Pliny the Elder emerged in 2000, during a festival dedicated to Double IPAs organized by Vinnie’s friend Vic Kralj. Several brewers were invited to create a unique DIPA, and Vinnie seized the opportunity to finalize his own recipe.
The name was inspired by historical research: Pliny the Elder (died 79 AD) described hops under the name lupus salictarius (“wolf among the willows”) in his Naturalis Historia, making him a pioneer in hop documentation. Ironically, Pliny perished during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius while studying plants.
Pliny the Elder quickly rose to prominence. It “has now become one of our flagship beers” at Russian River. Building on its success, it inspired a younger sibling, Pliny the Younger—a Triple IPA at 10%—served annually at the Santa Rosa brewpub. Together, these beers cemented Vinnie Cilurzo’s reputation as “one of the most renowned and inventive brewers on the planet.”
Brewing method and ingredients
Pliny the Elder is brewed in the Double IPA (Imperial IPA) style—“full-bodied, hop-forward.” Its main technical features are:
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Style: Californian Double IPA, golden amber, fermented with ale yeast (top-fermenting), about 8.0% ABV with ~100 IBU bitterness.
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Hops: Exclusively top American varieties—Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus (CTZ), and Simcoe. These provide the hallmark resinous and fruity notes (citrus, pine, grapefruit).
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Malts: Pale malt base (pilsner/amber), with very little caramel malt (around 3–4%). Vinnie limits darker malts to keep the hops at the forefront.
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Hopping: Heavy and progressive. A light malt bill and late additions (whirlpool plus multiple dry hoppings) maximize hop aroma. A “Double Dry-Hopped” version, released in 2021, pushed the fruity and resinous dimension even further.
Despite its 100 IBU, Pliny remains remarkably balanced. The brewery notes it is brewed “in a well-balanced way between malt, hops, and alcohol,” with “a slight bitterness” and a fresh floral/citrus/woody aroma. In practice, the hop bitterness is strong yet highly controlled: even with a rich and powerful wort, the beer is so well-crafted that it is known for being very drinkable. As one reviewer puts it, at 8% ABV “there is almost no trace of alcohol,” and this Imperial IPA shows “exceptional harmony and smoothness.” Russian River also emphasizes drinking it very fresh: each bottle is labeled with its bottling date, as hop freshness is crucial.
Detailed tasting profile
On the nose, Pliny the Elder reveals an explosive bouquet: citrus aromas (grapefruit, lemon), tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), and a touch of resinous pine. A subtle floral lift and a hint of sweet spice round out the palette.
On the palate, the attack is sharp: fruity bitterness (especially grapefruit) balances with a slight malt sweetness, giving the beer a velvety texture. The body carries alcohol fully yet feels light and silky. Bitterness is assertive and persistent—essentially a “grapefruit attack”—but never harsh.
The finish is dry and extended: bitterness and citrus (grapefruit note) linger, leaving the palate clean and encouraging another sip. Tasters value this sensation, often describing Pliny as “one of the most balanced IPAs on the market.”
In short, its aromatic profile is hop-driven: citrus and pine lead, underpinned by tropical fruit and a faint floral note.
Reputation and reviews
Pliny the Elder enjoys an almost mythical reputation in the craft beer world. It has earned numerous accolades, including gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. In rankings, it regularly rises to the top: on BeerAdvocate, it sits in the global Top 25 beers (score 4.64/5), while RateBeer long awarded it a perfect 100/100.
Press and critics also add to the praise: one writer notes that upon opening Pliny, “you are immediately struck by a powerful citrus aroma,” and that its hop/malt balance “fully lives up to its reputation.” A blogger highlights its “incredible drinkability,” with 8% alcohol and no astringency, underlining how finely “balanced and ultra-smooth” this beer is.
Among enthusiasts, Pliny the Elder has become a cult beer. Its limited distribution (always fresh) and the difficulty of finding it outside California fuel its legend. It often serves as a benchmark, compared to other “historic” IPAs (such as Heady Topper or Julius) to highlight the extreme clarity and precision of the West Coast style it embodies. In any case, it is unanimously praised for pushing the boundaries of the contemporary IPA style, setting a new standard for hop intensity and balance.
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