Pliny the Elder,
I really wanted my first post to be about drinking this beer. Instead it will be about how much I want to drink this beer. I've met few peoples who've had the good fortune of drinking Pliny, the Double IPA from Russian River. Besides the select few (one of which went to California just to get Pliny from the Russian River Brewery), I know of it only by legend, and because of lucky ducks from California who've posted their love of the brew here.
My search for this beer started long ago, but it only got serious in the past couple weeks. I've heard tell that West End Tavern occasionally gets it on tap so I started there...
Silas [to West End]: Hi, I saw on your website you might get Pliny the Elder on tap soon.
West End: Let me get the bartender.
Bartender: Hello?
Silas: Hi, your website says your gonna have Pliny the Elder in soon.
Bartender: I don't know where you saw that. We have Stone on all of our taps right now
Silas: I know, I saw that on you're website. I love Stone beer, but it says your gonna have Pliny after that.
Bartender: ...We have Stone on tap right now.
Silas: So you don't know if or when you will have Pliny in?
Bartender: Come in sometime, we have Stone on tap.
Silas (cheerfully): Thanks, I will.
I hope this isn't where I'm headed if I keep loving beer. By the way, did you hear West End has Stone on tap right now? The list does look pretty sweet, but it would be nice if she just said, "no Pliny," or, "go away."
So next I emailed Russian River. The owner and head brewer, Vinnie Cilurzo got back to me!
Apparently Pliny gets shipped once a month to certain vendors, but I would have to ask the distribution Co. to learn exactly when it would be available. So I did.
I will have you know the distributor did get back to me, but you're a sucker if you think I'm gonna tell you anything more. It was hard work getting this far and I'm not taking any chances! Besides, what if the beer isn't all that it's cracked up to be and you waste all that time trying to get some? Wouldn't it be better to make me go through all the trouble to make sure it's good first? It's only a month after I try it that you could then have some. Heck, if that's isn't what this blog is for then...well...I don't even know what else it would be for.
My guess is it will be a while before I get to try Pliny the Elder (let alone Pliny the Younger...oh yeah there's another Pliny alright), so stay tuned for me to talk about less elusive–but probably not as tasty–beer. Perhaps an Avery?
-Silas
"Lets drink beer in the spirit of friendship and culture, not escape and release."
-Some hipster guy (but not the Pabst drinking kind of hipster. They should be called Pabsters from now on).
Aaron went to a side by side tasting of pliny the elder and pliny the younger at the cheeky monk in Denver last month, I should have told you. We have found it at the Downer on occasion as well as WET and in the bottle of corse at liquor mart and boulder beer emporium. Or you should just give up and take the road trip to CA.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, I must try this beer if only I could find it. If it's rare in Boulder then it doesn't exist in Taiwan!
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