The Elder

Brew Details and Conditions:
Brewer: Russian River
Brew: Pliny The Elder
Style: American Double IPA
Alcohol: 8%
Source: 1 Pint Bottle
Glass: Medium Snifter
Temp: 50 deg
Appearance: Golden yellow
Aroma: Sour citrus fruit, lime and something sweet... maybe honey. As the Pliny warmed, I noted an scent of what I would describe as alcoholic melon.
Taste: Refreshing and surprisingly complex taste for such a low-intensity Double IPA. Right along with the scent, I taste sour and tropical fruit with some slight tones of honey and melon. Warmth seems to shed a lot taste resulting in what almost seems like a different beer all together.
Drinkability: Smooth watery body with fairly tight carbonation. Very drinkable for a double, but then again... for my tastes (and in my opinion), this beer really doesn't seem like a double IPA. The alcohol content and mouthfeel are more comparable to an IPA than a double.
Notes:
I had very high expectations for this beer. It is so well regarded that I couldn't help but expect this beer to blow my mind. I got two bottles and when I had the first, I was a bit let down. Knowing that I had high expectations, I waited until the second bottle to do my review. While Pliny is definitely better than average, I am just not super impressed with it. Its good enough that if it were easily available I would get it on occasion but its nothing that I'd drink with regularity.

I give this nice rendition of an IPA/ Double IPA  8.5 out of 10.

Eis Igian,
Randall