Legendary Beer: Could Pliny The Younger actually be as perfect as it's purported to be?

Friday night after a tour of the Speakeasy Brewery, I joined Jay and company for dinner at La Trappe. I walked into the belgian bar and restaurant to discover that the beer fairy had been their recently and left a keg of a brew I never thunk would have the possibility to taste. Well I thunk wrong. Of all the beer bars in the world, I walked into the right one. Pliny The Younger was on tap for only $8.

Why is this such a big deal? While the highly rated Pliny The Elder is relatively available in well regarded beer bars across the West Coast, Russian River only makes the Younger once a year and in small amounts. It's available at a select few beer bars for a limited time (for only 2 weeks at the brewery), and it isn't bottled. If the Westvleteren 12 is the Cup of Christ for Belgian Beers, the Younger is the Holy Grail of IPA's. Why? Because it's rated...

Which explains my reaction:

The happiest of faces on the happiest of men.

Hallelujah! Hallllllelujuah! Ohhh Gloooria. I can't believe I had found it! There was a happy dance involved too, but sadly there's no footage available. Naturally like any good friend, the first thing I did was text David and Karl and unnecessarily gloat at my blind luck. Then I got down to brass tacks and tasted my second bucket list beer in as many months (Bruery's Black Tuesday in December being the other).

My first sip yielded goodness but not greatness, which surprised me. But then the wheels started to turn. Beer nerds speak of Pliny The Younger as if they are Ponce de Leon seeking the Fountain of Youth. The proportion of people speaking about it in hushed tones vs. those who have actually had it are very lopsided, which leads to exorbitantly high expectations. Regarding my first sip of the Younger, I had heard so much about its greatness that in my head, I was expecting to be either cured of cancer, live forever, or if I was really lucky, magically transform into Sam Malone. But what I've learned from tasting beers like the Westie and Black Tuesday is that you have to reign in your assumptions, break down the different elements of the beer (malt, hops, aroma, body, etc) and take the beer as a beer, not Unobtainium.

Cheers owner Sam Malone's Fountain of Youth

The Younger has a beautiful hop infused aroma that is both fruity and piney. The malt is smooth and almost creamy, and as the beer warms the hops flavors really shine. It does not cure cancer but it is basically a perfectly balanced beer and at 11%, this is an incredible feat. There is little or no trace of alcohol even as the beer nears room temperature. So do I agree this beer deserves a perfect 100 point rating? Yes. A hundred times yes. The Younger is a Triple IPA (which is unheard of, style wise) and so this beer must have an incredibly high IBU. In the hands of lesser brewers, the intense bitterness would most likely overwhelm the malt body and compete with the alcohol. Instead, all the ingredients are as perfectly balanced as I could perceive and result in a sublime symphony of flavor. BAD BOYS rating.

And yes, I had two glasses. When will I ever have a chance to drink the nectar of the gods again? It was glorious. Thank you La Trappe for being awesome.

Russian River Supplication Sour Ale turns tongues inside out on our Napa Valley trip

First day in Napa! We're here with over 16 people and staying at the same hotel as we did for my parent's 40th wedding anniversary 3 years ago, the Wine Country Inn http://www.winecountryinn.com/. I'm reallly excited about the wine and all, but the breakfast at this place is AMAZING. Make your own waffles with peanut butter and nutella and a rotating eggs casserole every morning that is to die for. Everything one needs for a good wine drinking base.

This post will be mostly pictures and the beer review at the end. Now why did Walker wait until the end of the night after drinking wine all day to drink his Russian River beer? Hmmm...is it because it was a sour ale? Mayhaps

Parents rule

Dudes rule

Miner winery has a wild yeast chardonnay, which creates a flavor profile similar to that of a wild yeast beer. Interwesting...

This is Napa on a bad day...psych, Napa doesn't have bad days fool.

This castle was fun and all, but the wine was blah. It was like going to Disneyland only to realize that Star Tours was broken after you waited in line for 45 minutes. And then a bird pooped on you.

So I'm very excited about this trip, because not only are the wines amazing, but the beer is rated highly too. Russian River makes amazing beers IPA's and Sour Ales, although I really detest Sours. All but one sour I've ever tasted made me want to write a strongly worded letter asking why they would want to put those particular flavors in someone's mouth. Tonight's beer, Russian River Supplication, is one of the highest rated sours in the world and since I'm in Napa, near Russian River, I feel compelled to heed the Sour's Siren Song.

The Supplication is a Brown Ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and sour cherries. The whole gang is outside here tasting the beer. A few like sour candy, etc and somewhat like this. Others think I just poured them a cup of panther piss.They're accusing me of shenanigans but I tell them "I said that you should try this, not that it was a good." Ha. Now they know what a sour ale tastes like. Some things really have to be experienced.

I'm getting used to it, but IT IS SO OVERWHELMING. WHY WOULD YOU MAKE ANYTHING THAT SOUR THIS INTENSE. Imagine Emril saying "BAM" while kicking you in the balls while jamming sour starburst on steroids into your mouth over and over again.

Here is the Beer Advocate review, which rates it as an A. If you might like a sour ale, this review is for you because I can't say anything, good or bad, other than what I wrote. It's just too wild:  http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/22227/?ba=bros


The good news is, I also bought Russian River Pliny the Elder for my dad and others, who LOVES IT. It makes me very happy to see my dad enjoy beer so much. We're sitting out on a deck above a winery under a cloudy night drinking great beer and wine. This is an amazing.

I'm afraid to rate this beer, because it's so well regarded but I hated it so very much. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating? Nuts

Russian River Damnation readies me for the rapture

Today at 6pm, the rapture is supposed to happen. Good thing I'm in the best of company! After covering Venice yesterday, we're Malibu bound for scenic beach cruising and wine tasting in the hills. Among the many things I love about Sarah and Andrea, is that they don't care about the wine flights/tasting. It's a beautiful day, why don't we just pick 3 random bottles, put our feet in the grass, our faces toward the sun and let the wine do the rest. We don't need to sample the various wines or go from place to place today. Let's just have a blast.

Apparently the U.S.S. Yacht Rock was in port, because there were also some sailors ready to party.

After dinner we hit up The Other Room for a last couple drinks before their midnight flight home. So what would be the perfect end to an LA weekend? Seeing a celebrity. Andrea and Sara got to chat up Luke Wilson and his posse for a while at the bar. 

I focused my attention on some vicarious amusement and my fresh a Russian River Damnation. I toasted to the ridiculous rapture that didn't happen and dived in. The Damnation is a Belgian Strong Ale that's almost 8%. It has a typical sweet belgian malt and pours beautifully. There is a yeasty flavor profile with spicy and fruity elements - clove, apple, banana. It's a fantastic, full bodied beer. THE ROCK rating.

Such phenomenal weekend touring the city with Andrea and Sarah and it's killing me they gots to get home. But I'm feeling a Chicago trip in my future...Until next time!

Luvin it

Russian River Rejection makes it all better

I'm stoked - not only is it Friday, as in Surly Goat Friday, but also because exotic Russian River brews are still on tap! Matt, Ri, Tiff, Glen, Rachel and Ross (they were great on Friends) came out for some pints, Foosball and tomfoolery. My Russian River selection is the Rejection, a limited release which they distribute around Valentines Day and to their credit, they have successfully personified the dark side of that holiday.

On your leg

The style is a dark Belgian ale. The flavor profile is dark, roasted malts with a little chocolate and a very nutty taste that's bitter, like really dark chocolate (think 85% + Cacao). If anything, rejection is bitter...Very clever River Russians. This is only 6.1% though, and you'd think they'd make a 'rejection' beer one that would put you on your ass. Like a forget me now from Arrested Development. Where were you when I need you GOB! This isn't a fantastic beer, but it's certainly noteworthy for a seasonal. TRANSFORMERS rating.

I had an imperial red for my follow up beer, the Coronado Red Devil (10%), and it was fantastic, I'm really looking forward to featuring this beer on the website sometime soon.

Russian River Mortification dissolves my sobriety but not my foosball skills

Friday night at Surly Goat is in full swing with Matt and Ri but sanz Tiffany. I started out with a Red Velvet Ale from Eagle Rock on the happy hour menu and it's really, really good. I can't wait to have it as my beer of the day.

While waiting for others to arrive, I rope two guys in, Charlie and Cameron, to play foosball 1 vs. 2. Turns out Charlie played football at Rice for a year and we talked about Houston for a while. I also discovered that both these guys can destroy the $4 well drinks the Goat offers. If they had four hands, they'd have four drinks. Party on

Love the sign, but the Mortification sure as hell ain't Pabst

Matt and Ri arrive and we set up a seminar at the Foosball table. We set up a clinic and rage for, maybe close to two hours while 80's hair music jams continuously. It's a blur. Halfway through I go for my beer of the day and pick a Russian River because a couple days ago they had the breweries up for a pouring/tasting. I spy the Mortification on tap, a dank 10.5% cuadruple. This is my third or fourth cuadruple in as many weeks (I didn't even know they existed a month ago), and I jump to have it.

The Mortification is a great name for a cuadruple. There's a strong malt chocolate taste mixed with dark fruits. It's not very complex and the alcohol is very apparent, but it's good. I love rich foods - dark chocolate, sinfully chocolate cake - and so I love these dank ass cuadruples. They're bold and rich and help me forget my scruples, darn cuadruples. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Ri and Matt ordered Baby Blues BBQ for dinner and I got some cornbread, which was exactly what the doctor ordered after the 10.5%. I introduced Matt to Pliny the Elder and his mind exploded. Another convert! Notch up another great success at the Surly Goat.

LA BEER WEEK! Pliny the Elder from Russian River

David built this up, but I knew relatively nothing about it. We arrived at The Daily Pint to experience it.

This is a hops combination I've never tasted. Robust as it enters, it explodes with a rare hops experience. It's spicy, fiery, alive. I feel like the three Wise Men visited and left three Magi gifts in my mouth when I drink this. Does that make my tongue baby Jesus? I'm not going to dignify myself with a response.

In case you're not familiar with the world of fashion, that hand belongs to the famous Karl K, featured prominently in the 2001 "Beautiful Watches" catalog from Tiffany's. He's still got it!

Did Russian River steal this hops combination from Willy Wonka? I think Mr. Slugworth is working for them. Having this beer on tap is a rarity and treat. Thank you Daily Pint and LA Beer Week for making the Magi rain excellence on my tongue. BAD BOYS rating.

Russian River's Pliny the Elder sings "Moon River"

I'll start out with the man this beer quite elegantly represents - Frank Sinatra. So smooth and pleasant, yet undeniably potent and commanding. This is a beer to drink with someone you have just met and want to impress.
Not much else needs to be said about this. I'm at the Daily Pint, again. Karl and Walker are here, we're all loving it and I'm going to recommend that anyone and everyone find this, drink it, and use it as one of the five beers or so that you use to rate all others. All IPAs (I think this is an Imperial Pale Ale) should aspire to this.
Amazing. Thanks Daily Pint. The picture is Karl.

LA Beer Week: Russian River Consecration Doesn't Inspire Conservation

Blahhhhhh. SOUR.  

Consecration is what's known as an American Wild Ale, which are a family of beers that are introduced to "wild" yeast or bacteria, This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitched into the beer, or gained from various "sour mash" techniques. This isn't a normal beer family, it's more like The Addams Family.

As part of LA Beer Week, this fellow debuted on tap tonight at the Library Alehouse. I'd never heard of it but it received glowing reviews so I dragged David here with high hopes, only to re-confirm how much I dislike sour beers. It's actually well rounded but malty and so sour. Not enjoyable. PEARL HARBOR rating.

*However, Sara P loves this beer and will drink it up like a milkshake, so to each their own. If the wasn't here I'd be really skeptical of the beer advocate A rating.

Russian River Consecration, oui? Non.

Met up with Barry from the MH for a beer at Library, Walker is headed over as well. Thought I'd go for the Consecration even though a couple at the bar warned me about it. I figured that if I could make it through the Grande Dame, I can make it through anything.
WHOA. It's basically trying to compete with Grande Dame. It washes your entire tongue with vinegar, citric acid and foul red wine. Its really hard to get this down. Barry says, "I wouldn't use anything as kind as vinegar. Stomach acid perhaps?"
Barry made the terrific suggestion to pair this this with Gérard Depardieu. "He's just a bit foul, isn't he?" Agreed.

Napa Wedding Day 3 - Russian River Blind Pig IPA

Final day in Napa and I picked a nearby brewery, Russian River, who also makes the two highest rated IPA's in the world, Pliny the Elder & Pliny the Younger. The Blind Pig IPA isn't far behind them.

This little piggy went to town, this little piggy went to school and this blind little piggy decided to be really crisp, smooth and delicious. The hops are well rounded, almost buttery. Around the label they have a 'warning' that this beer should be drunk sooner rather than later or else the hops will go bad. "RESPECT THE HOPS!!!" it cries...Only an idiot wouldn't drink this beer immediately, it's superb. THE ROCK

I go wine tasting in Saint Ynez/Solvang a couple times a year, however, tasting in Napa is a completely different experience. Right before tasting the Blind Pig, me and Ma and Pa Davis went tasting at Paraduxx.  Instead of standing around a bar, we sat outside in oversized leather chairs and had the wine brought to us. Each wine came with a tasting card detailing everything from the different grape amounts to the duck type on the label. Really great wine and in a beautiful and relaxing environment. Good stuff.