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Russian River Brewing Co.
Santa Rosa, California
Pliny the Elder
Style: Double/Imperial India Pale Ale
Availability: Year Round
Format: 500ml
ABV: 8.0%
IBUs: 100
bottled: 03.04.10
Bottle text & Info:
"Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius."
Tasting Notes:
Currently ranked #6 in BeerAdvocates best beers in the world.
Acquired via trade with Kevin (NewGeneric), New Orleans, LA.
Only the second time I've had the pleasure of trying this. The first time was @ Toronado in San Francisco about a year ago. Pours a hazy vivid golden color with a three quarter inch head that slowly recedes and clings to the glass. Smells like hop nirvana. Like a cross between Bell's hopslam and Green Flash West Coast IPA. Heaps of citrus with some sweet hints of grass and grains. Light to medium mouthfeel explodes forward with heavy grapefruit acidity powering through, finishing with touches of pineapple and honeydew. A top notch DIPA, this guy has the near impossible task of living up to such incredible hype. Definitely amongst the best, it doesn't disappoint. A supreme treat for us East Coaster/Midwesterners who won't see Russian River Brewing outside of collaborations and trades.
Avery Brewing Co.
Boulder, Colorado
Collaboration Not Litigation (Batch #4)
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Availability: Limited
Format: 22oz
ABV: 8.91%
Batch: #4
Bottle text & Info:
"Salvation. The name of two intricate Belgian-style ales, created by us, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing and Adam Avery of Avery Brewing. After becoming friends a few years ago, we realized we both had a Salvation in our lineups. Was it going to be a problem? Should one of us relinquish the name rights? “Hell, no!” we said. In fact, it was quickly decided that we should blend the brews to catch the best qualities of each and create an even more complex and rich libation. In April 2004, in a top secret meeting at Russian River Brewing (well, actually it was packed in the pub and many were looking over our shoulders wondering what the hell was going on), we came up with the perfect blend of the two Salvation's. Natalie, Vinnie’s much more significant other, exclaimed, “We should call this Collaboration, not Litigation Ale!” “Perfect,” we shouted! We celebrated deep into the night (or is that morning?). Fast forward to November 14, 2006. After talking about it for over two years, we finally decided to pull the trigger and Vinnie made the journey to Avery Brewing to brew his Salvation exactly as he does in his brewery."
Tasting Notes:
This is as close to Russian River as we're gonna get here on the east coast so there's plenty to be excited about here. Let's get to it. Pours a rusty, copper color with a two inch off white head that slowly recedes and clings to the sides. Smells lightly of belgian yeast and esters with some familiar dark fruits as well. A smooth, creamy light to medium mouthfeel with spot on medium to low level carbonation. Great velvety mouthfeel encapsulating lots of layers here. This is really well blended. How did they do this? You can actually taste the two ales separately yet blended as well. An existential experience to say the least! Plenty of fruits with some tartness. Think tripel with a touch of the dark fruits you expect in a quad. Some drying tartness on the finish with little to no perceived alcohol. An awesome, awesome brew that should lay nicely if you keen on cellaring. Well done boys. Now if we could just get Russian River to the east coast... i'd die happy.
