Russian River Brewing Company - February 5, 2016
(A little mischievous with indestructible thoughts running through my mind after a couple Pliny the Younger.)
As alluded to before, I don’t really come for Pliny the Younger, sure I drink it to admire and respect the technical merit but, I come for the sours. As famous as Vinnie is for creating the Double IPA style, his genius shines through with the sours. I remember my first experience at RRBC, before I started coming out for PTY, there was a little disclaimer on the beer menu that said they wouldn’t serve a patron more than 3 sour beers. I was happy that they miscounted that day and I enjoyed a fair number more than that. But now I respect that little writ.
The wait actually begins hours before the sun comes up. Sometimes in the rain, like the previous 2 years. While not quite the endurance feat waiting for Surly’s Darkness has become, it’s still a long time to wait for a beer. But then you start talking to people.
People come from all over to experience Pliny the Younger. A journey from Minnesota isn’t quite as impressive when you’re talking to someone that flew in from Florida, but there is a mutual respect.
Once the Sun came up, with a striking similarity to the way it’s done at Surly, we were all IDed and then stamped, instead of banded. Fitting it was a hops.
Someone in our group invariably gets interviewed. The past 2 years I was the lucky one, this year it wasn’t me.
We were much closer to the front this year than we were last year. Last year we missed the cut off by maybe 8 people, this time we were in with at least 20 people to spare. This is Steven, he’s the husband of the matron of honor to the bride of the groom I was best man for. Great father, husband, friend.
Your wristband has 3 tabs on it, each one represents a pour of Pliny the Younger. That’s all you get. But there’s plenty of other amazing beer in the establishment to order. The famous Pliny the Elder IIPA, Blind Pig IPA, some experimental malt and hop stuff, and all the amazing sours.
These are Drew Bites. They are amazing. Even better with ranch. Pizza dough, mozz, garlic, pepperoni, and pepperoncini. Every brewery should have a pizza oven just so they can make an iteration of these. Pliny bites, with white cheddar and jalapeño are also great.
Piaci with marinara, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and pine nuts - sounds weird, tastes great and adds a non traditional texture to the pizza.
Pazzo with ranch sauce, mozzarella, BBQ chicken, caramelized onions, and (more) pepperoncinis - ranch sauce had me worried but this worked really well.
I try to take a picture with Vinnie every time I’m out for Pliny the Younger, I respect his vision and think he puts out a great product. We talked about his “expansion” plans.
Like New Glarus, RRBC has no plans to increase distribution that much. I respect that. I like the idea of some of my favorite beers from Surly being spread across the country so more people have the experience. But I also respect and admire smaller outfits like Dangerous Man that don’t have plans to distribute. Sometimes you need to be able and willing to go experience a thing in its place.