I love the Russian River, home to some great pinot noir. Pliny isn’t my usual cup of… um… beer. It’s a hop bomb. Their label appears to be inspired by Dr. Bronner’s Hippie Soap, with tiny crazy writing all over. It demands that you drink the stuff right away and not age it. It’s heavily hopped and I’m inclined to agree lest the fresh hoppiness disappear. Of course, here in September I’m sitting here wondering why I’m not looking for some fresh hop beer since it’s hop harvest time.
As for the beer itself, the nose is abundant with the smell of fresh hops – green and resinous. The flavor is hoppy and bitter, and not to my taste. It’s well done for the style but just not balanced. At least it’s not a palate scorcher, for all of it’s hoppiness it’s very drinkable and I’d like to match this with some spicy Thai food or something similar. I guess that means I might even buy it again.
