A Tale of Two Elders.

So, I had the chance recently to revisit a beer I hadn't had in a while. A beer that I personally did not think lived up to any of the hype that surrounded it. The beer I am referring to is Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing. Pliny is a Double IPA that clocks in right at 8% ABV, and has a HUGE hop character to support that level of alcohol. The first time I came across this beer, I had it at a friend's house. It was bitter and not your average bitter.  I mean it was super bitter and astringent.  I could taste nothing else.  Needless to say I was for from impressed. Now to be fair, I never looked at the date on the bottle or even bothered to ask how long he had it in his fridge. This will be a huge factor for this beer, as I found out.

My fortune to try Pliny a second time came about because a good friend and co-worker brought back a bottle from Portland to give me for my birthday. It's what we call a White Whale beer here in Boise as we cannot get Pliny in this market.  So it is a treat when we get to have something like this.  As my luck would have Rick Boyd, the owner of Brewforia, just so happened to also have a bottle of Pliny that a generous guest of ours had brought in recently.

So, here I am with 2 Plinys and I start reading the label.  "Respect your elder.  Keep Cold.  Drink Fresh.  Pliny the Elder is a historical figure, don’t make the beer inside this bottle one!  Not a barley wine, do not age!  Age your cheese, not your Pliny!  Respect hops, consume fresh.  If you must, sit on eggs, not on Pliny!  Do not save for a rainy day!  Pliny is for savoring, not for saving!  Consume Pliny fresh or not at all!  Does not improve with age!  Hoppy beers are not meant to be aged!  Keep away from heat!"  Wow!  They are adamant about drinking the Elder while young.  It just so happened that the bottles I had were bottled about 2 months apart, with the newest only having been in the bottle for 12 days.  So we did a side by side, and these are my notes as follows.


Bottled 8/18/11 - Thin head, dissipates quickly.  Golden straw colour.  Nose is sweet malt with floral hops, bread-y undertones.  Taste is malty sweet upfront with a harsh hop astringency that takes over midway through.  Hops dominating now leaning towards too bitter and astringent.  Slight buttery slickness coats the mouth.


Bottled 10/14/11 - Thin head, dissipates quickly.  Golden straw colour.  Nose is slightly sweet with a strong pine-like hop aroma, very bright.  Taste is malty upfront, not sweet though with some bread-y notes.  Hops ease in midway through, with a very nice lingering pine note.  Malt is also lingering leaving the beer much more balanced than previous tastings.  No buttery slickness this time.


So, as you can see there are a lot of similarities.  But, it also shows just how much even just 2 months can change this beer and not for the better either.  Unfortunately the lasting impact from a bad first impression is hard to overcome.  I personally would have not given this beer a second chance if it had not been a gift.  But, I am glad I did as it changed my mind about Pliny.  This is also a lesson to anyone holding on to beer, make sure it's supposed to be aged and then make sure it is properly stored.  Basically, respect your beer and it will respect you.


Would I drink this again, most definitely.  Now does it live up to the near mystical hype that surrounds it?  Well, that's a whole 'nother discussion for a future post.  Until then, keep evolving.

Cliff Clavin...

I had to share this. The gentlemen (I use this term very loosely) over at beerandwhiskeybros.com were talking about their favourite beer quotes and I came across this. I had read it before but had forgotten about it. It amuses me, so I am sharing it with you.

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.

This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers." ~Cliff Clavin

The microcosm of beer, and the macrocosm of life.

So, I have been doing some thinking today. Being a little introspective if you will, which if you know me doesn't happen often. Not to gloss over something that is important and serious in my life but I have a family member that is gravely ill and it got me thinking. And, as this chain of thoughts shows, we all deal with these things in our own way. Somehow my thoughts turned to beer and how it relates to life in general.

So, in brewing, we take a living organism and give it food and shelter. We nourish it, nurture it, and try to keep it from getting sick. In some ways it becomes a child to us, and yes, I have been known to talk to it. If you haven't guessed I am talking about yeast. That magic little fungus that takes basic sugars and converts them into alcohol which, when you have the proper mix of grains, water and some hops, hopefully gives us beer.

Now, in thinking about this, I realized that every time I brew I get to watch life begin and end in a matter of weeks. It's the beginning and end of time for all the yeast know. In watching yeast when it's active, I have witnessed clumps of it banding together to help find food and survive for just a bit longer. Higher thought process or not, they do the same thing we do, survive to propagate more life.

In nature, though, it seems these little guys have a bigger purpose, to break down matter and return it to the earth. That begs the question, what is our purpose? We live, eat, breath, and give off copious amounts of Co2, just like yeast, but where do we fit in? We celebrate coming into this world and mourn leaving it, yet in the end what is it for? Yeast are here for mere days and we get 80 years if we are lucky, which is not long at all. Yet in those few days, a yeasts actions can seem more grand than ours.

I guess what it comes down to in the end, is what have we done of purpose lately? Think about that and then go home to your family, or call them if they aren't nearby, tell them you love them and start making plans. Plan big, give life some purpose, and hopefully when our time comes we can say we lived with purpose.

Keep evolving.

Call of the Wild.

Well, this is it. I have finally succumbed to all things interwebs related. Facebook? Check. Twitter? Check. Blog? Wow....check. It's weird how wanting to start a business makes you want to connect.

Anyways, as the days drag on and the seasons change I'll be posting my random musings about brewing and the industry in general. There will probably be lots of drinking involved and probably some beer reviews. Hopefully I have something interesting to say and hopefully you enjoy reading what I have to say. Until later, keep evolving!