Let me just say upfront that i am a huge Pliny the Elder fan-boy, I have loved this beer from the first day I tried and and went, “Whew!  Can I get some water to rinse those hops down?”  It is a vigorously hopped double IPA brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops.  The hops are well-balanced with the malt, and alcohol, it tastes slightly bitter with a fresh hop aroma of floral, citrus, and pine.  It pours a copper/gold with huge hop aroma that you notice long before you pick up the glass.  the first sip shows the balance with the malt coming through to offset the hops.  I could drink this beer all day, well at 8% ABV I could try anyway!  The history of Pliny is on the Russian River website as follows:  Back in the year 2000, our friend, Vic Kralj, who owns the Bistro in Hayward, California, decided to have his first ever Double IPA festival. Vic invited 10 breweries, 6 of whom (including us) had to brew something special for him since we had nothing that would fall under this style category. Vinnie had made a Double IPA at Blind Pig in 1994, but was not brewing one at Russian River Brewing at the time. He had an idea for the recipe, but not a name. After much research in beer books, brainstorming, and deliberation, we came up with “Pliny the Elder”. Pliny, the man, lived in the first century- 23 to 79 A.D. According to our brewing references, he and his contemporaries either created the botanical name or at least wrote about Lupus Salictarius, or hops, currently known as Humulus Lupulus. That was a very early reference to an important part of any Double IPA! Pliny the beer has now become one of our flagship brews! 

Pliny the Elder was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who wrote about his uncle succumbing to ash and smoke during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. while rescuing people. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and Roman Naturalist- Pliny the Elder!

The Younger is the big brother to the Elder (don’t let the name fool you!  From the Russian River’s website they tell you why they named it the way they did:  Pliny the Younger, the man, was Pliny the Elder’s nephew and adopted son. They lived nearly 2,000 years ago! Pliny the Elder is our Double IPA, so we felt it was fitting to name our Triple IPA after his son. It is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular I.P.A. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make. And that is why we don’t make it more often! This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth.  It too pours a copper/gold with the glass I got from the Pint showing a chill haze produced from being newly placed in the cold fridge.   It also has a massive hop aroma followed by a heavier more robust mouth feel with the flavor of the higher gravity malt load required to make this 10.5% ABV beer.  It is one impressive and massive hoppy IPA that leaves an impression!

I must admit that I personally like the Pliny the Elder more, the heavier sweetness of the Younger is just a tiny bit cloying when compared to the Elder making the Elder the slightly more drinkable beer of the two.   With that said, however, BOTH of these beers are worthy of my affection and I bet I will find myself wondering the same thought of where and when next year!

Cheers!

Phil and Chris feature an interesting whisky on each video.

New videos added daily.
http://thedailypint.net/youtube-channel/

Thursday night was Drakes night at the Daily Pint with the added bonus if you bought three of the Drakes beers on tap, you got to keep the glass (see photo).  Drakes is based out of San Leandro, CA; and is one of those breweries that really plays well with hops!  The line up was outstanding!  The Pint had Batch 1500 on both tap and cask, with the cask being a dry hopped version (outstanding!), Batch 4000 Wet Hopped Ale, The Amber Ale, The IPA, Black Robusto Porter, The Denogginizer Double IPA and Drakonic Imperial Stout.  A serious line up indeed!  

Photo credit:  Bernie Wire, used with permission.

Chris Elmes of Drakes was on hand to represent the brand and answer all questions about their beers.  He is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Drakes (he ought to be he is family!) and is passionate about representing them well!

Chris recommend I try the dry-hopped 1500 on cask first and I could see why!  It had an amazing citrus hop aroma that hit my nose long before the glass touched my lips, the beer was crisp and dry, the aroma hops were pronounced and floral!  This beer had me at my first sniff but after my first sip, I immediately declared it my favorite, which made Bernie and Chris laugh as it was my first beer!  I was not the only one who felt that way apparently as the Dry-Hopped 1500 on cask was the first keg to kick.  I rate it super delicious!

My second beer was the Batch 4000 Wet Hopped Ale.  A wet hop ale is a beer made using hops that are still wet (freshly picked) and the hops impart a more mild profile then the dry hops do.  This beer was clean and clear with a good malt backbone balancing the amazing hay like aroma of the fresh hops.  It drank light and refreshing and would also have made a great first beer!

My last beer was the Drake’s Black Robusto Porter, a dark robust porter that drinks much larger than its 5.4% abv!  Robust porters are made to be full-bodied and this one lives up to the style with a smooth viscosity on the mouthfeel that finishes with hints of unsweetened chocolate and spice notes.  On a cool night like tonight is this is a great beer to finish the night off.  I wanted to try them all but I will be back tomorrow night for the IPA’s and that stout!

Cheers!

This week from the tap I selected Ommegang‘s Scythe and Sickle Amber Harvest Ale.  5.8%  The description from the brewer reads:  Scythe and Sickle is Ommegang’s foray into honoring the harvest season. Using barley, oats, wheat, and rye, we’ve brought the mood of fall to life with vibrant and flavorful passion.  The beer appeared copper colored a tiny bit cloudy with a good white head and clinging lace.

The nose reminded me of bread with oats and rye being paired with the fruity esters from the yeast used.  It had a light effervescent mouthfeel and tasted malty, moderately bitter with a dry finish.  The Belgian yeast strain was not as prominent as I would expect from Ommegang and in fact at first sip you might think this was a German beer.   It is however extremely drinkable and refreshing! 

I really this beer and would recommend it as a great starting beer! 

The other tap beer I selected was Black Market‘s Quadrophenia a Belgian Quad 11%.  The description from the brewery reads: As its namesake suggests, Quadrophenia is a Belgian style quadruple ale. We ferment Quadrophenia using Trappist ale yeast, which produces the spicy, phenolic flavors sometimes mistaken for added spices. The unique characteristics of caramel don’t come from the Pale and Munich malts, but from the introduction of Coconut Palm Sugar used in the brewing process.

For a quad, this beer was a clear copper color instead of dark brown, off white head with light lace.  It was medium bodied, moderately carbonated and effervescent.  It smelled like cinnamon bread pudding with and alcohol frosting!  A strong caramel malt note combined with fruit esters from the yeast.  The coconut palm sugar really comes through in the taste, the caramel quality is prominent followed by hints of plum and raisins and a dry finish.  It sort of reminded me of an old ale which is odd given the copper color.   Black Market is making some really neat interesting ales!

For the cask ales a couple of Bastards stopped by the Pint so I had them both!  Stone‘s Arrogant Bastard with American Oak and Arrogant Bastard with Centennial Hops, both 7.2%. 

They were both Dark red, low head with light lace.  The Bastard with centennial hops displayed hop haze as well from the massive dry hops applied.  It smelled of malt and hops, lots of hops, a Stone trademark.  I also got hints of leather and a touch of diacetyl, but that too might be from the hops.

It was smooth and lightly carbonated (cask, duh!) but coated my tongue with a velvet malt feel and tasted of alcohol and massive amounts of centennial hops, which have a red wine viscosity to me.  It almost tasted like low bittering hops were used followed by large amounts of dry hops; as if the arrogance was smoothed out of it by them.  It was a little thin for a Arrogant Bastard, but if you like your hops, you will like this beer!

The Arrogant Bastard on American Oak smelled of sawdust and resin, tart up front with and oak finish.  It was smooth and silky, low carbonation (cask!) the oak profile was borderline overpowering this beer.  It tasted tart with the malt and hops taking the backseat to the oak presence.  There were hints of rye suggested by the wood as well.  It is an interesting combination when hops and oak are paired together in the same beer, on the one hand the hops tend to blend with the wood and suggest bourbon like qualities, on the other hand, the wood really transforms those hops so that they finish muted and not as prominent as they are in regular Arrogant Bastard.  If you like your bourbon barrel ales then this is the cask ale for you!

Lagavulin Distillers Edition distilled 1991 bottled in 2008 43% abv

Nose: Sherry, caramelized peated malt, iodine,  after water maple syrup that has been mixed with bacon. Palate: Sweet, the PX Sherry has a big influence on this, pepper that immediately disappears with a touch of water, the peat influence not overpowering but good,  Finish: salt water toffee and mocha. Sweet tooth Islay fans will enjoy this one.

Corsair Rasputin Hopped Whisky

Corsair Rasputin Hopped Whisky – 86 proof – My sources tell me that this is a primarily malted barley mash with some rye and some chocolate rye. During distillation they put hops in the carter head and infuse the vapor and boy does it ever show.

Nose- Hops, hops, hops, sweet malt, cocoa, and even hints of mineral / metal, aluminum, floral notes in the end. 

Pallet- This is one of the most progressive whiskies that I have ever had. The pallet waltzes between toasted grain and hops, the finish is super long and moves from toasted rye to chocolate to coffee. 

This one is a must try for whisky geeks.

Nose: Big Sherry!!!! Coffee, malt tones, candle wax, wet oak and dark chocolate. Add water and a touch of dried fruits appear

Pallet:  Exactly the same as the nose the finish on this malt is super long that develops from cocoa to toasted pumpernickel. At 116.4 proof, the alcohol is of course present, but if you like cask strength whiskies, this is one to try if you ever get the chance.

Nose- Sherry, hints of sulfur and alcohol. Further in you get sweet barley. 

Pallet: barley, cinnamin and sherry with chocolate on the finish.

This is a single Cask expression from Chieftain’s. Un-Chillfiltered and Natural Color. 

Nose- Toasted marshmallow, honey dew melon, sweet malt. with a touch of water there is a soft oak smell that is usually only present in some older whiskies

Pallet-  almost identical to the nose. the only addition is a touch of allspice. the finish is all malted barley.

The Amrut Fusion expression is a hybrid of a whisky. Amrut takes peated barley from Scotland and combines it with unpeated barley from India to make this Single Malt Whisky.

Nose-  This is one of those malts that changes as you let it rest in the glass. First it takes on raw oak tones followed by malted barley. Then after about 5 minutes peat and maple syrup notes come through followed by red apples 

Pallet- wax notes, cinnamon, peat and tropical fruit. With water all of these qualities become even more apparent as the alcohol level drops. Very complex whisky, fun to drink.