Beer Blog

Grade: B+

“We’re brewers whose substantial mettle and idiomatic approach to brewing allows us to consistently create works of art such as this justifiably self-righteous ale. Its bitterness hits our sweet spot. Its blackness lightens our hearts. Its liquid dichotomy pulls it all together in this sublimely sacrosanct ale. Yes, we damn well know our stuff here at Stone, and it would be irresponsible of us not to acknowledge how remarkable this heavenly creation of ours is. Thus the name we are compelled to give it —- Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale —- serves as a reminder of just how good we are, in both liquid and verbal form. 

We’re certainly not perfect. Too often, we allow our modesty to get the best of us as we’re simply not inclined towards senseless braggadocio. When you’re good, you’re good. And when you do something great, the least you can do is acknowledge it. Others benefit from knowing. In this case, we find that we are compelled to point out how amazing this ale is that we rightly call the Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. 

First brewed in 2007 as the Stone 11th Anniversary Ale, this ale was an instant hit. With us. Other folks with great taste loved it too, but we were focused on how much we liked it, and we felt it was truly sublime. That euphoria didn’t last long though, as it was soon replaced with the grim reality that when we sold out of it there wouldn’t be any more. For us. And that was simply unacceptable. So, we are now blessing ourselves, and you the enlightened, with this ale. Thusly, you may now revel in your own self-righteousness as you see fit with this glorious example of ours. You are genuinely welcome, as it is our pleasure.”

Wow, Stone. You’ve got quite a lot to say about this beer. In case you didn’t read, this beer was originally their 11th anniversary beer. They thought it was so good and deserving to be made more that it’s available year round. When I poured this beer I was anxious because it was so dark, I guess you could say it was black. I like lighter beers. I usually steer clear of stouts and porters now. They used to by my favorite and now I just don’t really enjoy them. I did like the head that formed though. Smelling it though and I am surprised. There’s the malty sweetness but also hops. I’m getting really excited at this point. I love hops and love to try all the different ways they can be in a beer. Drinking the first thing I notice is a subtle spiciness. Along with the hops and I’m really enjoying this beer. It did have characteristics of dark ales. Just a bit of malt and sweetness. I should of figured Stone would not let me down, they never have before.

Grade: A+

“Pliny the Younger was Pliny the Elder’s nephew, in the case of this beer, the “Younger” is a triple IPA. Pliny the Younger is hopped three times more than our standard IPA, and is dry hopped four different times. 11.0& ABV GOBS of BUs”

Many of us have been looking forward to the release of Pliny the Younger this year. Last year was insane. The release at the actual Russian River brew pub lasted for eight hours. There was releases in other places, but after I heard how it went at the brewery, I didn’t mess with trying to get any. This year I have to applaud Russian River for coming up with such a great way to get as much Pliny the Younger to masses as possible. They allocated enough of it for a two week period. They have a set amount each day with 10oz pours only and after that it’s gone for the day. I don’t think there is a limit on pours. I had two. I read blogs and followed some people on Twitter that were going to the first release day on Friday Feb 4th. Some people waited up to three hours. A friend invited me to go on saturday but I thought it might be worse since less people have to work on Saturday. I regretfully declined.

On sunday a couple friends talked about going on Tuesday and we decided to make it happen. I didn’t know the line situation from the past few days so we left in time to get there right before the brewery opened at 11am. Upon arriving fifteen minutes early, we find that there is nobody waiting outside. Since it was still early we didn’t go wait by the door. When it was a little after 11, we headed over and walked inside. There were very few people inside. We immediately got a seat at the bar just feet away from the tap that poured out the very coveted drink. We asked for Pliny the Younger and a glass was laid out in front of each of us. For a while I just kind of looked at it and savored the last moments of not tasting what could be one of the best beers I have ever had. I took the photo above before even drinking it. I though to myself how awesome it was to be here at the source of this beer and drinking it at the bar with some good friends.

I picked up the glass. Color is a clear golden amber and pretty much no head. On the nose it’s lots of pine and some mixed fruits, some hops too. Smell matches up to the taste very well. Lots of hops and very crisp. The alcohol doesn’t come through until the end. The finish is great with a stickiness from the alcohol. This is the most drinkable IPA I have ever had. We also ordered a half pint of Pliny the Elder (they called it a tiny Pliny) to compare side by side with the Younger. Drinking the Younger then the Elder, the Elder tastes like a lager. The other way around, the finish on the Younger is so much better.

This beer is so worth all the hype, and more. I had some skepticism that it would be good, but not as good as it was. I though it had high ratings because of how hard it is to get. It is hard to get and it is amazing. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it to Pi Bar’s Russian River Night and get some more, but I imagine that being really crazy. I’d like to take this time and add another + sign to my rating. Goodnight.