Many a year ago I got my hands on a Pliny The Elder. A hugely well reputed IIPA from America. However, since I am in the UK, it took a while to get to me, so many people shared the opinion that it would be far past its best.
Fast forwards to this year, 2016, when Christian from Independent Spirit got his hands on some super fresh bottles of this beer – the last of which he found he still had about a month later, when he feared it would soon be past its best. Being the kind person he is, he passed the bottle to me to enjoy before that terrible fate happened.
So, I have now tried a, if not super fresh, still pretty impressively fresh, Pliny in the UK! It still has the same base notes as that beer I experience all those years ago, but is so much bigger. It comes in faster, and has a more showy character that the older beer lacked. Far more pine, resiny hops – the malt still there but less evident with the fresher hop up front. Some orange was present, though Christian mentioned that was far more evident when it was fresh.
I’m not going to do another set of notes, as the base notes are similar, but wow this gives it an extra level of punch and takes a beer I already very much appreciated and shoved it up a notch.
Many thanks again, and this has just renewed my certainty that one day I will try it super fresh in the USA, and possibly even, may I dare to hope, Pliny The Younger.
