TN: Pliny the Younger

[Rick Joyer]

I was able to land a mixed case from the release at the end of January, which showed up yesterday. They say drink 'em fresh, so I figured why not Pobega one as soon as it chilled a bit more in the fridge?

I once stood in line for quite some time for a 4oz pour of the Younger a few years back (along with some other hard to come by IPAs). That was fun because of the crowd experience and the conversations, so I was interested to see what I thought with a full glass in a quiet setting. Meh. I like the Elder better to be honest. The Younger is hugely tropical (my wife immediately said "pineapple and mango"), resinous and a little sticky. It's (obviously) more intense than the Elder, which I get is a "pro" for some folks but for me, I think the Elder strikes a better balance of super hoppy, alcohol level and cleanliness on the palate of all of the Uber IPA's. Don't get me wrong, this was a fun drink, but if offered both I'd reach for the Elder first.

Regardless, I think it was really cool how the Brewery went about making these available to the public this year....kudos to them.

[Andrew Kotowski]

Seeing this resell for $150 a bottle is laughable. Glad to see you didn’t get robbed at secondary.

[Alex N]

Seeing this resell for $150 a bottle is laughable. Glad to see you didn’t get robbed at secondary.

The buzzkill of the first sip of a $150 IPA must be earth shattering for those who paid anywhere near that price. First time I had it during a release for under $10 for a pint I ordered Blind Pig and passed on my 2nd pour of Younger. It's good but stories of 12hr waits and camping out on the street for an IIIPA, really? I still never would have thought Younger would have that kind of flippable return.

[ClarkstonMark]

Seeing this resell for $150 a bottle is laughable. Glad to see you didn’t get robbed at secondary.

The buzzkill of the first sip of a $150 IPA must be earth shattering for those who paid anywhere near that price. First time I had it during a release for under $10 for a pint I ordered Blind Pig and passed on my 2nd pour of Younger. It's good but stories of 12hr waits and camping out on the street for an IIIPA, really? I still never would have thought Younger would have that kind of flippable return.

never underestimate beer fomo, especially for a beer that has basically never been available to 90+% of the US

[BRhoades]

Seeing this resell for $150 a bottle is laughable. Glad to see you didn’t get robbed at secondary.

The buzzkill of the first sip of a $150 IPA must be earth shattering for those who paid anywhere near that price. First time I had it during a release for under $10 for a pint I ordered Blind Pig and passed on my 2nd pour of Younger. It's good but stories of 12hr waits and camping out on the street for an IIIPA, really? I still never would have thought Younger would have that kind of flippable return.

It's not even Russian Rivers best beer I just roll my eyes when I hear of these obnoxious secondary market numbers, but there's always a sucker that will pony up and pay it. I have had my fair share of the Younger, it always has been at local So. Cal.pub's that tap kegs to celebrate that years release, a few times at Lucky Baldwins in Pasadena and a few times at Beachwood Brewing and last year a kind friend sent me bottles from his visit to the brewery,I never stood in line or paid more than $10 a pint. It's a fun experience to share with friends.

Cheers,

Bud

[William Segui]

It's not even Russian Rivers best beer

This is correct. I've been trying to get Vinnie to can/bottle the Hopfather but so far, no luck

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

Seeing this resell for $150 a bottle is laughable. Glad to see you didn’t get robbed at secondary.

The buzzkill of the first sip of a $150 IPA must be earth shattering for those who paid anywhere near that price. First time I had it during a release for under $10 for a pint I ordered Blind Pig and passed on my 2nd pour of Younger. It's good but stories of 12hr waits and camping out on the street for an IIIPA, really? I still never would have thought Younger would have that kind of flippable return.

+1. I acknowledge that people are free to spend their money as they see fit, but -- *for me* -- $150 for a bottle of IPA is sofa king stupid I don't really know what else to say. I struggle to think of any beer in the world I would even consider paying that kind of money for, except perhaps an extremely high-quality lambic with significant age on it (i.e.: Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze with 20+ years on it).

[Rick Joyer]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

[jordan whitehead]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

bunch of wine geeks=3 people

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I feel that paying 15x markups for wine is equally insane!

Furthermore, with most beers, there just isn't the huge range of quality and potential for a mind-blowing experience like there is with wine. As much as I looooove IPA, I have never had one that was so good I'd want to pay more than regular retail for it. I think there's a lot more room for "unique" and "irreplaceable" in the wine world than in the beer world.

And I say all that as someone who considers PtY to be the best TIPA I've ever had (it's been many years, however). I would give-up wine before I would beer, too.

[Andrew Kotowski]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

I drink bourbon, too, and frequently pay secondary pricing at times there (Weller FP at $225 is a great example). My comment on this was that the 15x mark-up was crazy.

Hey, if you've got it to spend, go for it. That said, can totally appreciate your point.

[William Segui]

I drink bourbon, too, and frequently pay secondary pricing at times there (Weller FP at $225 is a great example). My comment on this was that the 15x mark-up was crazy.

And I’ve see WFP much higher than that. FWIW, through a long standing relationship I got a bottle for $58, so retail has to be somewhere in that ballpark

[Bruce Rudman]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

This is spot on! Slightly over 1 1/2 pints fills a wine bottle. No different than buying a $225+ bottle of wine and a lot of us here do that. Whatever you enjoy.

At least the Weller on the secondary market for $299 gets you about 13 pours of Whisky (at 2 oz each). A relative bargain when you think of it!

[Robert M yers]

I hope everyone here takes the following comment in the spirit with which I offer it, which is in pure jest. That disclaimer aside, I have to chuckle at the irony of a bunch of wine-geeks who, by 99% of the World's standards, spend way too much money on wine sitting around commenting about the lunacy of beer geeks spending big money on a super rare/hard to come-by beer.

This is spot on! Slightly over 1 1/2 pints fills a wine bottle. No different than buying a $225+ bottle of wine and a lot of us here do that. Whatever you enjoy.

At least the Weller on the secondary market for $299 gets you about 13 pours of Whisky (at 2 oz each). A relative bargain when you think of it!

But I drink a pint and a half before it gets even slightly warm. A $225 bottle of wine I’d make at least an evening of.

[Bruce Rudman]

I must say the comparison I made is not equal, as you could easily drink three pints before getting drunk but the equivalent cost of 1.5 bottles of good wine would not be apples to apples. A better comparison would be four of your bottles to a single bottle of Colgin or other $600 wine. Not quite Harlan but maybe a McDonald... I'd rather have the good wine.