Russian River Event Tomorrow At Super Deli Mart

Coming up tomorrow, March 20th, at Super Deli Mart in West Seattle is a great Russian River Brewing Company tasting event.  This will also likely be one of  the last times you'll be able to find Russian River Brewing's Pliny The Younger in Seattle this year. 

Starting at around 5:00PM, Super Deli Mart will have available the Russian River Brewing beers either on tap and/or in the bottle:

• Temptatation
• Supplication
• Consecration
• Redemption
• Salvation
• Collaboration Not Litigation
• Damnation
• Pliny The Elder
• Pliny The Younger

Tickets for this tasting event went on sale back on March 13th but sold out in minutes.  A few additional tasting tickets went on sale yesterday, March 18th, but were sold out, according to Super Deli Mart, in less than a minute!

Don't worry if you didn't get a ticket, however, because while a ticket will guarantee you a 7oz pour of Pliny The Younger and three other Russian River beers, tickets are not required - but you'd better get in line early.  Those with tickets are guaranteed schooners of Pliny The Elder, Pliny The Younger, Damnation & Sour (Temptation or Supplication). 

So if you missed Pliny The Elder during any of it's other appearances around Seattle this year, or if you're just a fan of Russian River Brewing beers, get down to Super Deli Mart tomorrow and get your fill.  I might try to stop by, but I already have two other events planned for tomorrow (overbooking myself again!), so I may not make it. 

Super Deli Mart will also have a discount on all Russian River bottles during this event, from 5:00PM - 8:00PM, so get down there and stock up!

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

Have You Been 'Youngered' Yet?

It's back, and people everywhere are going crazy, trying to find some on tap to try.  Have you found any yet? 

Back in a post that's now nearly a year old, I'd explained that I don't generally go around 'chasing' Pliny.  However, that statement generally applied to Russian River Brewing's Pliny the Elder, which used to be far more difficult to find (but I can generally find it when I want it/when it comes around at Seattle's local bottle shops).  Eventually, people realized that Pliny the Elder actually comes around every six weeks or so.  It's not a 'rare' beer in that sense; it just tends to sell fairly quickly when it's around.  In fact, many local bottle shops still have a 1 or 2 bottle per person per day limit, so they don't run out quite as quickly (there are a couple of other places with higher bottle limits, but I have to keep some secrets to myself, don't I?)

Since it's only available on-tap, however, Pliny the Younger is far more elusive and difficult to find.  Even if you do come across a Facbook post or Tweet from a bar or tavern saying the just put some on tap, unless you're about 5 minutes away when you read that post, the chances of any Younger being left when you get there are slim to none. 

The last time Brouwer's Cafe put on a keg of Pliny the Younger (a 1/6th barrel - about 5 gallons), it was completely drained in under 7 minutes.  And last night, while chatting with Don Webb down at Naked City Brewery & Taphouse, he mentioned that the last keg of Younger they put on was drained in 6 minutes.  Basically, they left the tap handle fully open & just kept bringing glasses. 

I've never had Pliny the Younger myself.  But I'd like to change that.  And it looks like I may be getting my chance soon.  Word on the street is that Naked City will be tapping a keg of the elusive Younger at 2:00PM today (2/15), and the Parkway Tavern in Tacoma will be taping a keg tomorrow (2/16) at 7:00PM.  If you have the desire to try Pliny the Younger and the means to get to either of these places in time for the keg taping, I encourage you to do so. 

I also have a 'ticket' for a 'guaranteed' taste of the Younger at The Last Drop Bottle Shop up by Lake City Way.  Last week, they started selling tickets for pours of Pliny the Younger.  They'll be tapping the keg at 4:00PM on 2/18 and you have to be there by/before 4:30 or they have the right to give your pour away.  Unfortunately, if you're only learning about this now, you can't get a ticket for Last Drop.  They sold out in 1-2 days.  If you're feeling adventerous, however, - you could try and show up without a ticket & pray that someone who bought one can't make it! 

I hope these tips can help you find some Pliny the Younger.  If you miss out, keep an open eye and ear.  These three places aren't the only places with kegs of Pliny the Younger to tap - and a few places (like The Publican) already tapped theirs last week - but perhaps they have more.  There's no way for us to know. 

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.

Pliny The MADNESS!

Many have heard of it; some have not. But whenever it arrives, it sure doesn't last long. Kegs drain in record time. Bottle shops have a run on it and must impose a bottle limit per shopper - and they still run out in under a day in most cases.

What am I talking about? That'd be Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny The Elder Imperial IPA. And those who don't know, Pliny The Elder is one of two 'Pliny' beers made by Russian River (The other, of course, being Pliny The Younger). Both are excellent Imperial IPA's, but that's not the only reason demand for both Plinys has gotten so high.

Beer Advocate, a beer culture website based out of Boston, MA, last year declared Pliny The Younger, quite smiply, the best beer in the World (based on reviews from their readers - all beer styles were allowed/considered).

Head to their site to see a list of their 100 Top Beers. You'll note that Pliny The Younger is right on top.  Does it deserve to be there?  I honestly don't know.  I've never tasted it. 

Pliny showed up in Washington state late last month. My local bottle shop was sold out of Pliny The Elder in just a few hours. Also, at Brouwer's Cafe in Seattle, they tapped a 1/6 barrel (5 Gallon) keg of Pliny The Younger at 10:00PM on Tuesday, March 1st. According to their Facebook page, the keg was drained in approximately 7 minutes!

Now, I can appreciate a well made Imperial IPA as much as the next person; perhaps even more. However, I think that the lengths some people are going to in order to get their hands on a pint or bottle of Pliny is a bit over the top. Is it an excellent beer? Without a doubt. But in your mad dash towards a Pliny, don't overlook all the other amazing beers that are also likely staring you right in the face.

Drink responsibly and stay safe out there!