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On the Hunt for Pliny in the Emerald City

Jul 9th, 2009 by

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Posted in Beer, Reviews

7 Responses to “On the Hunt for Pliny in the Emerald City”

  1. Katherine says:
    July 11, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    First of all, I’m jonesin’ for some more Pliny. Its balance is amazing, making it totally drinkable. Unlike the Hop Czar which made me feel like I just made out with a hop sock. Question for you Dave: Why is it so hard to get a really hoppy homebrew? Joe was saying how he dry-hopped for, was it, two weeks? But the hop is hard to capture. Why? And do you have any tips for us homebrewers?

  2. Tori says:
    July 16, 2009 at 4:23 am

    I live in a tiny town in Washington and we’re heading to Seattle this weekend to visit friends. I was just curious where you found the Black Butte XXI?! I’ve looked all around the area where I’m located and can’t find it (yet I managed to find a couple bottles of Black Butte XX at a local pub). I’m hoping to taste some XXI this weekend, be it bottled or on tap.

    Thanks!

  3. David Flaherty says:
    July 16, 2009 at 6:53 am

    Hi Katherine, thanks for writing in with your brew question. Why you chose to write me here, I have no idea. You know we live together, right? I’m the guy who wears a ring on his finger with your name on it, and that means we can discuss everything–I’ve vowed it, for God’s sake. In front of our friends and family.

    I have noticed an increase of twitching and nervous tics while you sleep, and the occasionally whispering of “Pliny” “Pliny” “Pliny”–glad to have identified it now as Pliny-itis. Help! We need NYC distribution, stat! You have infected my wife with your sweet, sweet poison, and now her sanity is at stake.

    But, you do bring up an interesting homebrew dilemma…so lets dive in. How do you capture the hops in your own brews?

    I wish I could say I have even an iota of the brewing understanding that fair Vinnie Cilurzo (creator and brewer of Pliny the Elder) does, so I will turn to his recent comments in Zymurgy on this topic. Here’s just a couple of tips he advises when making a double IPA:

    –A double IPA should not have a lot of crystal malt, which will get in the way of clean hop character. It doesn’t need to be anything more than two-row malt, Carapils (dextrin) malt, crystal malt and some acidulated malt.

    –He highly suggests adding some dextrose (corn sugar) to the boil to help bump up the gravity

    –He prefers to mash at a lower temperature, like 151F, which will give less body to the beer and allow the hops to shine through. The higher the temp (normal brewing is around 155F), the more body you’ll get.

    –Pliny is fermented at a lower temp as well. Keep it at 66 to 68F to avoid diacetyl flavors

    –Definitely dry hop it. Remove the beer from its trub (yeast and malt remains that settle at the bottom of the fermenter) and transfer to a secondary fermenter. Add a new batch of hops to this (Pliny is dry-hopped for 12 to 14 days). This may even be repeated AGAIN.

    Well, thats enough geeking out for one day. For those of you who’s eyes just glazed over, my apologies. My head is spinning myself. For those others, happy brewing and all the best trying to capture the hop magic.

    And Vinnie, please consider sending me a case of Pliny the Elder. My wife’s well-being is at stake. You have created a monster.

  4. Joe F. says:
    July 16, 2009 at 9:47 am

    Tori, they have Black Butte XXI at the Greenlake PCC Natural Market (7504 Aurora Ave. N., on the corner of Aurora Ave. N. and Winona Ave. N.) in Seattle. I got 2 bottles, one to drink now and one to age for a year or two. Delicious!

    We had quite the beer tour while you were here Dave! Georgetown 9lb Porter, Maritime Imperial Pale Ale, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale, North Coast Brewery Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, Oskar Blues Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Port Townsend Hop Diggidy, Alaska Amber, Mac and Jacks African Amber…..just to name a few! Now I’m getting thirsty…

  5. David Flaherty says:
    July 17, 2009 at 9:33 am

    That is a staggeringly awesome list. Thanks for posting that. Mama’s Little Yella Pils was a super tasty Pilsner (and quite possibly the most clever name in the bunch)

    This just goes to show that when one has a dream and a goal in mind, there is nothing that can stop you. Take this to heart, kids. And when you’re old enough (16), support Colorado beers…

  6. Cynthia Perrish says:
    March 27, 2010 at 5:00 pm

    Thanks for the great info, I will definitely be back!

  7. Drinking Consultants says:
    May 12, 2011 at 10:39 pm

    Wow, I didn’t know that anyone out of the Bay Area knew of the mighty Pliny! We live about 20 miles from Russian River, which if you are anywhere nearby, is a must-do pilgramage. And in the city they always have Pliny on tap at another beer shrine, the Toronado! Definitely a top choice. Cheers!

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