There are some beers and/or breweries of definite interest (the much-celebrated Bell's from Michigan, BridgePort Hop Czar, Kona Macadamia Nut Brown, etc.), but mine eyes looked to see the glory of the coming of the Pliny. And there, under the "R's" (Russian River) did I behold it. Oh, hosanna!*With the meat of Pliny assured, all else is but gravy.
Pliny the Elder, Russian River Brewing
From my 2006 description: Years ago, Eugene's now-defunct Wild Duck Brewery made a strong ale called Sasquatch. It was my favorite big beer, a fantastic way to end a brewfest once my tongue could no longer distinguish subtle flavors. Each year, at the end of the OBF, I greatly missed its passing (as well as the man who brewed it, Glen Falconer, who died in 2002). While I will always miss Glen, I finally found a beer to rival Sasquatch: Pliny the Elder from Russian River. Named for the Roman who gave the name to hops ("lupus Salictarius," or "wolf among scrubs"), it fills a long-vacant need. Whatever you do, save a token for Pliny. You might even offer a toast for the Sasquatch of your choice.
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*Please forgive my petty blasphemies, certain beers make a sinner out of me.
Are you planning on posting a list of don't-miss beers? Or do you know of anyone who has? I'm heading to Portland Friday and want to make sure that I don't miss anything that I'll regret missing. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just took my first gander at the beer list for the OBF (yes, at this late date; been one of those kinds of summers)
ReplyDeleteYeah... I noticed that in your first post... I was just wondering whether it was something you planned to do before Friday.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the heads up on the Pliny.
Micah, yeah, I'm going to do a preview. Under way now...
ReplyDeleteIf Flying Fish's "Love Fish Abbey Dubbel" is anything like last year's bourbon-barrel abbey, that'll be a don't-miss for me many times over.
ReplyDeleteIt is a right of passage now for the OBF: Kneeling before Pliny - and also trying to figure out how long to put off blowing the palate before the Pliny lines get obscenely long and the keg blows...
ReplyDeleteHow long is "obscenely long"? 20 minutes? 2 hours?
ReplyDeleteOn ratebeer, Pliny is in the 100th percentile. That means it's better than 100% of all beers. It's even better than itself.
ReplyDeleteI never get tired of math jokes.
Pliny is not the end all be all you make it out to be. at the OBF its quite mundane kinda chlorophyll taste from to much dry hop trying to push it out in time
ReplyDelete