Pliny the Younger is coming — and this time, it’s headed to your doorstep.
Pliny the Younger will be shipped this year
January is typically a slow month, as people recover from the hubbub of the holidays, which had significantly less bub this time around. But that slowdown is doubly true this year, as the pandemic keeps us homebound.
The best staying-in beers for a winter’s day gravitate toward bigger, stronger, richer beers — beers to drink by an open fire, whether it’s a roaring fireplace, back porch fire pit or a votive candle on your coffee table. Big British barley wines, Belgian dubbels and tripels, German doppelbocks and American double and triple IPAS all do their best to warm the cockles of your heart at this time of year. And then there’s Pliny.
Pliny the Younger
Life is nowhere near normal right now, but Pliny is coming. Russian River Brewing is gearing up to release its seasonal favorite, Pliny the Younger, in bottles this year — and under different conditions. You won’t be able to stand in line with other Pliny devotees to get a fresh pour and the full Younger experience. There won’t be an inperson release at either of the two locations. But Russian River will be shipping 12-bottle, mixed-pack cases — within California — that include four bottles of Pliny the Younger, along with some of its other popular beers and one special, new brew no one has seen before.
Co-owner Natalie Cilurzo told me, “We’re trying to re-create the experience of Younger in person.”
Most people who visit the brewery for Pliny the Younger order a sampler of Russian River beers, too, hence the mixed case. And Natalie and brewer Vinnie Cilurzo will be posting Facebook Live tastings of Younger and other beers so fans can taste along with the Russian River duo.
“While we’re disappointed that we can’t do (Younger) in person,” she said, “we’re still doing what we can to make it available to as many people as possible and still make it fun, while at the same time being responsible business owners and keeping everybody safe.”
This is a one-time thing just for 2021, she said. Barring anything unforeseen, Younger will be back at the brewery the following year, so if you want to try it in a bottle, this is your shot. Pre-sales will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday at the brewery’s online store, shop.russianriverbrewing.com.
More new sips
Hopes were high when Liquid Gravity Brewing Co. opened in San Luis Obispo last January. Then the pandemic handicapped its first year in business. But former Firestone Walker brewer Brendan Gough and his crew persevered.
Now they’re launching a new beer collaboration with EC Comics, the famous company that produced “Twofisted Tales,” “Weird Science,” “Tales from the Crypt” and other comics in the 1940s and ’50s. After government censorship all but put the company out of business, it soldiered on with a single title you’re undoubtedly familiar with: Mad magazine.
Now it has partnered with Liquid Gravity on Pale from the Crypt, a West Coast Pale Ale, with original artwork from the old “Crypt” comics and new art by Toby Newell.
Expect the Crypt Keeper, Old Witch and Vault Keeper to be joined by the new Hop Witch, Brewmeister and Malt Keeper.
Beginning Friday, the beer should be available throughout California and via the craft beer delivery service Tavour.com.
Other beers to look for include the return of Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack, a black rye IPA that will be available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans beginning this month. Stone Brewing Co. is bringing back its own black IPA, which it hasn’t brewed in five years, dubbed Sublimely Self-righteous Black IPA.
And Lindemans, the Belgian lambic brewery, has released a four-pack sampler that includes its Framboise (raspberry), Peche (peach), Kriek (cherry) and Pomme (apple) lambic beers.
Lambics are sour beers that are fermented twice, the second time in the bottle with their respective fruits. This is a great way to try them all and see which one you like best.
SF Beer Week
As you might expect, inperson beer festivals, dinners and events have yet to return. But SF Beer Week is going virtual and statewide this year with online socials and tastings, collaborations and specialty boxes Feb. 1221. I’ll give you the details in my next column. Meanwhile, keep an eye on cacraftbeerweek.com.
Contact JAY R. Brooks At Brooksonbeer@gmail.com.