Complete Beer Course Author Offers Alternatives to the Best Beers Not Available in NYC
The Rarity: Russian River Pliny the Elder
The Replacement: Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
The double IPA’s dad is [Russian River brewmaster] Vinnie Cilurzo. While brewing at Temecula, California’s Blind Pig Brewery in 1994, debuted his Inaugural Ale. Though other IPAs of that era topped out at 50 or 60 IBUs, Cilurzo estimated that his registered around 100. That paved the way for his bitter masterstroke, Pliny the Elder. Though you can occasionally find it in Philadelphia, you’re better off with a bottle of Lagunitas’ dank, aromatic Hop Stoopid double IPA.