Waiting 2.5 hours for a "perfect" beer. Crazy?
 

All these beer threads, here's another...

A brewery here in my hometown, Russian River Brewing Company is releasing it's "Pliney the Younger" this Friday. Keep in mind this is not Pliney the Elder (for those familiar) which is brewed seasonally every year and usually available at the brewery.

The younger is released for only about two weeks, and is EXTREMELY hard to find anywhere other than the brewery, a small handful of accounts will have it for draft release only. The Beer Advocate rates it 100 out of 100 (if that means anything to you).

I'm going to the brewery for a couple pints upon release, though the line is always literally around the block on release day and waiting 2.5 hours is not unheard of. I personally think it's a little silly but I'm gonna do it for the beer and kinda for the novelty. Our local paper reported last year that during the release, enthusiasts came from as far as Denmark and Japan, so I guess comparatively 2.5 hours is not too bad.

Worth it or Crazy?

Both. Crazy but a good beer "war story" is useful in many social situations.

Do it, and report back!

Could be fun. People wait in line for over an hour to ride a rollercoaster ride that will last less than 30 seconds. Depends on what you consider 'worth it'.

If it were more local to me, and I had the time, Id probably do it.

I'll often drive 20-30 minutes and pay for parking (if Im going about town) to fill my growler at the Stone Company store.

Pliny the Elder is good stuff, I havent had the Younger. Buy some and we can trade!

For those who're interested, the recipe for Pliny the Elder is here, together with a lot of hints as to how to "upgrade" it to Pliny the Younger. Personally, I'd rather spend 3 hours making 10 gallons of the stuff than waiting for 10 ounces.

But without tasting those 10 ounces, how can you be certain you brewed it right? Also, you must wait longer than 3 hours taking into account fermentation time.

Also, I cant wait to get into my own place so I can start some serious homebrewing.

Is there another Stone Brewing besides the one in Escondido or is that the one you're referring to?

Never had "Younger" but "Elder" is indeed tasty and available at one of our finer microbrew establishments near my work.

I wasnt referring to the brewery itself. Stone opened a Company Store in Pasadena, Ca. They don't brew there; its pretty much a Merchandise shop and Growler fill location. Like what they have at the brewery, but no bistro. They also carry special releases in bottled form.

I don't know where you get 3 hours from. Considering all the equipment, ingredients, time and effort required. I think 10 oz for 5 bucks sounds better. Also, If I show up early enough I may not have to wait that long, or I could just karate chop the first dude in line and steal his place :ninja:

for you it's probably worth it
for me, I wouldn't wait that long for a beer when there's perfectly good, cold Shiner Bock ready to serve up.

I'd probably do it. Why not?

Probably actual brew time. As mentioned, it doesn't take fermentation into account, or bottle conditioning if you don't keg.

You're looking at a solid month or longer. I bottle condition for 4 weeks, and fermentation is usually about 2 weeks depending on what I was making.

PM me when you do. I'm always tweaking my setup so will probably have some of the gear you need sitting around looking for a good home.

Yep. I don't count those as I can do other things while they're happening.

For me, anything from 2 weeks in the bright tank for lawnmower beers to 1 year in oak for big imperial stouts.

Can you stand in line and drink beer?

Thanks Uncle Fluffy, I would very much appreciate that!

Huge beer fan here. Pliny the Younger is legendary. That said I wouldnt bother, unless you have nothing going on.

A few years ago I spent the summer in Holland. I went to this pub in Amsterdam with some friends and they were telling me to try this beer, Westveleteren, that is suppopsedly the rarest and/or most sought after beer in the world. Brewed by Belgian monks that only sell it once per year, you have to pick it up at the abbey, and the limit is 2 cases I heard. I had one. It was good but not 11 Euro good.

I read in the news a few months back that someone in the US got their hands on some and people were traveling from all over the country to hopefully get some. As in one bottle at most. Totally ridiculous but I guess in light of that, a 3 hour wait isn't so bad. Ok go get one and tell us how it was. :D

Crazy.

Russian River has their marketing right!

I go to a place in Folsom called Manderes that always has great stuff on tap. They usually have Pliny the Elder but don't bother putting it on the beer menu because it sells fast enough anyway!

I've seen people leave when they find out the Pliny is off even though there are least 2 or 3 more double or triple IPAs on tap. Pliny is good, very good but it's not that good!

Any fans of Knee Deep brewing? They're local and producing some really good stuff like Hoptologist.

The man asks an important question.

But not as important as "can you stand in line and empty out the beer once you've processed it?"