Quest for Pliny, Quest for Six

Posted by Lauren

Quest: A long or arduous search for something. And (according to Wikipedia), in literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and the overcoming of many obstacles, typically including much travel.

First, the Quest for Pliny the Younger – Russian River Brewing Co’s illustrious triple IPA that is released for only two weeks in February. This quest involved funky toilets, flying goats, golden gates, and orange chickens!!

Thanks to Hotel Tonight (first blogged about this awesome mobile app HERE) Kyle and I snagged a last minute hotel room at an adorable, historic, boutique hotel in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. I love using that money-saving app, and I can’t believe how many cities they’ve added to their roster across the globe. Hotel La Rose was a great addition, Hotel Tonight folks!

Anyways, my alarm went off early on Superbowl Sunday (hey, this kinda sounds like the beginning of Nicole’s post….) and I instantly started comparing the nearby coffee shops. Intent on going somewhere other than my beloved Starbucks, I settled on Flying Goat Coffee, which was just a stone’s throw from our hotel! I can’t, for the life of me, break my boring habit of ordering plain coffee. Looking back I wish I had ordered their famous Aztec mocha. Next time, I guess.

I walked a few blocks to Russian River Brewing Co and took my spot in line at 9 AM. Kyle joined me an hour later (after having packed up the car and checked out of the hotel) with this giant cinnamon roll. What a way to start the day, am I right??

The line steadily grew and wrapped around the block….

Pliny Proclamation sign, below, reads:

• A certain amount of Younger will be allocated each day from Feb 1st-14th and tapped when we open at 11 AM
• It will be available on draft in 10 ounce pours for $4.50!
• No growlers or bottles to go so more beer enthusiasts like YOU will have the opportunity to enjoy it!
• Why don’t we make it year-round? This beer is expensive, time/space-consuming to brew, and we like to keep it special!
• Dining and Board Room tables reserved for our dining guests!
• Please no cutting in line! If you have a compelling reason for not waiting like everyone else, you will have to take that up with the 300 folks in line BEHIND you. Good luck with that!

The doors opened slightly before 11 AM…. at long last! PLINY THE YOUNGER!

Thoughts: remarkably smooth, strong hop kick to the mouth, not overly aromatic, pale ambery orange color, no head, hints of citrus and pine. I’m a little baffled at how this 10.8% abu brew comes together as seamlessly as it does. Pliny, you win.

We split an order of Pliny Bites – crispy bits of pizza dough topped with white cheddar and jalapenos. When I saw this on the menu I thought we’d get a basket of fried dough balls dusted with white cheddar and jalapeno bits, but it was definitely more like a sliced up cheese pizza…. a very delicious, cheesy, greasy, pizza. Since the demand is so high, we ended up sharing a table with two really nice dudes. Tony, Chad, Kyle, and I talked about breweries in Northern California, our favorite beer festivals, the craft beer scene, and the magic of Pliny the Younger. After two 10 ounce pours, we picked up a growler of Pliny the Elder (for Tahoe this weekend!) and took the scenic route back down to Palo Alto.

We randomly decided to pull over and take advantage of the sunny skies for a Golden Gate Bridge photo shoot. Just looking at the bridge makes me so nostalgic. I love it here.

Once back on our end of the peninsula, we cozied up with Darrin to watch the Super Bowl. The 49ers embarked on their own quest, the Quest for Six Super Bowl championships…..

[insert pictures of food because I don't want to talk about the sad, sad, sad game]

Really weird, very alcoholic-tasting Belgian (?) beer. The guys couldn’t stand to drink it, so I washed it down with some tortilla chips. During half time, I heated up a bag of orange chicken and tossed in three small heads of roasted broccoli. That makes it healthy, in case you’re wondering.

Also during half time: a photo text adventure with Fran! We were sad, we were scared, we were hopeful, and we were enjoying some sweets (red velvet cake for her and vanilla ice cream on a chocolate dipped cone for me).

I’m not going to talk about the end of the game, because most of us who care what happened already know what happened, so here is another picture of the Golden Gate Bridge, in all of its glory – a true symbol of the better city ;)

-Lauren

Question: What’s something you waited in a really long line for to be released?