A recent (birthday) haul from my parents.
I had the Monkey Paw (3.2/5) and Linchpin (3.7/5) tonight and I'm of course drinking my namesake tonight. Luckily my parents live on the west coast and can supply me with some when I get a craving.
Pliny The Elder (bottled 5/16/12)
Pour is a bright clear golden color with a finger length head which sticks around for a moderate amount of time before leaving a nice lacing.
Aroma is bright, clean, floral scent. Piney, fruity, I can't stress how clean it is, just a punch in the nose.
Every time I have it I think its not going to live up to expectations somehow, yet every time it's a revelation. Hop forward to say the least but it's not overpowering. I can drink this all day. Perfectly balanced, hops upfront with enough malt behind it to support it but no doubt this beer is all about a display of hop flavor.
Mouthfeel is smooth and makes it supremely drinkable. Dangerously drinkable I'd say.
Overall this is everything a beer should aspire to be. Aside from Heady Topper this is without a doubt my favorite beer, but at that point it's like splitting hairs.
5/5, this is the beer I compare all others to.