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Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract
Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract
Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract
Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract
Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract
 

Russian River Brewing Company Pliny the Elder® Double IPA | 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit | Extract

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Description

Pliny the Elder is a truly amazing beer with a cult like following, and was once one of the hardest IPAs to find, as Russian River brewed it in very limited quantities. Depending on where you live, it may still be next to impossible to track down! But with this killer clone kit you can make your own Pliny and perhaps you will develop your own cult following where you are worshiped by your beer loving friends. (Hey, it could happen!). Light malt color, huge hops, and a dry finish. Be prepared for an outrageous amount of flavor.

This is THE original Pliny the Elder recipe, given to us directly by Vinnie at Russian River Brewing Company. This beer is an intense Double IPA. High bitterness with a dry malt finish, 8% alcohol, 6 separate hot side hop additions, 3 separate dry hop additions, and intense hop flavor and aroma! Pliny sets the standard for Double IPAs!

Who is Pliny the Elder?
This beer is named after Gainus Plinius Secondus, or Pliny the Elder, a Roman author, lawyer, naval man and naturalist who first mentions the botanical name for hops in his writings - lupus salictarius, which translated from Latin means Wolf Among Willows. Sadly, Pliny died while helping people escape the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in August, 79 AD. Pliny the Younger was the nephew of Pliny the Elder and is the name of another outrageous and highly sought-after beer from Russian River.

Russian River Brewing
If you have not tasted beers from Russian River Brewing Company, you should put it way up on your priority list. This is a brewery with huge demand that keeps quality as a first priority. Owner Vinnie Cilurzo is also unique in that he still actively brews and tests recipes and ingredients (on a MoreBeer! Brewsculpture by the way) on a constant basis. Amazing.

  • Makes 5 gallons
  • Estimated Original Gravity: 1.070-74
  • SRM (Color Range): 10
  • IBUs: 198-202 (this is a theoretical number, you will actually get around 100 IBU)
  • Estimated Alcohol Percentage: 8%

Our recipe kits DO NOT include grain bags, yeast or priming sugar. To find our yeast recommendations, choose your preferred kit option above and then select the drop-down menu under “Yeast Options”.  For more info, click on the recommended yeast(s) below in the “You Might Also Need” section below. All included steeping grains will come milled.

 

Liquid Malt Extract (LME) vs. Dried Malt Extract (DME)
MoreBeer! recipe kits are offered in both Liquid Malt Extract and Dry Malt Extract so that our customers can choose the format that best suits their needs and brewing style. LME is a viscous liquid, similar in consistency to maple syrup. In addition to being the more affordable option, many brewers find LME easier to handle than dry extract. DME is more condensed and comes in a powder format that is similar to baking flour. Although it’s a little more costly, DME is naturally lighter in color and stays fresher for longer. We highly recommend DME when brewing light colored beers.
 
 

 

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Community Q&A
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Start typing your question and we'll check if it was already asked and answered. Learn More
Browse 14 questions Browse 14 questions and 61 answers
Why did you choose this?
MoreFlavor Store
Like it
Valued C on Mar 7, 2023
number of good reviews
Shawn M on Mar 6, 2023
Like it
Valued C on Mar 7, 2023
Best kit
Kevin P on Mar 7, 2023
number of good reviews
Shawn M on Mar 6, 2023
I've had it before and it was delicious
Nickolas N on Feb 14, 2023
Awesome beer
David Fullen on Feb 3, 2023
I love this recipe
Stephen H on Jan 25, 2023
Excellent beer!
David Kitchka on Jan 24, 2023
DEAL
Mark W on Jan 23, 2023
I like Russian River beer, and IPA's are my style of choice!
PATRICK J N on Jan 23, 2023
Never tried but heard good things about it
chris s on Jan 18, 2023
made it before
James E on Jan 6, 2023
Love it!
John B on Jan 5, 2023
Have used this kit many times with excellent results. Compared to original, it is slightly darker but taste is identical.
Don S on Jan 3, 2023
I want to challenge my abilities and I hope this turns out as good as my first three brews.
Valued C on Dec 23, 2022
A favorite recipe
Jack N on Dec 22, 2022
It's a regular on tap !
Pete Previte on Dec 15, 2022
Have visited Russian River Brewery and havemadde this recipe a few times
James M Clark on Dec 13, 2022
I love Pliny and Elder
Tyler M W on Dec 12, 2022
it's by far my absolute favorite recipe kit. i keep it in rotation constantly. actually changed my kegerator to a double head just for this
christopher f on Dec 10, 2022
Made it before and loved it.
David S on Dec 2, 2022
I love pliny
Conrad a b on Oct 25, 2022
Good
Reed A on Oct 19, 2022
Repeat purchase
Gary Nalavany M on Oct 11, 2022
Tried and True!
Brad Saunders on Sep 29, 2022
Fabulous IPA, one of my standbys.
MDG on Sep 22, 2022
Have brewed this many times. A favorite.
James Doneski on Sep 6, 2022
Good kit
Malcolm M on Aug 29, 2022
Because I like this beer and I like to brew.
Timothy S on Aug 19, 2022
Repeat brew selection- excellent
Douglas H on Aug 12, 2022
Good beer!
Jeff on Aug 11, 2022
Used this before and it's cheaper
Alvaro V on Aug 11, 2022
Like the beer
Gregory K on Aug 6, 2022
Heard it was good.
Jonathan H on Jul 31, 2022
It's a fun one to make with friends. And who doesn't love an IPA?
Tsan A on Jul 21, 2022
Best beer ever brewed!
Steve S on Jun 28, 2022
brewed this once before with another company. you guys are much less expensive!!
Richard Wallace J on Jun 28, 2022
LOOKS AWESOME
Valued C on Jun 7, 2022
Haven't had Pliny in forever, excited for the clone recipe!
Brian S on May 25, 2022
Amazing beer kit
James G on May 24, 2022
Best IPA ever!
Michael J on May 7, 2022
Highly recommended
OVESTER C on Apr 19, 2022
I love this beer
Michael C on Apr 6, 2022
one of my favorites
marc d on Apr 2, 2022
Brewed multiple times previously. Big fan.
James van E on Mar 21, 2022
Made several times. It is my favorite
Thomas C on Mar 16, 2022
I met Vinney a few years back, always remember his creativity.
Rich H on Mar 9, 2022
I like it
Bill M on Mar 8, 2022
I like the original beer. This recipe got excellent reviews.
Brandon B on Feb 26, 2022
I love this beer
David Fullen on Feb 11, 2022
Brother in Cali likes this beer and told me to make it.
Jeff O on Feb 10, 2022
Best kit
Kevin P on Mar 7, 2023
I've had it before and it was delicious
Nickolas N on Feb 14, 2023
Which yeast is preferred for Pliny The Elder, White Labs or Giga Yeast?
Stephen Burgess on May 31, 2019
BEST ANSWER: Russian River uses white labs brand yeast, however all of the strains and companies are suitable, high quality brewing yeast. Zach is right that pitch rate is one of the bigger considerations and you should aim at pitching 2 trillion cells or more per 5 gallons.
Hello all, I am making Pliny the elder using the extract kit. I started fermentation today. I am trying to figure out when should I add the dry hops? The instructions say 3-7 days primary fermentation. Does that mean I wait 3-7 days and then add them or since it is a 2 week fermentation they should go in at the end with 3-7 days left? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Best, Josh
Josh Freilich on Mar 5, 2020
BEST ANSWER: Josh - As Sam mentioned and in the instruction card. Add dry hops after fermentation is complete, allow 3–7 days of contact time before packaging.
How long is the recommended fermentation time? I’ve seen on the instructions a recommended 2 weeks with no secondary. It’s the first kit I’ve used from this company and the prior company I’ve used recommends 3-4 weeks.
Aaron Bailey on May 8, 2020
BEST ANSWER: We recommend just 1-2 weeks for fermentation which will always depend on your yeast, temperature, and a host of other variables. After your fermentation is complete and the krausen has subsided you add the dry hops. Nowadays most breweries dry hop for up to 7 days, if you're doing multiple rounds of dry hopping like this recipe and add the first round on a Saturday then the second round on Tuesday and keg/bottle on the following Saturday. All in all it should take about 2.5 to 3 weeks from brewing to bottling.
Pliny Direct Pitch Yeast

As this is a DIPA with a full pound of corn sugar addition in the boil, it seems like it will need as strong yeast pitch to convert it. I am not set up to do a starter or aeration/oxygenation. Best I can do is shake the glass carboy as best as I can and direct pitch.

So, to ensure I get a solid fermentation, my plan is to direct pitch 2 packs of the White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast.

Is that a good idea or is it unnecessary?
Scott Jordan on Jun 24, 2020
BEST ANSWER: Your instincts are right, as it is always a good idea to pitch extra yeast in stronger beers. We do recommend using 2 packages at least of White Labs 001 until you can get starters going or can harvest your previous yeast. You could try out our Propper Starter canned wort which you can dilute and ferment in a sanitized 2L soda bottle as a way to get more yeast for your buck.
Sounds like you're doing everything right to ensure you're getting as good a fermentation as possible which is absolutely the most important part of brewing great beer.
For Pliny the Elder using extract, It says to add 1lb of Corn sugar to last 10 minutes of boil which I did and will start fermenting tomorrow. Do I also add the 40z corn sugar prior to bottling?
James M Clark on Apr 16, 2020
BEST ANSWER: The other answers are correct that the 4oz corn sugar package is to be added before bottling so the yeast have some more food to create the carbonation in the bottle. If you're ever kegging the batch and force carbing then you can add it with the other lb of sugar.
Are the hops added at flame out removed before transferring everything to the fermentor? If not, when?
Mike McCarthy on Oct 20, 2021
BEST ANSWER: I have made this kit about 2 dozen times and found the best way is to strain into keg or bottling bucket using a fine strainer. I then run it trough a filter if using the keg. It’s meant to keep all of those added hops in there until transferred. Yes, it’s a bunch. But it’s worth dealing with! Also, look at the floating dip tube if using kegs,
About to brew Pliny and am going to use LalBrew Voss Kveik Ale Yeast. Should one packet suffice, or should I pitch 2? Not set up to do a starter yet.
Cory S on Jun 2, 2021
BEST ANSWER: I have used multiple different yeasts when making this kit, and they all take off rather quickly. I would say 2 packets would be unnecessary but wouldn’t hurt anything either. Get set up for making starter asap, then that question will be well taken care of!
Tried making this kit, but the OG came out wayyy higher than expected. Followed the recipe and didn't add any additional ingredients. Est OG was supposed to be 1.07 but it wound up at 1.096. Final ABV was 10.6%, which is 2% higher than expected. We'll see how it tastes after bottle conditioning. Any ideas what happened?
Chris Meier on Nov 9, 2020
BEST ANSWER: Most extract brewers will do partial boils (which is more concentrated) and add water after chilling to bring the batch up to the final fermentor volume. If you do not mix your plain water in thoroughly, you might accidentally grab your sample from the thicker concentrated wort (which would sit at the bottom by the spigot if you're using a bucket) and you'll end up an incorrect measurement.
Pliny the Elder boil: Making Pliny extract. I steeped the grains and Cascade for 30 min's at 170. Then I brought the kettle to a boil and added the Magnum hops. I boiled that for 30 mins, removed from heat and THEN added the LME, DME and 8 oz of Malto. Is that right? I think I boiled the LME & DME from the 90 min mark last time.
James Doneski on Jul 17, 2020
BEST ANSWER: This process is exactly correct. The shorter boil for the ME will keep the sugars from getting too caramelized, dark, and sweet while still getting the hop utilization you need.
What kind of hops come with this kit?
Jeremy Blundo on May 8, 2018
BEST ANSWER: The hops in this kit don’t exactly match the hops listed on Russian Rivers website. Specifically, in this kit there are no Amarillo hops and there is a magnum hop addition. Can this kit still be considered at clone? Supposedly cascade hops are a close substitute for Amarillo hops. There doesn’t seem to be an explanation on why magnum hops are used.
The instructions say to add the whole hops with the grains and steep them both. Do you put both in the same bag? Are you suppose to remove the whole hops before the start of the 90 minute boil leave them in?
Jeff Damiano on May 12, 2021
BEST ANSWER: They are meant to be removed when you remove the grain bag. I have made this kit with adding the hops in the bag with the grain a few times and one time added them at the end of the boil because I forgot them. Both ways made an excellent beer!
I'm going with a dry yeast. Any recommendations?

I'm going to do a double pitch of yeast and deciding between CellarScience Cali or Safale US-05
Alex Schroeder on May 6, 2021
BEST ANSWER: Either option should make a great beer. I've had great results with both and they're very similar in flavor.
Two issues arose for me this time around: 1) My OG and FG were too high. 1.018 for FG. I used all DME. Not sure how much difference that would make. 2) I transferred to the keg today and the beer smelled really stringent. I haven't had this before. I changed two things this time around. First, I hop burst for 30 min's at flame out, and second, I didn't transfer to the secondary. I had lots of clogged drain tube issues last time round so I thought this would make for cleaner beer. Thoughts?
James Doneski on Sep 26, 2021
I heard somewhere that you should use more yeast than normal for this recipe to ensure complete fermentation of the high initial sugar content. Is this true? Does the kit ship with the correct amount of yeast or should I purchase more separately?
Gabriel Hein on Apr 2, 2019
Reviews
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4.9 / 5.0
123 Reviews
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
114
8
1
0
0
Rated 5 out of 5
Excellent Tasting
A favorite! I've brewed this kit 6 times and just bought 3 more. Seems to be a favorite of most friends too. I added grapefruit rind to one and just a touch of grapefruit flavoring to another and these are really good!
July 7, 2022
Rated 5 out of 5
Delicious and Somewhat Idiot-proof
I have brewed this beer with the kit I bought from MoreBeer twice and both times rendered a delicious product. Both batches were only slightly different due to slight errors and overlooks during both brews. (The worst was when transferring to the bottling pail. I noticed it wasn't as full as it should have been at some point, shifted my focus, and realized that the valve was in the open position and that roughly a third of the brew had been silently pouring onto the kitchen floor all around me. Good times.) Regardless, both the first brew and the second "Kitchen-Floor Ale" were sensational, and maybe only just a tad strong in the hops given the linger on the tongue. But it still worked for me. Given the apparent Imperial alcohol content, these were start-with beers, not finish-with beers. Bad idea to finish a night of beers with one of these. There also appeared to be a sweet spot in the timing which was right around 2 months for me. The longer it aged in the fridge, it seemed to lose a certain crispness that earlier bottles had. I have just one 22 oz. bottle left. I've been putting off drinking it because I'll be sad to see it go.
February 1, 2022
Purchased
 over 2 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Best Beer kit on earth!!!!!!
I gave my friend who is a brewer at a major brewery in the area a bottle and he was absolutely blown away!! he has had Pliney Before and thought that mine was just as good. i have my second batch in secondary fermentation now!
October 14, 2020
Purchased
 over 3 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Just as good as the real Pliny
With 4 people doing a blind taste test versus the real Pliny, it was a tie.
May 16, 2020
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
A Huge Favorite
This is my very favorite kit among the many I have tried from MoreBeer. Excellent results every time, and I am not an expert home brewer. Big hops and flavor, not for the hop-timid taste. Friends say it is an exact replica of the Russian River original. I get many compliments on this one and have to force myself to try other recipes.
April 16, 2020
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
A new favorite
After a 10 year hiatus, I have returned to brewing. I bought a few equipment items and was sent a marketing email with this product on sale. The rest of you rated it highly so I thought, why not. I bought the extract version with the White Labs yeast. (I've always had great results with White Labs)

Anyway, I finally got to taste the fruit of my efforts. WOW.

I followed the instructions to the letter. I see others will vary the recipe a bit, but I didn't.
December 24, 2019
Purchased
 over 3 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Very Nice Clone of Pliny the Elder!
This is the 2nd time I've brewed using this kit and, again, it turned out awesome! I used Imperial Organic Flagship yeast in a 2-step 2000-ml starter and pitched into a wort temperature of about 65 °F. Dry-hopped at 7 days. No secondary, straight to the keg after 2.5 weeks in the primary. Added gelatin solution to clear. Amazing results!
August 13, 2019
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Homemade "Pliney the Elder"
I was very surprised when I saw this for sale on MoreBeer.com. The ease of this brew made it very fun. It is fermenting now and I am very excited.
March 8, 2019
Purchased
 over 4 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Result tastes very similar to commercial bottle
Great value with loads of hops, no issues brewing and happy the result was so close to Pliny from Russian River. I call mine Pliny the Younger.
December 15, 2018
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
We Made a Great Beer
The consensus is that although we didn't make Pliny the Elder exactly, we made a great beer. Amber, rich in flavor from the all the hops, and everyone enjoyed it, both from the bottle and from the keg. It came out much darker than the original, with the hop aroma similar similar to the original. Will brew this again.
September 19, 2018
Purchased
 over 5 years ago
 
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