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Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)
Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)
Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)
Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)
Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)
 

Russian Rivers Pliny the Elder® - Extract Beer Brewing Kit (5 Gallons)

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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.

 

Please Note: In order to better serve our customers, we are now offering our extract recipe kits with either Liquid Malt Extract (LME) or Dried Malt Extract (DME). The majority of our DME kits were converted from the LME version, which is why you may notice slight variances in the extract names and quantities on your recipe sheet. You may also find that your Specific Gravity and ABV% are slightly higher if you choose DME. Whether LME or DME, add all extracts provided according to the recipe sheet. For further details, please reference the conversion chart below.
 
MoreBeer! Extract Recipe Kit Conversion Chart
  
Liquid Malt Extract Dry Malt Extract
4 lbs 3.5 lbs
5 lbs 4 lbs
6 lbs 5 lbs
7 lbs 6 lbs
8 lbs 6.5 lbs
9 lbs 7 lbs
Ultralight Malt Extract Golden Light DME
Pale Malt Extract Golden Light DME
Pilsner Malt Extract Pilsen Light DME

 

 

ABV %8
IBU200
SRM10
Beer StyleIPA & Imperial IPA
Ready to Drink Within2-4 Weeks
Alcohol ContentHigh (7-9%)
BitternessVery High (71ibu+)
Fermentation Temp Range64-72
Brewing MethodExtract
Pre-MilledY
You Might Also Need
Community Q&A
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Browse 15 questions Browse 15 questions and 111 answers
Why did you choose this?
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A friend has tried this kit successfully many times
Gary L on Jan 22, 2022
brilliant beer
M. C on Dec 15, 2021
A friend has tried this kit successfully many times
Gary L on Jan 22, 2022
Its fantastic
Jason W on Jan 3, 2022
brilliant beer
M. C on Dec 15, 2021
wonderful kit and pretty exactly duplicates the real thing from the brewer
charles leroy guest on Dec 10, 2021
favorite beer
Ross P on Dec 6, 2021
because i’ve had it from the brewer and it’s an awesome beer!
shane on Dec 3, 2021
Super good
Thomas J F on Dec 1, 2021
favorite beer
Brandon D C on Nov 17, 2021
I like the beer
Raul L on Nov 14, 2021
Made it previously; enjoyed it.
Carolyn B on Oct 21, 2021
I want to make it
Ryan A Y on Sep 21, 2021
Because it's Pliny - duh!
Steven Kendall on Aug 7, 2021
Pliny the Elder is a great beer
Tiggywaugh on Aug 7, 2021
Brewed and liked it
Cristopher W M on Aug 6, 2021
trying to copy the difficult to buy real russian river
Ross P on Jul 10, 2021
Great kit, easy, reproducible, and Tasty!
Daniel Miller on Jul 8, 2021
This is the best beer I've ever made.
Thomas C on Jul 3, 2021
I have brewed it in the past and enjoyed it.
Ralph M on Jun 23, 2021
This is my Husband’s favorite. I’m buying it as a gift at his request.
Papa R on Jun 21, 2021
love pliny
Vincent K on Jun 17, 2021
I’ve brewed this many times.
Jake H on Jun 2, 2021
Why did I pick this? C'mon.
Kevin R. O on Jun 1, 2021
Love Pliny, why not
Christopher R on May 21, 2021
Best beer I've ever made.
Phil Newby on May 20, 2021
This double IPA is very well rated.
Ken Van B on May 10, 2021
It’s delicious and super easy
Clint T on May 8, 2021
Super yummy.
Joanne M M on May 5, 2021
Favorite beer all time
Jeff Damiano on Apr 27, 2021
Love this beer
Bob P on Apr 16, 2021
Because who doesn't love a pound of hops?
Seth J on Mar 24, 2021
A classic - the hoppiest
Robert N on Mar 11, 2021
One of my favorite beers
Andrew B P on Mar 10, 2021
I want to compare the results with the beer from Russian River
Craig M on Mar 5, 2021
I love Pliny
Chad W on Mar 5, 2021
Looking for quality IPA
Vincent J on Feb 24, 2021
I made it before, its good.
dan m on Feb 20, 2021
It's very good
Allan R on Feb 19, 2021
gotten it before
Valued C on Feb 15, 2021
never had it before
Joshua M on Feb 2, 2021
Seems like a good beer
DAVID F on Jan 29, 2021
Love the beer.
David S on Jan 29, 2021
Son loves IPA
Valued C on Dec 19, 2020
This is an outstanding kit. Best one I have ever brewed
charles leroy guest on Dec 18, 2020
Because my son asked me for Christmas gift
Karen F on Dec 17, 2020
Love this beer!
Solomon T Y on Dec 16, 2020
cuz u recommended it and IPA's are God telling us he loves us!
jeff y on Dec 9, 2020
Best beer I've ever had
Phil Newby on Nov 30, 2020
Best extract I have ever made
Daniel C on Nov 30, 2020
I've made it twice before and really enjoyed it.
Neil T on Nov 30, 2020
It is great
Paul H on Nov 26, 2020
Its fantastic
Jason W on Jan 3, 2022
wonderful kit and pretty exactly duplicates the real thing from the brewer
charles leroy guest on Dec 10, 2021
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?
Fontaine 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
121 Reviews
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
112
8
1
0
0
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
 1 year 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 4 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 3 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 2 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 4 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 2 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 3 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 3 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
Very good 5 stars but not the best I've brewed but definitely up there
September 14, 2018
Purchased
 over 3 years ago
Rated 5 out of 5
A favorite Double IPA of mine.
I have brewed this many times and it is always wonderful. Some friends and I tried this side by side with the origninal Pliny and most preferred this one. US-05 yeast. This is the authentic recipe with the correct hops.
September 7, 2018
Purchased
 over 3 years ago
 
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