Every February, people camp outside a brewery in Santa Rosa, California for a beer that most of them will never see again until next year. Pliny the Younger is not rare because it is bad at scaling up. It is rare on purpose, and that is most of the story here.
At a Glance
| Brewery | Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa/Windsor, CA |
| Style | Triple IPA |
| ABV | 10.25% |
| First brewed | Winter 2005, as a bigger sibling to Pliny the Elder |
| Release window | Two weeks, starting the first Friday in February, on tap only at the brewery’s own taprooms |
| 2026 hop bill | Simcoe, Amarillo, Tangier, Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron, Warrior |
Why This Beer Is Such a Big Deal
Vinnie Cilurzo brewed the first batch of Pliny the Younger in 2005 as a winter counterpart to Pliny the Elder, his already-famous double IPA. It was one of the first commercially brewed triple IPAs, and by 2010 it hit the number two spot on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer’s rating charts. That year’s entire 620-gallon batch sold out in eight hours.
Since then, Russian River has run a controlled two-week release every year starting the first Friday in February, pouring only at its own taprooms. Until 2020 it was strictly a three-glass-per-person, 10-ounce-pour situation, and people still lined up for hours, some camping outside overnight, to get one. The 2026 release marked the beer’s 22nd year running, brewed in a 775-barrel batch that used roughly 9,000 pounds of hops.
Tasting Notes
Russian River describes the beer as medium-bodied with heavy hop aroma and flavor, leaning into orange candy, stone fruit and citrus, with notes of pine and lychee depending on the year’s hop bill. At 10.25% ABV it drinks warmer and denser than a standard double IPA, with a dry, assertive bitterness that lingers well past the finish.
“Compared to a single or double IPA, like its sibling Pliny the Elder, Younger is higher in alcohol, with a dry bitterness that can pack a punch on the palate. But it’s the beer’s massive hoppy aromas, superior balance and freshness that make the brew worth the wait.”, The Press Democrat, 2026 release coverage
How You Would Actually Get One
There is no national distribution, no bottle release, and no reliable secondary market that will not badly overcharge you. Your realistic options are showing up at Russian River’s Santa Rosa or Windsor taproom during the February release window, catching an early preview pour at one of the small number of partner bars that sometimes get a keg, or accepting that this is a bucket-list beer you plan a trip around rather than one you casually pick up.
- Genuinely influential recipe, credited as one of the first commercial triple IPAs ever brewed
- Fresh hop character every single year, since the recipe is rebuilt off the newest hop crop
- An actual event around the beer, not just a purchase, if you can make the trip
- Two-week release window, once a year, at two taprooms in California only
- Not sold through Saucey, Instacart or any mainstream delivery service
- Secondary-market bottles are commonly marked up well past what the beer is actually worth
Two Widely Available IPAs to Try While You Wait for February
If you cannot make the trip this year, these two hop-forward IPAs are easy to find and easy to get delivered, and both scratch a similar itch:
If you want the beer that started all this, read our Pliny the Elder review, the double IPA Pliny the Younger was built on top of, and one you can actually buy most of the year.
FAQs
Why is Pliny the Younger so hard to find?
Russian River releases it only once a year, for two weeks starting the first Friday in February, on tap at its own Santa Rosa and Windsor taprooms. It is not bottled for retail or sold through delivery services.
What is the ABV of Pliny the Younger?
10.25% ABV, noticeably stronger than Pliny the Elder’s 8% ABV double IPA.
Is Pliny the Younger the same beer every year?
The base recipe stays close to the original 2005 formula, but the exact hop bill changes slightly each year based on that season’s hop crop. The 2026 batch used Simcoe, Amarillo, Tangier, Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron and Warrior.
Can I buy Pliny the Younger online?
Not through any legitimate retailer. It is not distributed outside the brewery’s own taprooms during its release window, so any online listing selling bottles is a secondary-market reseller, typically at a steep markup.
