In our history books, Pliny the Younger, whose full name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, was a Roman senator who lives in the 1st and 2nd century A.D.  In additon to this political career, he was famous for a collection of letters he wrote that detail both historical events and personal stories.

In today’s world, the name Pliny the Younger elicits a different name recognition from those in the know: it’s the name of Russian River Brewing Company‘s  most celebrated beer.  Russian River brews several highly rated and award winning beers, but Pliny the Younger is the most sought after for several reasons.  Maybe it’s because it rose up to become the top beer in BeerAdvocate’s rankings.  Perhaps it’s the VERY limited annual release of the beer, distributed once a year in February and only to a select few distributors and bars.  Or perhaps it’s because it just tastes amazing and has the complexity matched by very few beers.

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