On the surface it would seem that this post has nothing to do with fly fishing, however, quite the contrary is true. It is an unequivocal fact that quality beer and spirits go with fly fishing like an Elk Hair Caddis goes with fly floatant.
Upon wandering into the corner convenience store the other day, I was pondering what tasty treat might lay in wait for me in the well appointed cooler in front of me when I noticed this handsome devil staring me down. Then I read this:
Pliny the Elder was a Roman naturalist, scholar, historian, traveler, officer, and writer. Although not considered his most important work, Pliny and his contemporaries created the botanical name for hops, "Lupus salictarius", meaning wolf among scrubs." Hops at that time grew wild among willows, much like a wolf in the forest. Later the current botanical name, Humulus lupulus, was adopted. Pliny died in 79 AD while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He was immortalized by his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who continued his uncle's legacy by documenting much of what he observed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
8.0%ABV, 1.071 O.G
At this point I knew we must meet and I promptly made my way to the cash register. When I placed the bottle on the counter, I noticed the $5.99 price tag. For one bottle?! At this point the nice middle eastern man looked me straight in the eye and said, "Have you had this beer before, do you know what you buy here?"
After explaining to him that I had hoped it was beer, and that I had not had it before, he sat down on his stool and put me in my place.
"This beer... It is an amazing beer." He said, "I have many, many customer who want this beer. I only allow 2 bottles per person, and have a long waiting list here." He showed me a list of names scratched out on a piece of paper.
"You are lucky today sir, a new batch came in just now." He then proceeded to give me stern instructions to only drink it out of a clean glass and to savor every moment of it's golden magnificence. Upon getting it home I immediately looked it up online. The comments were amazing and rating after rating proved that this beer was not just ANY beer.
It easily poured a smooth white head and crystalline tiny bubbles speedily made their way from the bottom of the glass to the surface. The orangey, amber color reminded me of dubbing perfect for the body of an October Caddis pattern.
It's no lie, it's aroma truly smells like Ganja and a friend informed me that Hopps are actually closely tied to the Marijuana plant. Undoubtedly this has only bolstered its amazing reputation. The first mouthful washed over my tongue with a slightly fruity taste and but not overbearing and full of crazy flavors. Swallowing revealed a super hoppy explosion that incredibly was not bitter. It didn't give you the pucker face factor, it just loaded your throat and back of the tongue with hoppy goodness. Overall, I savored every sip and drank it slowly making sure it didn't cool off too much before I finished it.
Check out Pliny the Elder from the Russian River Brewing Company. If you can get your hands on it, let me know what you think. I can't imagine anything better than sitting down after a long day on the water than settling down with a Pliny and pondering the one that got away.
Friday, July 30, 2010 at 7:32PM 
