You must be a google wizard. Or maybe google is really fucking simple.
On an unrelated note, I fucking love Russian River.
It truly is an amazing beer, irregardless of style. That said, I think my favorite Imperial IPA is still Bell's Hopslam (I pity you Californians for not getting Bell's), but Pliny the Elder may be a close second.What did you think of Pliny the Elder compared to other IPA's? So far, it's my favorite since I haven't gotten to try some of the other good IPA's I've heard about.
I tried Pliny the Elder for the first time yesterday myself. I'd consider myself a hophead and IPAs and Imperial IPAs are my favorite type of beer.
That said, PtE is basically all it's made out to be. I'd heard nothing but things like "It's the best IPA ever" and "Everything about it is perfect" so I had pretty high expectations going in. I tried it at a shop here in Seattle called Bottleworks. They have some kegs in the back of the store and they will actually serve you a pint of beer to drink while you browse their fridges and beer selection. I was honestly having a hard time concentrating on anything but how delicious the PtE that I was currently enjoying was.
It's lived up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. It's probably the best IPA I've ever had. Hopefully I can get a growler filled with it sometime soon (Bottleworks usually fills growlers, but yesterday was their anniversary and they weren't filling anything that day).
If you ever see it anywhere, DO NOT miss out. It's worth waking up early for, even.
I wouldn't recommend getting the bottles of Pliny. I bought a few from a store down here and was very disappointed. It's definitely something best had from the tap. However, the first time I tried Pliny, was from a bartender who was so kind as to share some with me. It was in growler and it was orgasmic.
Any idea why there would be such a difference between a growler and a bottle as far as taste goes?
I dunno about where you live, but the rec center/gym I used to work at in Maryland had personal trainers employed by the city, and it was all very laid back, very positive environment. The trainers didn't really have any particular goals to meet except the ones they set for themselves and the clients. No big brother on top laying down the law, as the department of recreation didn't really care what went on in the gym as long as people used it. Just a suggestion to look into!