5 places to get Pliny the Younger’s hard-to-find limited-edition beer this month – Orange County Register

Beer lovers know that love is in the air in February.

But this isn’t romantic love, this is all about the love of beer, as this is the time of year when Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa launches its widely available and highly sought-after limited edition version of Pliny the Younger in local bars, pubs and bars brings out breweries.

Brewed once a year since 2005, the Triple IPA contains 10.25% alcohol by volume and is only being released at Russian River Brewing’s Santa Rosa and Windsor locations.

This year’s release is slated for March 24-April 6, when hundreds of Pliny fans are expected to queue for hours to claim the coveted IPA.

“We’re just so grateful that after all these years people are still so excited about Pliny the Younger, especially with so many new trending beers, but people still love our beer,” said Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner of the brewery with her husband Vinnie.

While many make the pilgrimage to Santa Rosa, here in Southern California the beer is being released in kegs in very limited quantities at a few select bars, pubs and breweries, with each location perhaps receiving a keg or two that can be distributed locally before supplies run out are next year.

“We have many old accounts in the LA area, Orange County and Southern California that have supported us for decades and continue to support us, and these are the accounts that Pliny the Younger will win,” she said.

“A lot of accounts are also keeping it rock bottom because they don’t want hordes of people coming,” she added, laughing.

So is it worth all the hype?

Yes, says beer expert Gary Magnone, founder of Hopped, a website dedicated solely to local beer and breweries, which also lists some of the local places serving the beer.

“It came out a while ago, before beers like this were commonplace,” he said. “These days, local breweries make triple IPAs that are smooth and flavorful, but this one is still at the top of its game. They don’t know you’re drinking a beer this size.

“And they only brew it once a year, so it’s become this celebration and annual thing that people look forward to,” he added.

Most of these venues only have beer on tap for a day and tickets to these special events often sell out quickly and may even require some long waits in line. However, Magnone recommends checking social media regularly with your favorite bar or brewery, or checking his Hopped LA website for updates.

In the meantime, here are five spots Pliny the Younger is pouring this month.

Father’s office, 905 E. Second St., Los Angeles, 3229 Helms Ave., Culver City, 1018 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; 310-736-2224 or FathersOffice.com

Downtown tickets are on sale now and for $42 you get three tickets, one ticket is good for a Pliny the Younger Pour and the other two are good for other Russian River Brewing beers on February 15th and 16th. The beer will also be available at Dad’s Santa Monica office on February 20-21 and at his Culver City location on February 23-25. Tickets for these two other locations were not yet on sale at the time of publication.

Hollingshead Deli, 368 S Main Street, Orange; 714-978-9467 or hollingsheadsdeli.com

True fans of this beer will want to visit this Orange County location because not only do they have the coveted bottling on tap, but the folks behind Pliny the Younger will be there to talk about their beer. Company owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo will be there on February 20th at 11am to talk beer with their fans and maybe even have a few beers. “Vinnie Cilurzo brews a damn good IPA. He basically invented the double IPA category and this is a triple IPA and they only do it once a year so yeah it’s very limited and there aren’t a lot of places down here where they can get it,” Michael said Hollingshead, one of the co-owners of the family run deli. The line is expected to be long to get into the site, with a wait of perhaps 3-4 hours, Hollingshead said. Once people get in they can order two beers but only one can be the younger one but there will be other Russian River beers on tap.

Selma’s Chicago Pizzeria & Taproom, 30461 Avenida de Las Flores, Rancho Santa Margarita. 949-709-8165 or selmapizza.com

Bracelets will go on sale beginning February 12 at Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch pizza restaurants (27702 Crown Valley Parkway). There is a limit of 4 bracelets per person for $15. Pliny the Younger will be poured for bracelet owners on February 21 & 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the Rancho Santa Margarita location.

Tony’s Darts Away, 1710 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. 818-253-1710 or tonysda.com

The Burbank Beer Bar will be distributing tickets beginning at 11:30 am on February 14th. Tickets are valid for a 12-ounce pour from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on that day only. “If you like Triple West Coast IPAs, this is your jam,” said Andrew Phillip, Tony’s general manager. He said they expected to have enough for about 160 casts that day. A wide range of other Russian River beers are also on tap.

Tustin Brewing Co., 13011 Newport Avenue, Tustin. 714-665-2337 or tustinbrewery.com

Pliny the Younger is poured at this brewery on February 15th. The brewery opens at 11am and then tickets are distributed to the queues. It’s one ticket and one 8 ounce pour per customer starting at 3:30pm