Highly coveted beer Pliny the Younger is coming to Monk’s Cafe

Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Younger, a highly coveted, limited batch triple IPA that clocks in at 10.25 percent ABV, is coming back to Philadelphia this month. It all goes down Saturday, Feb. 23 at noon, when Monk’s Cafe once again brings the brew to town as part of its “Pliny the Younger Day Fundraiser,” benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

An annual event, Monk’s Pliny tapping is among the most anticipated beer happenings for local beer lovers, considering that Philadelphia is the only city on the East Coast that gets its hands on a substantial amount of the brew.

As the Inquirer’s Michael Klein reported back in 2013, that’s thanks to a longtime friendship between Russian River and Monk’s owner Tom Peters. The brewery sends “a limited supply of kegs” of Pliny the Younger to Philly every year. The beer has been brewed annually since 2004, and is typically released at Russian River’s California locations in early February before making its way east. According to Instagram posts, Russian River ran out of Pliny the Younger at its own locations out West on Sunday.

According to Monk’s, however, fans need not “sweat it” because “we always have enough,” and will be pouring Pliny the Younger from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and possibly later. Attendees will initially be limited to one pour of Pliny the Younger until “everyone in the house” gets one, after which point seconds will be offered. Growlers will not be filled.

Pliny the Younger won’t be the only Russian River brew on tap at Monk’s on Saturday. Currently, other featured brews include the popular Pliny the Elder, Consecration, Damnation, Supplication, and Temptation.

Monk’s likely won’t be the only Philly bar that gets some Pliny this season. As PhillyTapFinder reports, the brewery typically does not keep track of what local bars will get kegs of Pliny the Younger, but past participating bars have included Jose Pistola’s, City Tap House Logan, Good Dog Bar, and Barcade. A Russian River spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Pliny the Younger is considered to be among the best beers in the world, and comes in as the ninth-highest-rated brew on popular beer-rating site Beer Advocate. Overall, users on the site rated the beer a 4.69 out of 5, making it a “world class” beer by Beer Advocate’s standards.

“The golden ale has the body of a Cabernet, filling the mouth with the rich, exceptionally citrus (grapefruit) flavor of hops,” former Daily News beer writer Joe Sixpack wrote of Pliny the Younger back in 2010. “While it is certainly bitter, the flavor is buffered by a sweet glow that makes it easy to sip — even with its stiff alcohol content.”