Spring is coming, so it must be time for the Pliny hype to start

It’s that time of year again, when long lines of intrepid fans form outside of some of Los Angeles’ best beer destinations as they hope for a pour of one of craft beer’s most sought-after brews. Pliny the Younger from Santa Rosa’s Russian River Brewing Co. is to be released in a few weeks, and the fervor for the pungent triple IPA has already begun.

Vinnie Cilurzo, founder of Russian River, is often credited with inventing the double IPA style, and Pliny the Elder -- one of the style’s most beloved examples -- is brewed year-round. As craft beer’s popularity has soared in L.A., bottles of the hoppy brew have become increasingly difficult to procure for the casual fan, but thankfully it is never too difficult to find it on tap.

Pliny the Younger is a different beast entirely. The beer is labor- and material-intensive, and Cilurzo only brews it once a year. It makes its debut on the first Friday of February at the Russian River brewpub, and is available there for only two weeks.

None of the beer is bottled, and the brewery ceased filling growlers of the sought-after IPA a few years ago to help more people get a taste. Only a precious few kegs are sent out to the oldest and best Russian River accounts around the West Coast, and the tappings draw hype and big crowds.

The hype has already begun this week, as Beachwood BBQ began selling tickets for its third-annual Pliny Fights Cancer Charity Raffle. Instead of having patrons line up, or distributing wristbands, Beachwood sells $5 tickets to the raffle in which 130 pints -- yes, pints -- of the potent beer are the prizes.

All proceeds benefit the Melanoma Research Foundation, and last year Beachwood raised $9,000 for the charity. Head down to either Beachwood location (and bring cash) to buy your raffle tickets.

Is the brew worth all the hubbub? Opinions seem to vary year to year (hops are, after all, an agricultural product, and some harvests are better than others), but there is no doubt that whenever a keg of Pliny the Younger gets tapped, there will be a gaggle of like-minded beer fans on hand to enjoy the brew. The best beers bring people together to drink them, and few beers can draw a crowd like Pliny can.

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