(Santa Rosa, CA) – A few kegs have hit the streets already.



You can still pick up Pliny the Younger at Russian River Brewing‘s pub in Santa Rosa for another week or so as they release a certain amount each day (get there before evening!). There are also some kegs beginning to float out there through the craft beer ecosystem. Wherever it lands, there is a possibility that it lasts for 15 minutes or something similarly absurd and there are often long lines for announced tappings. What else would you expect for a beer that is rated top 3 in the world on both Beer Advocate and RateBeer?

Last year, I was researching Twitter as a tool to gather information. I tested how easy it would be to gather a list of bars that had Pliny the Younger on tap and I was able to come up with an incomplete list of over 60 locations (I’m guessing it’s 98% accurate but again, not a complete list). This doesn’t mean that those same locations will get Pliny this year but use it as a guide. Through Twitter, Beer Advocate, Untappd, Taphunter and blogs, it is easier than ever to compile a list of spots where a beer like PtY will be tapped, more importantly, in advance.

Still, there are enough inefficiencies in compiling and disseminating that information that bars are still fielding lots of calls about the beer, perhaps more than ever before. The Falling Rock Taphouse in Denver reportedly gets 3-4 dozen calls a day about the beer and sent out an email to its newsletter subscribers requesting that they stop calling. It might be worth it for other bars to follow suit or maybe even put in a message about Pliny into the phone system before calls come through.

As for the latest, here’s the information that is out there:

Toronado San Diego and the Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens appear to be the first bars outside of Russian River’s own taproom to release some (last night). Hopyard in Pleasanton also reportedly tapped it.

Both the SD Beer Blog and ThinkBrew are tracking Southern California release dates. WineHouse LA is among those locations getting the beer soon. TapHunter has its own short list of locations on the home page that are getting the beer in the area.

Closer to the Bay Area, there is a short thread on Chow. EJ Phair in Pittsburg will be tapping the beer on Monday at 5pm. Bobby G’s Pizzeria in Berkeley will be tapping on Tuesday at 3pm according to a Twitter post.

Soon, the beer will also make its way to Oregon (Portland thread), Washington, Colorado and Pennsylvania. Seattle Beer News says that the beer is still at least two weeks out from release in their area.