Beer of the Week: My Precious

From the Beer Writer: ‘Tis the season…PtY Season, that is. For those who aren’t familiar, PtY stands for Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA brewed this time each year by Northern California operation, Russian River Brewing. That highly hopped, highly alcoholic beer is one of the most coveted in the world. Each year, craft fans turn into suds sleuths in search of local bars that’ve scored this prized libation through personal relationships and years of loyal patronage. It’s a fun tradition and I always marvel at the lengths people will go to in order to try a single beer, especially when that beer’s legendary draw has inspired brewers across the country to release their own triple IPAs come this time of year. Now, I have loved me some Russian River for decades–not just Pliny, but year-round beers and anything ending in the letters TION–but it’s almost painful to watch San Diegans bust their humps to get a whiff of an out-of-town beer when their hometown breweries are not only producing the same style but making people go through zero hoops or hardship to enjoy them. Yes, get your hophead gang together and get that yearly glass of PtY, but then please shift your attention to supporting local breweries who, now more than ever, need your patronage. There are plenty of good-if-not-stellar triple (and double and single and session) IPAs being made in what is still considered by most to be the hoppy-beer capital of the world, including this week’s featured selection, My Precious. A triple IPA from San Marcos’ Blue Fire Brewing, it was crafted in celebration of the season with help from a pair of local homebrewers. That backstory is utterly compelling as are the beer’s tropical-fruit bouquet (pineapple, passionfruit, coconut) and flavors of mango, orange and peach leading to a dank, boozy finish. Throw in the fact you’re supporting a small local business, plus the time saved conducting online investigation and standing in line, and you have a hop-bomb that’s precious, indeed.

From the Brewer: “We are proud to showcase this 100% New Zealand-hopped triple IPA, which we’ve named My Precious in reference to Lord of the Rings, which was filmed in New Zealand. It is a collaboration brew we designed and crafted with local homebrewers Chris Van Hamersveld and John Bell. Coming in at 10.2% ABV (alcohol-by-volume), this beer is bursting with tropical-fruit notes while remaining deceptively drinkable. We used some rye malt and rye flakes to add subtle complexity in the mouthfeel and flavor. We utilized Pacific Jade as the bittering addition, tapping Motueka and Southern Cross to bring the aroma and flavor through all of the whirlpool and dry-hop additions. We definitely maxed out our mash-tun and kettle capacity with the amount of grain and hop additions for this beer. We plan on making a variation of this recipe annually as a seasonal release during ‘Pliny Season’.”—Tommy Gordon, Co-founder & Head Brewer, Blue Fire Brewing