Nearly a quarter century ago, veteran brewer Vinnie Cilurzo brewed a one-off double IPA at Russian River Brewing for a local festival. It would become a regular, bearing the somewhat obscure name of a Roman naturalist—Pliny the Elder. Pliny pretty soon became a cult phenomenon and ultimately the brewery’s calling card. But what makes it special—what makes it a classic—is how Vinnie anticipated the future of hoppy American ales and brewed the first truly modern IPA all those years ago.

PHOTO: Russian River Brewing