Local restaurant scores rare beer, asks $45 a pour

Isaac Gonzalez -- 03/01/2012 10:42 AM —

UPDATED: Russian River reps are reportedly not too happy about Kupros’ creative pricing. Check out the follow-up story here.

Midtown restaurant Kupros Bistro has scored a keg of the highly sought-after Pliny the Younger produced by the Russian River Brewing Co. out of Santa Rosa, and will begin selling tickets to an event where you can taste the “world-class” rated beer starting Thursday at 2 p.m. The price tag for admission to the event; $45 bones. For that, beer aficionados get one 12 oz. pour, a burger, and a buck off any other tap beer for the remainder of the event.

Pliny the Younger only comes out once a year, and tasters are said to come from all over the world to the west coast just to down a glass. According to the Russian River Brewing Co. website, Pliny is…

…almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular I.P.A. That said, it is extremely difficult, time and space consuming, and very expensive to make. And that is why we don’t make it more often! This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth…

You almost can’t get it in a bottle, and little over 300 kegs are made on a annual basis. Beeradvocate.com gives Pliny a perfect 100 score, and the hype seems universally well-deserving. So, the question remains, is it worth $45?

Last month, Pangaea Cafe had an event where a Grammy-award winning singer preformed for the evening, a cheese plate was available, and patrons received two 10 oz. pours of the Younger. Admission was $40, or $30 if you were already “passport member”.

In Santa Rosa, the Fourth Street Pub offers the brew for $4.50 a glass.

In Seattle, you can get it for $5 or $6 bucks at most places that offer it. A few places offer Pliny only by purchasing a ticket for a tasting of several beers, but those are in the more affordable “$12 for four beers” range.

According to Kupros menu, the normal price for a burger is $14 dollars. Does the $31 additional fee for a Pliny seem fair to you? Let us know by adding your thoughts in the comments below.