Wow! I have always considered myself as not a "hop head", but I can appreciate hoppy beers for what they are ... my wife would argue that I am a "hop head" because I do make beers that she considers too hoppy. On a recent trip to Olympia, WA I was blessed with the opportunity to try Pliny on tap at the East Side Tavern. I saw it on tap and knew I had to order it even though I was sure I wouldn't like it. The wife ordered a pint of Damnation (which is excellent).
... Well, Pliny is an absolutely amazing beer! The hops are very much present and the backbone of the beer, but the bitterness is so well balanced with the piney hop flavor and crisp malt backbone that I, not being a hop head, have been dreaming of that beer for three days. The wife, hesitant from the aroma and not fully versed in all the flavors of hops, really liked the beer, and, believe it or not, stated that it was not a hoppy beer ... I now know that "hoppy" to her is unbalanced bitterness.
I write this for those folks that are not hop heads and might pass this beer up. This is a definate MUST try for every real beer drinker!
