Beer and Cider · Santa Rosa, California
Russian River Brewing
Sonoma County brewery behind Pliny the Elder and celebrated barrel-aged sours.
- Founded
- 1997
- Founded by
- Korbel Champagne Cellars; owned by Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo since 2002
- Based in
- Santa Rosa, California
Making it since
1997
Their story
Russian River Brewing started in 1997 as a side project of Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville. In 2002 Korbel sold it to brewer Vinnie Cilurzo and his wife Natalie, and its home became a brewpub on Fourth Street in downtown Santa Rosa.
The Cilurzos built it into one of the best-known breweries in the country, with a reputation for hop-forward IPAs and Belgian-inspired sours. In 2018 they opened a larger second brewery and pub in Windsor.
How it's made
Pliny the Elder, a double IPA, and the yearly Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA, are the hoppy flagships. On the sour side, the brewery has aged beer in local wine barrels with Brettanomyces since 1999, uses a coolship for spontaneous fermentation, and blends barrels after months to two years of aging.
Why we carry them
We are always happy to have Russian River in the cooler. Grab Pliny the Elder fresh, or try one of the barrel-aged sours if you like wine.
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