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About Us

Our History

About RRBC

Russian River Brewing Company was founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, CA, in 1997. Vinnie was hired as the brewery’s brewmaster and initially sole employee. For the next 6 years, Vinnie continued to set the bar high for super hoppy and Belgian-inspired beers. Pliny the Elder, first brewed at the Korbel location in 1999, was one of the first commercially brewed Double or Imperial IPAs in America and won numerous awards over the years. It is still our most popular beer more than 20 years later.
In 2003, Korbel decided to get out of the beer business and transferred the rights to the Russian River Brewing Company name, all beer names, and the recipes to Vinnie and his wife, Natalie. We wrote a business plan, found 2 managing partners, and convinced 30 friends and family to invest in their new brewpub venture. In April 2004, we opened the doors to the next chapter of Russian River Brewing under our ownership.
Vinnie and Natalie posting with beers at a Pliny the Younger release
Our beers have won dozens of awards from the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. Vinnie and the brewery were twice named “Brewery and Brewmaster of the Year” at both the GABF and World Beer Cup. In 2007, Vinnie was awarded the “Russell Scherrer Award for Innovation in Brewing”. We received the “Brewers Association Recognition Award” in 2017. But the most important award of all are the many beer enthusiasts who visit from around the world year after year!
Over the years, we were able to buy out all of our partners and investors. The decision was made in 2014 to build our dream brewery right here in Sonoma County. The search for property took nearly 2 years which allowed us time to assemble our “dream team” of architects, consultants, designers, and contractors. We also received a lot of helpful advice from their friends in the beer industry! We found 15 undeveloped acres in Windsor, CA, and were quickly immersed in the project of a lifetime.
Vinnie and Natalie at Russian River Brewing Windsor ribbon cutting
20 year employees on Russian River's 20th anniversary
On October 11, 2018, we opened the doors to our new brewpub! The entire brewery is 85,000 square feet and encompasses beer production for both clean beers and sour barrel-aged beers, administrative offices, a brewpub, an outdoor beer garden, a gift shop, tasting room/growler fills, guided and self-guided tours, and 2 acres of free parking. This increased capacity has allowed us to distribute more draft and bottled beer to markets in which we currently sell as well as open up some new territories within the state of California. The original Downtown Santa Rosa location continues to thrive offering small batch brews and tasty pizza. Vinnie, Natalie, and all our dedicated employees are excited to share a beer or two at both breweries with you!

Connect with us

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Happy Independence Day! Both our pub locations are open regular business hours July 3rd and 4th! Cheers!🍻

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18107024708073331
Happy Independence Day! Both our pub locations are open regular business hours July 3rd and 4th! Cheers!🍻

It`s almost Independence Day and we`ve got the perfect beer for the long weekend: Russian River 110 West Coast Pils! Available in cans at both our pub locations, a lower alcohol content and a balanced hop profile make this beer extremely drinkable and a great match for your July 4th outdoor activities! A portion of the net proceeds from sales of RR110 will be donated to Russian Riverkeeper! 🍻Cheers!🍻

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18196813096373771
It's almost Independence Day and we've got the perfect beer for the long weekend: Russian River 110 West Coast Pils! Available in cans at both our pub locations, a lower alcohol content and a balanced hop profile make this beer extremely drinkable and a great match for your July 4th outdoor activities! A portion of the net proceeds from sales of RR110 will be donated to Russian Riverkeeper! 🍻Cheers!🍻

💥Citra Flash Mob IPA is back!💥 Featuring Citra hops, this West Coast IPA has strong citrus, stone fruit, and tropical notes. Bottles and kegs heading out now for distro in markets where RRBC beers are sold, and on Monday in cans at our pub locations and online store!

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18051373397612601
💥Citra Flash Mob IPA is back!💥 Featuring Citra hops, this West Coast IPA has strong citrus, stone fruit, and tropical notes. Bottles and kegs heading out now for distro in markets where RRBC beers are sold, and on Monday in cans at our pub locations and online store!

⚽Join us at the pubs tomorrow for the USA World Cup match!⚽ It`s Happy Hour from 4pm to 6:30pm and we will have the match on TV! Watching at home? Swing by our gift shops and grab some beer to go! #USMNT #worldcup

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18092526146363408
⚽Join us at the pubs tomorrow for the USA World Cup match!⚽ It's Happy Hour from 4pm to 6:30pm and we will have the match on TV! Watching at home? Swing by our gift shops and grab some beer to go! #USMNT #worldcup

Russian River 110 West Coast Pils is back on tap and in cans at both our Santa Rosa and Windsor pubs! This is the perfect beer for all your outdoor Summer activities like camping, hiking, and floating down the river! The low ABV makes it a good choice for mowing the lawn, too. Also available online for shipping throughout and for limited distribution while supplies last. As a reminder, a portion of the net proceeds from sales of RR110 will be donated to Russian Riverkeeper! Link in bio.

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18108526615766873
Russian River 110 West Coast Pils is back on tap and in cans at both our Santa Rosa and Windsor pubs! This is the perfect beer for all your outdoor Summer activities like camping, hiking, and floating down the river! The low ABV makes it a good choice for mowing the lawn, too. Also available online for shipping throughout and for limited distribution while supplies last. As a reminder, a portion of the net proceeds from sales of RR110 will be donated to Russian Riverkeeper! Link in bio.

BRU has finally landed at both our pub locations! When Natalie and Vinnie were in Maine earlier this year they devised this delicious West Coast-Style Pilsner with our dear friends at Allagash. Dry hopped with a brand-new variety called Thora, known for its passionfruit, guava, and grapefruit notes, BRU is on tap for a limited time so don`t miss it!

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18106375439061677
BRU has finally landed at both our pub locations! When Natalie and Vinnie were in Maine earlier this year they devised this delicious West Coast-Style Pilsner with our dear friends at Allagash. Dry hopped with a brand-new variety called Thora, known for its passionfruit, guava, and grapefruit notes, BRU is on tap for a limited time so don't miss it!

We are excited to announce this year`s Hop Grower`s Tribute Series IPA featuring Perrault Farms! Vinnie and Jason Perrault brewed a test batch last week on our RnD pilot system, but before that they sat down for a chat about the hops used in this year`s brew! Link in bio.

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18102723040841211
We are excited to announce this year's Hop Grower's Tribute Series IPA featuring Perrault Farms! Vinnie and Jason Perrault brewed a test batch last week on our RnD pilot system, but before that they sat down for a chat about the hops used in this year's brew! Link in bio.

Just in time for summer, Russian River 110 is back this Friday! This West Coast Pils is hoppy like an IPA but drinks like a Pilsner! A portion of net proceeds from bottle sales will be donated to our friends at Russian Riverkeeper. Available Friday in bottles and on draft for limited distribution, as well as in cans at our pub locations and online store!

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18100714550155971
Just in time for summer, Russian River 110 is back this Friday! This West Coast Pils is hoppy like an IPA but drinks like a Pilsner! A portion of net proceeds from bottle sales will be donated to our friends at Russian Riverkeeper. Available Friday in bottles and on draft for limited distribution, as well as in cans at our pub locations and online store!
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