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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.

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.

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!

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Hop Queen is back on tap! Brewed once a year for the Craft Brewers Conference with our German hop supplier, IGN, Hop Queen a German-Style Pilsner brewed with 100% German hops- Diamant and Tradition.

It’s a beautiful day to enjoy this delicious brew out in the Windsor beer garden!

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Hop Queen is back on tap! Brewed once a year for the Craft Brewers Conference with our German hop supplier, IGN, Hop Queen a German-Style Pilsner brewed with 100% German hops- Diamant and Tradition.

It’s a beautiful day to enjoy this delicious brew out in the Windsor beer garden!

New in the online store: Bring Back Brewer`s Gold Hazy IPA 12-packs!

Previously developed on our 5-barrel pilot brewery and released as RnD #54 Hazy IPA, everyone enjoyed the beer so much, we decided to give it a proper name! Brewed with Brewer’s Gold, a hop variety over 100 years old that had largely faded into obscurity, this beer represents a collaboration between Vinnie and CLS Farms. Together, they revived this classic hop by combining modern growing and kilning techniques with innovative brewing methods.

Grab some Pliny Sauce before checkout and you are all set for a great weekend!

Link in bio!

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New in the online store: Bring Back Brewer's Gold Hazy IPA 12-packs!

Previously developed on our 5-barrel pilot brewery and released as RnD #54 Hazy IPA, everyone enjoyed the beer so much, we decided to give it a proper name! Brewed with Brewer’s Gold, a hop variety over 100 years old that had largely faded into obscurity, this beer represents a collaboration between Vinnie and CLS Farms. Together, they revived this classic hop by combining modern growing and kilning techniques with innovative brewing methods.

Grab some Pliny Sauce before checkout and you are all set for a great weekend!

Link in bio!

R&D IPA #68 is brewed is two new experimental hop varieties bred through the Hop Quality Group breeding program, HQG #3 and HQG #4. Both hops exhibit loads of fruity, tropical, stone fruit characteristics. We are excited to be able to showcase these hops through R&D IPA #68! Available in about 3 weeks on tap and in bottles at both pubs, online and for full distribution!

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R&D IPA #68 is brewed is two new experimental hop varieties bred through the Hop Quality Group breeding program, HQG #3 and HQG #4. Both hops exhibit loads of fruity, tropical, stone fruit characteristics. We are excited to be able to showcase these hops through R&D IPA #68! Available in about 3 weeks on tap and in bottles at both pubs, online and for full distribution!

Row 2 Hill 56 Simcoe Pale Ale is BACK in our online store and available in 12-packs! Get it while it`s fresh!

Link in bio.

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Row 2 Hill 56 Simcoe Pale Ale is BACK in our online store and available in 12-packs! Get it while it's fresh!

Link in bio.

We are excited to announce proceeds from our @welovelabeer West Coast Pils totaled $14,500, which has been donated to the @launitedway Wildfire Response Fund! You can still help! Donate today (link in bio)!

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We are excited to announce proceeds from our @welovelabeer West Coast Pils totaled $14,500, which has been donated to the @launitedway Wildfire Response Fund! You can still help! Donate today (link in bio)!

Mixed 12-packs of Docta-Ron, Bring Back Brewer’s Gold, and DDH Pliny the Elder are available now in our online store! Don`t miss these limited batches, brewed exclusively for our Pliny the Younger 2025 release!

Link in bio!

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Mixed 12-packs of Docta-Ron, Bring Back Brewer’s Gold, and DDH Pliny the Elder are available now in our online store! Don't miss these limited batches, brewed exclusively for our Pliny the Younger 2025 release!

Link in bio!

And that’s (almost) a wrap on our 21st annual Pliny the Younger release! Thank you to everyone who joined us this year and every year since we opened our brewpub in Downtown Santa Rosa 21 years ago today. A huge thanks to our amazing and hardworking team for keeping up their energy, enthusiasm and smiles these past 14 days! We will likely run out of Younger bottles tonight before closing but expect to have enough draft until last call at both breweries. Our 2026 Pliny the Younger release will be March 20th through April 2nd. Cheers and thank you for a fun 2 weeks! #plinytheyounger2025 #plinytheyounger #rrbccrew #faithtattoosantarosa

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Here are a few fun pix from yesterday and today including some of our hard-working Santa Rosa crew and a couple of awesome RRBC Windsor brewers!

Tomorrow is the Santa Rosa pub’s official 21st Anniversary and the final day of our 21st Annual Pliny the Younger release! 🥳Vinnie and I will be Downtown for a few hours tomorrow afternoon celebrating our anniversary and having one last glass of Younger. Hope to see some of you there! Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Pliny the Younger release. It has been a blast! 🍻
#plinytheyounger2025 #plinytheyounger #rrbccrew

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Here are a few fun pix from yesterday and today including some of our hard-working Santa Rosa crew and a couple of awesome RRBC Windsor brewers!

Tomorrow is the Santa Rosa pub’s official 21st Anniversary and the final day of our 21st Annual Pliny the Younger release! 🥳Vinnie and I will be Downtown for a few hours tomorrow afternoon celebrating our anniversary and having one last glass of Younger. Hope to see some of you there! Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s Pliny the Younger release. It has been a blast! 🍻
#plinytheyounger2025 #plinytheyounger #rrbccrew

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