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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.

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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Excited to see the koelschip filled with Supplication wort, our first “Sonambic” or spontaneously fermented beer of the season! While cooling overnight, the wort was inoculated with airborne native wild yeast. Vinnie then racked it into a tank with the rest of the Supplication batch previously inoculated with sacchromyces. This next batch of Supplication is a true mixed fermentation and will be available sometime late next year! #sonambic #supplication #sourbeer

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Both pubs open normal business hours all week except Thanksgiving Day! Cheers and Happy Holidays!🍻🦃

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Both pubs are open and mostly accessible by car and by boat! 😉18 inches of rain since Wednesday!
Fresh batch of Mind Circus and Docta-Ron available online for shipping Monday. Cheers! #mindcircus #doctaron
https://shop.russianriverbrewing.com/collections/bottles-cans

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Once this torrential rain settles down, stop by our Santa Rosa and Windsor pubs to compare Hop 2 It Riwaka and Hop 2 It NZH 106. Let us know what you think! Cheers and be safe out there! #hop2it #riwakahops #nzh106 #newzealandhops

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Thanks to all the readers of @craftbeerbrew magazine who voted for us! What an honor! In addition to these categories, Blind Pig was ranked #10 in Favorite Beers, and the brewery was #15 in Sour and Wild-Ales, #18 in Abbey-Style, and #20 in Pale Ales. Cheers! 🍻

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DOCTA-RON, our award-winning New Zealand IPA is back! Available tomorrow for the first time in cans and on draft at both pub locations! Docta-Ron was first brewed in May 2023 when renowned New Zealand hop breeder Dr. Ron Beatson visited Russian River Brewing to collaborate with Vinnie in the pilot brewery. Inspired by Vinnie’s passion for Nectaron, the unique hop developed by Dr. Ron, they created a Nectaron-focused beer, complemented by other New Zealand hops from Dr. Ron’s previous breeding work.

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Fresh to the online store, Damnation is back and looking 🔥🔥🔥 with a fancy new label and bottle! Plus, Row 2 Hill 56 Simcoe Pale Ale is back in stock. Pick up a 12-pack of each or include them in your mix-and-match case. 🍻

Link in bio.

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🍽️ Dine Out and Give Back on Thursday, December 5! 🍽️

We’re participating in Dining Out For Life, Sonoma County`s largest dine and donate event benefitting Food For Thought Food Bank.

Participating is easy! ✨ Simply dine at either our Santa Rosa or Windsor locations on Thursday, December 5th when we will be donating 50% of the days total sales. Help us provide food + love to our neighbors in need! 🤝 💗

👉 Link in bio

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