Out With the Old and In With the New!
If you live on this planet, you are likely ready to bid 2020 a not-so-fond farewell, and welcome new beginnings and hope for 2021! In lieu of reflecting and rehashing everything this year has dumped on all of us, we would like to take this moment to sincerely THANK YOU for your continued loyalty and support during these most difficult of times. We have all had to make huge sacrifices, completely modify our lives, and been faced with some very tough decisions. But there are some silver linings gained through this whole experience of navigating business and life during a year filled with seemingly endless challenges. And you have been there with us every step of the way. When we started selling online direct to consumer out of necessity, you responded more positively than we ever imagined, and continue to reorder to this day! You supported us by spending time and money at our wholesale accounts purchasing bottles and draft beer when available. And many of you still safely frequent our pubs for takeout or whatever our limited operations may be that day. Through pandemics, wildfires, civil unrest, contentious elections, and more, our sense of community is stronger than ever. We always get through the tough times together! Cheers to better days ahead!
Pliny the Younger 2021 Release
Like most major beer releases and other special events during this COVID-era, we are hitting the pause button and scaling back our annual 2021 Pliny the Younger release. Planning for the 2021 Younger release has been a huge topic of discussion for Vinnie, key employees, and myself throughout 2020. It is very difficult to plan for much of anything these days, let alone a major beer release which draws thousands of visitors from all over the world to our 2 breweries in Sonoma County. We have had to make some difficult decisions based on many factors, first and foremost being the health and safety of not only our employees and customers, but also the community in which we live. Our business operations are also dependent upon both state and local health orders which can change, and likely will continue to change, at any time. Therefore, there will be no in person release at either brewery in 2021. While we are sad to miss seeing our loyal friends and fans from around the world, it has become clear that it will not be safe for us to gather again by February. Neither of our pubs have been allowed to reopen for indoor dining since we closed in March 2020 due to the unrelenting spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. In December, we had to shut down outdoor dining again as a major virus surge continues to ravage all of California. Although our Downtown Santa Rosa pub is still operating with takeout only, our Windsor pub will remain completely closed until further notice.
In just a few days, we will be brewing the first of only 4 batches of Pliny the Younger, which is about 1/3 of what we produced last year. Our signature 510ml bottles will be available for sale as part of a mixed case for a limited time through our website for direct shipping to consumers within the state of California. Vinnie and I plan to host a couple of virtual tastings during what would be our normal release time in February via Facebook LIVE! We are taking this year off from wholesale draft distribution as the majority of our accounts who would carry Younger are either closed or only able to offer takeout. More importantly, we are very concerned for the health and safety of our wholesale accounts and their employees. Large crowds tend to gather wherever Younger is available, which can lead to unintended and dire consequences during a global pandemic. The last thing we want is to be responsible for creating super-spreader event. We want everyone to be around enjoying Pliny the Younger in 2022! So please grab a beer and keep reading to learn all the details of our scaled back 2021 Younger release!
Pliny the Younger Bottles Available for Purchase Online ONLY!
2021 will be the second time we have ever bottled Pliny the Younger and a first for shipping direct to consumer! Pliny the Younger 510ml bottles will be available for pre-sale in a non-customizable 12-bottle mixed case through our website store the last week of January, exact date TBD. At this time, we are only able to ship within the state of California for cost, compliance and legal reasons. In an effort to recreate a more representative RRBC Younger experience, each 12-bottle mixed case will include 4 bottles of Younger plus 1-2 each of a few other favorite RRBC beers hand selected by Vinnie and me. Bottles of Younger will neither be available at our brewpubs nor released for wholesale distribution. Each bottle of Younger will be marked “NOT FOR RESALE” to discourage bootlegging and illegal reselling. If you see bottles some where they should not be, please let us know! Here is the scoop:
Wishing you and your family a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!
Cheers! Natalie and Vinnie
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