The Russian River Cellar Society was born out of our love and passion for sour barrel-aged beers! Although we are most known for super hop forward beers like Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig, and our annual 2-week release of Pliny the Younger, Vinnie’s true passion lies in the artistry and science behind creating sour and barrel-aged beers. We have been talking for a while about inviting a few like-minded sour beer enthusiasts to join us on this journey so Vinnie could create very special limited release beers for people who would appreciate them the most. We really did not have time to develop this new concept until we were in the depths of COVID and looking for extra projects for some of our team members to take on. With our former Events Manager’s help (thank you, Lisa!), we launched the Cellar Society in January 2021 with 350 charter members! Several members did not respond to this month’s invitation to rejoin for whatever reason, so we have 114 new membership slots to fill. Memberships will be filled through a random-draw process facilitated by the OZNR app. The 24-hour random draw enrollment window opens on Tuesday December 21st at NOON PST and ends Wednesday the 22nd at NOON PST. As the name implies, the Cellar Society does not provide special access to hazy beers in a can, pastry beers (which we don’t now nor will we ever make!), or Pliny the Younger! If sour beer is your thing, then please visit our private membership page to learn more about the current member benefits and terms and conditions HERE!
Local hotels are starting to provide discounted rates for our upcoming Pliny the Younger release February 4th-17th, 2022! Check out some of the current hotel deals along with everything you need to know about Pliny the Younger 2022 HERE!
Although this year has been better than 2020, it has also been very challenging on many levels. 2021 was the year of unprecedented staffing difficulties, which continue to play out in our reduced hours at the pubs and our inability to do private events in Windsor or bring back tours. In fact, next week we are hiring food trucks on Monday and Tuesday December 27th and 28th just so we can open our Windsor pub 2 extra days even though we have a beautiful kitchen. Desperate times! That said, we will soon be hiring for temporary staff during our 2 week Pliny the Younger release. These positions will be mostly cooks, security, host and other hospitality jobs. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Russian River family, check out our job board HERE! And check back soon for those temporary Younger positions!
Russian River Brewing Company and Vinnie’s tenure with the brewery will be celebrating 25 years in 2022! And our Downtown pub is turning 18 this coming April! We have much to be thankful for and celebrate especially after these past few years with fires, floods, power outages and now 2 years into a global pandemic. What are the odds? Perhaps we have never met you in person, but Vinnie and I do appreciate all of our loyal employees, friends, fans and customers who continue to support us year after year without fail. Running a business and navigating all things COVID has been a true test of strength, tenacity, flexibility, and patience, some of which are wearing pretty thin. At the end of the day, it is people who matter the most. Our employees, our families, our friends, our neighbors, our customers. Without each other, there is no purpose for what we do. Thank you for being the most important part of our journey!
We wish you and your families a joyous Holiday Season and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year!
Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo
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