From Russian River:
Pliny the Younger will make his 16th Annual return to Russian River Brewing Company February 7th through February 20th, 2020! For the first time Younger will be available at our new Windsor brewery as well as the original Downtown Santa Rosa location! It will be available on draft each day at our brewpubs until we run out of that day’s allocation.
Please note that this year’s beer has yet to be brewed, and details about the release are still being developed. We are also waiting to hear back from more local hotels who may extend discounted rates to our guests. See below for any rates we have secured. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!
THE BEER:
Pliny the Younger is considered a “triple” IPA, simply meaning that it is higher in alcohol and has tons of hops. The alcohol should finish at about 10.25%, although it is remarkably dry for the amount of malt used in the recipe. It is loaded with hop flavors, bitterness, and aromatics. We brewed Younger for the first time in 2005 as a winter seasonal, building upon the Pliny the Elder recipe while pushing the envelope with malt, hops, and alcohol just to see how far we could go! It is always brewed only once a year and released the first Friday in February, rain or shine.
THE MAN:
Pliny the Younger was the nephew and adopted son of Pliny the Elder. He was a lawyer and an author in Ancient Rome and witnessed the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, which took the life of his uncle. Pliny the Younger lived from 61 AD to 112 AD. He wrote many letters which survive today and have great historical value. We thought it appropriate to also pay tribute to Pliny the Elder’s nephew by naming this special beer after him!
WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU COME TO ONE, OR BOTH, OF OUR BREWPUBS:
We have made some positive changes over the years to help keep the line moving and limit over-consumption of high ABV beers. There is a 3 hour/3 Younger maximum at both breweries. Please plan to wait in line anywhere from 1 hour to 5 or 6 hours on the weekends once we get the doors open. If it rains, as it generally does in February, we will be unable to use our outdoor patio in Santa Rosa.. Our Santa Rosa pub’s capacity is 135 people plus a few more on the patio during nice weather. The Windsor brewpub can hold up to 200 people, thus allowing us to seat more people at one time which helps to keep the line moving. If the weather is nice, you can also enjoy a beer in our large outdoor Beer Garden. The tasting room will be open for growler fills and 5 oz. tastes of other beers, but not Younger. We do not fill growlers with Younger. A taste of Younger will, however, be a special added bonus on the guided tours. The best time to visit to ensure the shortest wait times is midweek.
Younger is served in a 10oz. glass with a maximum of 3 per person PER DAY. This beer is available for on-premise consumption only. In addition to Pliny the Younger, we will have about 20 other excellent beers on tap for your enjoyment, many of which are available in growlers or bottles to go. We would love to have you visit both breweries, but please do so over 2 days!
THE LINE:
In an effort to remain neighborly and responsible business owners, we kindly ask you to respect one another and our neighbors by complying with the following courtesies (and rules):
- Open container laws are alive and well in Santa Rosa, and our ABC license in Windsor does not extend outside the building (other than the beer garden). There is no drinking in line at either location.
- The City of Santa Rosa has a No Smoking Ordinance, stating there is no smoking ANYTHING within 20 feet of business entrances or where people gather. There are dedicated smokers poles positioned away from the line in Windsor.
- Our neighboring businesses in Santa Rosa sometimes become upset with the line blocking their entrances. Please avoid camping out in business doorways and be courteous when customers are trying to get by. Please remember our Downtown neighbors are putting up with our lines for 2 solid weeks! If you are asked to move because you are blocking an entrance, please politely move.
- Line cutting and place holding is not allowed. Please show up with your whole party, then take turns getting coffee, food, haircuts, shopping, or whatever. We have many great businesses in Downtown Santa Rosa that would love your support and can help make the time waiting a little more enjoyable. At the Windsor brewery, you can take a self-guided tour, make a reservation for a guided tour, and peruse the Gift Shop. We have several fun things to do to break up the time! But don’t leave the line until you have received a hand stamp from our staff and made friends with the people around you.
- Please leave easy-ups, tents, and other outdoor structures at home. We have had many problems with these blowing around, crashing into windows, blocking business entrances, and simply left behind. Chairs, umbrellas, rain gear, warm clothes, hot coffee, and a really good book are strongly encouraged!
- Bottle sharing is not allowed inside the breweries. Our brewpubs will have about 20 excellent beers on tap, many of which you can get nowhere else!
GETTING HERE:
By Air: Sonoma County Airport (STS) Located in the heart of Northern California’s world renowned Wine Country, STS is the only airport that offers scheduled air service into the North Bay region. Daily nonstop flights include: Alaska Airlines to Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Portland, and Seattle; American Airlines to Phoenix Sky Harbor; and United Airlines to San Francisco AND Denver CO! Twice a week nonstop flights are offered by Sun Country Airlines™ to Minneapolis. All Airlines offer a wide-range of connecting flights to destinations in the continental U.S., Mexico, and beyond. Book flights now.
By Train: Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is the San Francisco Bay Area’s newest transportation option for travel, offering passenger rail service in Sonoma and Marin counties. SMART’s initial 43 miles of rail corridor includes 10 stations, from the Sonoma County Airport to San Rafael, with the NEW Larkspur station opening December 2019! Both breweries are located very close to a SMART train stop. For more schedules and routes, check out the SMART website.
By Car: Both breweries are easily accessibly from HWY 101. Pick your favorite navigation app of choice and plug-in our address: 725 4th Street Santa Rosa, CA 95404 or 700 Mitchell Lane, Windsor, CA 95492.
PARKING:
The City of Santa Rosa has paid parking. The City Council recently approved to roll back the hours of of paid parking in the lots to 9AM-6PM. This change should be in effect by February 2020. The price is $1.50/hour in the lot behind our pub, with an ENFORCED maximum of 3 hours. The parking garages are less expensive and have no time limits, but continue charging after 6PM. All parking in Downtown Santa Rosa is FREE on Sunday. If you want to learn more about Santa Rosa’s parking, visit their website at https://www.srcity.org/2591/Downtown-Parking. We don’t want your visit to our brewpub to be spoiled by an annoying parking ticket!
There are plenty of taxis, Uber and Lyft drivers around town.
Our new Windsor brewery has 2 acres of FREE parking! But please take public transportation if you are planning to enjoy a few beers!
DISTRIBUTION:
We start distributing Younger on draft the week after we release it at our pubs. You will see it pop up in California’s North Bay, San Francisco, East Bay, South Bay, Sacramento, Central Valley, Central Coast, Santa Cruz, and So Cal as well as Oregon, Colorado, and Philadelphia generally by the end of February. It is our recommendation that our accounts tap it as soon as possible after receiving their delivery to preserve the freshness and integrity of the beer. This beer is not meant to age. Pliny the Younger is very much like the fresh catch of the day and best enjoyed right away. If you are served old Pliny the Younger from one of our valued accounts, please notify us so that we can educate them, too!
WHERE TO STAY- CHECK OUT THESE HOTELS FOR SPECIAL YOUNGER DISCOUNTS:
- We are still waiting for confirmation on discounts from several hotels. If you don’t see something that works for you, please check back!
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Hampton Inn & Suites- Windsor
8937 Brooks Road South
Windsor, CA 95492
1-800-HAMPTON, 707-837-9355
“Russian River Brewing Company” rate 15% off rack rate
Rate Code: TRC, Corporate ID: #2982817
“We provide all of our guests a warm and inviting “home away from home” and would welcome the opportunity to do the same for you here at the Hampton Inn & Suites Windsor-Sonoma Wine Country! Included in our rates, we offer free hot breakfast daily from 6-10am, allowing our guests to start their day off right without an additional charge, free high-speed and wireless internet access in the lobby and all guest rooms and last but not least, our guests have the option to earn both HHonors points and airline miles. Conveniently located only 1.8 miles (approximately 6 minutes) away from Russian River Brewing Company, we are the #1 hotel choice when planning your getaway for the Pliny the Younger Release!”
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Oxford Suites
67 Golf Course Drive West
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
707-584-0333
15% off best rate, PROMO CODE: CHEERS
Located approximately 6 miles from Downtown Santa Rosa, and 14 miles from Windsor. Follow the link below for more information and reservations!
https://www.oxfordsuitessonoma.com/ep-pliny-younger-release.php
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The Flamingo Hotel
2777 4th Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
800-848-8300
The Flamingo is only 1.6 miles from the Santa Rosa brewpub. Details on how to book the below rates are coming soon, but you could probably call them and ask for the “Russian River Brewing Pliny the Younger Rate”. Will provide more details soon!
Discounted Room Rates:
Flamingo King or Double-Double: Sun-Thurs $149; Fri/Sat $199
Flamingo Studio (King bed and sofa sleeper) (may include patios and balconies): Sun-Thurs $179, Fri/Sat $229
Flamingo Pool Side Suite (may include patios): Sun-Thurs $249, Fri/Sat $299
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Season’s Greetings from Sonoma County! I hope everyone is having a fabulous Holiday Season thus far! We have certainly had our share of excitement around here, and finally settling down for the winter. As many of you know, we had another major wildfire in late October, early November, that came dangerously close to burning homes and businesses within the city limits of Windsor. While several homes and more than 75,000 acres were burned, thankfully no one was seriously injured or worse. And we owe it all to the 5,000 First Responders from local agencies as well as throughout the state and beyond who literally saved our community from yet another horrible disaster.
That is why this year’s Sonoma Pride is dedicated to them: the brave men and women who kept the Kincade Fire on the East side of the freeway, and implemented early evacuations to keep everyone safe while ensuring they had the resources available to kick this fire’s butt! After being evacuated at the Windsor brewery for 6 days, and without gas for 8, we decided the first beer to be brewed had to be Sonoma Pride. This year’s version is an India Pale Lager with all the citrusy hops like Citra, Comet, Crystal and HBC 692. And the logo for both the bottles and t-shirts came out exactly as I had envisioned! We will be donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of the shirts (available online and in the pubs) as well as all proceeds from the beer based on total production. Our money will be going to a scholarship fund for the SRJC Fire Academy and local fire agencies to aid in future firefighting efforts. Tax-exempt donations to the Windsor Residents Firefighters Appreciation Fund may be made by check, payable to the SRJC Foundation, at 1501 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95401; online at santarosa.edu/foundation, by clicking on the “donate” button and typing in Windsor Residents Firefighter Appreciation Fund under the drop-down donation category menu; or to the “Windsor Thanks” account at any Exchange Bank branch.
While most of you are busy with the Holidays, we are already prepping for Pliny the Younger 2020! We have several local hotels offering Younger rates, many of whom have extended this special offer year after year. Check out the Younger page on our website for all the details regarding the release. Guided tours will include a generous sample of Younger again this year, too! Tours may also be booked through our website. https://russianriverbrewing.com/pliny-the-younger-release/.
We had our first ever can packaging run just before Thanksgiving! Mind Circus, a hazy IPA usually found at our brewpubs on draft and occasionally bottles, was the test can run, meeting our quality expectations which has been our biggest hurdle. It was also well-received by our customers and staff! While we are latecomers to the can craze, we have no plans to start distributing cans anytime soon. The next can run is this Friday, December 20th, with another batch of Mind Circus just in time for Christmas and available at both breweries!
I hope 2019 has been a good year for you. If not, well, it’s almost over! Vinnie, our entire RRBC team and I wish you and your families the happiest of Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Cheers!
Natalie
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