Russian River Pliny The Younger Beer Release An Economic Boon For Region

At a time when so many “event beers’’ have cooled off considerably, Russian River Brewing’s annual Piney the Younger release is still one of the most heralded beer events in the world.

In 2017 it drew almost 400,000 beer lovers to its humble Santa Rosa brewpub in 2017. And with the advent of its new brewery in Windsor, CA, that number only continues to grow.

But when Covid-19 showed a resurgence last January, Russian River moved its release to March 25th-April 7^th, and that two week Triple IPA party was not just beneficial to the brewery, it was a boon for the entire region.

The annual Pliny the Elder release has traditionally taken place the first Friday in February, still very much winter and the rainy season in Northern California. But when the county imposed COVID restrictions last January, Russian River co-founders Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo moved the event to early spring.

And it appears that moving the release date was a smart way to go.

A report by the Sonoma County Economic Development Board (Russian River has two breweries in Sonoma County, its original brewpub in Santa Rosa and a larger production facility in Windsor) shows a $6.1 million economic boon to the region thanks to the 2022 Pliny the Younger release event.

In fact, the customer feedback for the new date was so positive that Russian River Brewing has decided to make the switch again for 2023.

“It was nice to see people really enjoying their time outside,” co-owner Natalie Cilurzo told the Press Democrat. “I think we had one day where it was a little bit of rain, but it wasn’t like sleeting or freezing cold. You really have to consider the guest experience outside because a lot of our guests will spend more time waiting in line than they do inside.”

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Russian River first brewed the Triple IPA in 2005 as a winter seasonal built upon the brewery’s much tamer Pliny the Elder recipe, pushing the malt, hops, and alcohol envelope to audacious levels that had never been seen before.

Part of Pliny the Younger’s allure is due to its very limited distribution. Up until 2020 it had never been bottled, so beer fans had to travel to the brewery or to limited outlets, primarily in California to enjoy each year’s release…

With the addition of the new production brewery in Windsor, it’s becoming more widely available, but beer pilgrims still travel from all over the world to attend this event.