In the past 15 years, the brewery has 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. Vinnie and Natalie 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 Vinnie and Natalie were able to buy out all of their partners and investors. The decision was made in 2014 to build their dream brewery here in Sonoma County. The search for property took nearly 2 years which allowed them time to assemble their “dream team” of architects, consultants, designers and contractors. And they received a lot of helpful advice from their friends in the beer industry! They found an 15 undeveloped acres in Windsor, CA, and were quickly immersed in the project of a lifetime.

On October 11, 2018, they opened the doors to their new brewpub! The entire brewery is 85,000 square and encompasses beer production for both clean beers and sour barrel-aged beers, administrative offices, brewpub, outdoor beer garden, gift shop, tasting room/growler fills, guided and self-guided tours and 2 acres of free parking. This will also allow them to distribute more draft and bottled beer to markets in which they currently sell as well as open up some new territories within the state of California. The original Downtown Santa Rosa location continues to thrive. Vinnie, Natalie and their now team of 200 employees are excited to share a beer or two at both breweries with you!”

Russian River’s year round beers include this week’s Pliny the Elder and their Blind Pig IPA. Their specialty releases include their Temptation sour blonde ale, Benediction abbey double and Ron Mexico session ale.

Russian River’s description for Pliny reads, “Pliny the Elder is brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe hops. It is well-balanced with malt, hops, and alcohol, slightly bitter with a fresh hop aroma of floral, citrus, and pine. Best enjoyed FRESH! That is why we make it in such limited supply. Actual bottling date is printed on each bottle!”

And now onto my thoughts!

Nose: The hops take center stage in this beer’s aroma, with a hint of citrus to balance it out. As the beer makes itself home in the glass, I start to pick up on the slightly piney aroma, too. The aforementioned citrus now develops into a light scent of grapefruit. It’s a nice combination that I like in my IPAs. I’d expect more of the same with the palate, which leaves me very excited for that first sip.

Palate: Upon the first sip, I get an explosion of hops on the tongue. The beer is, to my surprise, not as bitter as I expected and I’m quite pleased by that. It’s refreshing, and the faint citrus flavor provides a nice complement to round out the beer. I wish the grapefruit were a little more present, but I’m still content with the beer nonetheless. It’s tasty, easy to drink and refreshing.

Overall: I wish there were something a little more present in its taste to round of the hops. Regardless, the pleasant aroma of hops and citrus present a nice aroma. Like I said before, this is a refreshing and tasty beer that’s easy to drink. At 8 percent ABV, it’s on the heavier side, so having one will suffice. Overall, though, this is a really solid IPA that I’d highly recommend!

I’d like to thank you for reading my craft beer review. If there’s ever a craft beer you’d recommend I try and/or review, please let me know and I will try, to the best of my ability, to acquire it! And remember, like a fine alcoholic beverage or a memorable video game, please enjoy in moderation.

While you’re here, feel free to check out The Spirit Shop NJ on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and where I currently work, we have dozens of craft beers with new ones coming in weekly! Check us out!