SANTA ROSA, Calif — On Wednesday, Jan. 12, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, founders of Russian River Brewing Company, sat down and told their followers via social media that they will be postponing their in-person 'Pliny the Younger' release.
Pliny the Younger is a Triple Indian Pale Ale (IPA), with double dry-hopped flavors, medium bitterness, and crisp aromatics with a 10.25% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Due to COVID, however, Russian River Brewing Company had to postpone the release date twice so far. At first, the targeted release date was on Feb. 4, "rain or shine," but now they have high hopes to release Pliny the Younger at both their Santa Rosa and Windsor brewpubs on draft and in bottles March 25 through April 7.
According to Russian River Brewing Company, Pliny the Younger was the nephew and adopted son of Pliny the Elder, which is their slightly bitter yet fresh and aromatic Double India Pale Ale.
Usually, for the last 15 years, the first Friday in February has been the release day of the upgraded Pliny the Younger. However, due to the spike in COVID cases and increased hospitalizations in Sonoma County in the first week of January, Russian River Brewing Company was forced to close both brewpubs for several days.
Once they reopened, they were only offering limited items on their menus and reduced their hours due to lack of staffing. 20 employees at Russian River Brewing Company tested positive for COVID from the week before Christmas to the middle of January, and several more were out sick or in quarantine from exposure.
This year, Russian River Brewing Company is in-person and in-person only. Bottles of Pliny the Younger will not be available online or in their gift shops.
In years past, there was a two-bottle limit per person. This year, they will set a daily limit on bottles at each brewpub to stretch them out for all 14 days. Bottles will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
Since they were unable to gather in person in 2021, Russian River Brewing Company kept this year’s Pliny the Younger recipe exactly the same as last year! To keep up with their Pliny progress, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and check their website for updates.