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About Us

Our History

About RRBC

Russian River Brewing Company was founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, CA, in 1997. Vinnie was hired as the brewery’s brewmaster and initially sole employee. For the next 6 years, Vinnie continued to set the bar high for super hoppy and Belgian-inspired beers. Pliny the Elder, first brewed at the Korbel location in 1999, was one of the first commercially brewed Double or Imperial IPAs in America and won numerous awards over the years. It is still our most popular beer more than 20 years later.
In 2003, Korbel decided to get out of the beer business and transferred the rights to the Russian River Brewing Company name, all beer names, and the recipes to Vinnie and his wife, Natalie. We wrote a business plan, found 2 managing partners, and convinced 30 friends and family to invest in their new brewpub venture. In April 2004, we opened the doors to the next chapter of Russian River Brewing under our ownership.
Vinnie and Natalie posting with beers at a Pliny the Younger release
Our beers have 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”. We 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, we were able to buy out all of our partners and investors. The decision was made in 2014 to build our dream brewery right here in Sonoma County. The search for property took nearly 2 years which allowed us time to assemble our “dream team” of architects, consultants, designers, and contractors. We also received a lot of helpful advice from their friends in the beer industry! We found 15 undeveloped acres in Windsor, CA, and were quickly immersed in the project of a lifetime.
Vinnie and Natalie at Russian River Brewing Windsor ribbon cutting
20 year employees on Russian River's 20th anniversary
On October 11, 2018, we opened the doors to our new brewpub! The entire brewery is 85,000 square feet and encompasses beer production for both clean beers and sour barrel-aged beers, administrative offices, a brewpub, an outdoor beer garden, a gift shop, tasting room/growler fills, guided and self-guided tours, and 2 acres of free parking. This increased capacity has allowed us to distribute more draft and bottled beer to markets in which we currently sell as well as open up some new territories within the state of California. The original Downtown Santa Rosa location continues to thrive offering small batch brews and tasty pizza. Vinnie, Natalie, and all our dedicated employees are excited to share a beer or two at both breweries with you!

Connect with us

We are on Instagram

Our 2026 Hop Growers Tribute Series IPA featuring Perrault Farms is finally here! Also released today is our latest batch of Russian River 110 West Coast Pils- our fundraiser beer for the Russian Riverkeeper! Both beers are perfect for grilling at home, camping out or floating down the river this long Holiday weekend. Available now on tap and in cans to go at both pubs and online for shipping! (Link in bio) @perraultfarms @rriverkeeper #hopgrowerstributeseries #russianriver110

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18102384730993889
Our 2026 Hop Growers Tribute Series IPA featuring Perrault Farms is finally here! Also released today is our latest batch of Russian River 110 West Coast Pils- our fundraiser beer for the Russian Riverkeeper! Both beers are perfect for grilling at home, camping out or floating down the river this long Holiday weekend. Available now on tap and in cans to go at both pubs and online for shipping! (Link in bio) @perraultfarms @rriverkeeper #hopgrowerstributeseries #russianriver110

🌶️Don’t forget to pick up some delicious Pliny Sauce and our NEW Happy Hops Habanero BBQ Sauce perfect for grilling this Labor Day Weekend! 🍔Releasing our next batch of Russian River 110 West Coast Pils tomorrow along with this year’s Hop Growers Tribute Series IPA! Both available on tap and in cans to go along with a wide variety of other tasty RRBC brews. Open normal business hours at both pubs all weekend long! 🍻

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18140955100597841
🌶️Don’t forget to pick up some delicious Pliny Sauce and our NEW Happy Hops Habanero BBQ Sauce perfect for grilling this Labor Day Weekend! 🍔Releasing our next batch of Russian River 110 West Coast Pils tomorrow along with this year’s Hop Growers Tribute Series IPA! Both available on tap and in cans to go along with a wide variety of other tasty RRBC brews. Open normal business hours at both pubs all weekend long! 🍻

Available this Friday, it`s Hop Growers Tribute IPA! This year`s batch features Perrault Farms and is hopped with Dolcita, HBC 638, Krush, Mosaic, and Simcoe! Heading out in bottles and draft for distribution as well as in cans and on tap at both our pub locations!

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18122878951879790
Available this Friday, it's Hop Growers Tribute IPA! This year's batch features Perrault Farms and is hopped with Dolcita, HBC 638, Krush, Mosaic, and Simcoe! Heading out in bottles and draft for distribution as well as in cans and on tap at both our pub locations!

🫐🪩Let`s Get Funky!🪩🫐 We just bottled another batch of Funky Foeder Blueberry Beer, a mildy tart Saison aged in our large oak foeders with blueberries! Now available in bottles at both pub locations, and in bottles and draft for limited distribution where RRBC beers are sold!

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🫐🪩Let's Get Funky!🪩🫐 We just bottled another batch of Funky Foeder Blueberry Beer, a mildy tart Saison aged in our large oak foeders with blueberries! Now available in bottles at both pub locations, and in bottles and draft for limited distribution where RRBC beers are sold!

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner! Stock up on these summer essentials today! Pliny Sauce and Happy Hops Habanero BBQ Sauce are the both available at our pub locations and for shipping throughout the US. Perfect for your holiday cookouts and backyard gatherings! And while you`re planning the weekend, don`t forget to pick up some refreshing STS Pils and Velvet Glow! Link in bio. Cheers!🍻

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18127944628665313
Labor Day weekend is just around the corner! Stock up on these summer essentials today! Pliny Sauce and Happy Hops Habanero BBQ Sauce are the both available at our pub locations and for shipping throughout the US. Perfect for your holiday cookouts and backyard gatherings! And while you're planning the weekend, don't forget to pick up some refreshing STS Pils and Velvet Glow! Link in bio. Cheers!🍻

HopTime Harvest Ale is on its way! Thanks to our friends at Alexander Valley Hops for the freshly picked Cascade hops! This Wet Hop IPA will be available soon at both pub locations in cans and on tap!

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HopTime Harvest Ale is on its way! Thanks to our friends at Alexander Valley Hops for the freshly picked Cascade hops! This Wet Hop IPA will be available soon at both pub locations in cans and on tap!

Vinnie and I are having a great time at this year’s Craft Beer & Brewing Brewers Retreat hosted by our friends at @balebreaker ! And what a treat for most of the attendees to not only visit Yakima for the first time but also brew with hops picked fresh this morning! @craftbeerbrew

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Vinnie and I are having a great time at this year’s Craft Beer & Brewing Brewers Retreat hosted by our friends at @balebreaker ! And what a treat for most of the attendees to not only visit Yakima for the first time but also brew with hops picked fresh this morning! @craftbeerbrew

🚜🏞️KEEP IT ROLLIN`!🏞️🚜 This very special IPA was brewed with the Carpenter family to honor their Dad, the legendary Tom Carpenter of Carpenter Ranches! Keep It Rollin` IPA features Krush, Idaho 7, Citra, Mosaic, Ekuanot, and Simcoe hops! Now available on draft and in cans at both pubs, and for shipping in our online store! Link in bio.

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18064031024759971
🚜🏞️KEEP IT ROLLIN'!🏞️🚜 This very special IPA was brewed with the Carpenter family to honor their Dad, the legendary Tom Carpenter of Carpenter Ranches! Keep It Rollin' IPA features Krush, Idaho 7, Citra, Mosaic, Ekuanot, and Simcoe hops! Now available on draft and in cans at both pubs, and for shipping in our online store! Link in bio.
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