Russian River Brewing Company wordmark logo in yellow

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

Blind Pig cans on ice, BBQ with Pliny Sauce on the grill, and good friends around the table. That`s a recipe for a perfect summer day! Available at both pub gift shops and online for shipping! Link in bio!

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Blind Pig cans on ice, BBQ with Pliny Sauce on the grill, and good friends around the table. That's a recipe for a perfect summer day! Available at both pub gift shops and online for shipping! Link in bio!

Celebrating our first full year of capturing CO2 today! Vinnie stopped by our DALUM Recovery Plants at the Windsor Brewery to talk about the milestone and joining Club 300! #sustainability

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Celebrating our first full year of capturing CO2 today! Vinnie stopped by our DALUM Recovery Plants at the Windsor Brewery to talk about the milestone and joining Club 300! #sustainability

Here are some fun pix from our company picnic last week! We recognized 14 team members who are celebrating 10 years or more with RRBC and awarded this year`s Cheers of the Year winners! Getting together with our entire team and their families is our favorite day of the year!

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Here are some fun pix from our company picnic last week! We recognized 14 team members who are celebrating 10 years or more with RRBC and awarded this year's Cheers of the Year winners! Getting together with our entire team and their families is our favorite day of the year!

🚘WAY BACK WEDNESDAY!🚘 Join us at the Windsor brewery this week for our second vintage car meetup of the summer! Free and fun for the whole family! What’s in your garage? #waybackwednesday

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🚘WAY BACK WEDNESDAY!🚘 Join us at the Windsor brewery this week for our second vintage car meetup of the summer! Free and fun for the whole family! What’s in your garage? #waybackwednesday

World Cup Finals weekend is here and we will have the matches on at both pubs! We brought in 3 extra TVs in Windsor (including 1 in the beer garden) and have 4 TVs in Santa Rosa for your viewing pleasure! Happy Hour all day Sunday! Cheers!⚽🍻

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World Cup Finals weekend is here and we will have the matches on at both pubs! We brought in 3 extra TVs in Windsor (including 1 in the beer garden) and have 4 TVs in Santa Rosa for your viewing pleasure! Happy Hour all day Sunday! Cheers!⚽🍻

Happy Friday! Not only is it California Pint Day, but we also have a limited run of Blind Pig cans available in our gift shops and online store (link in bio)! Today at the pubs, all RRBC beers are available in this limited edition commemorative Pint Day glass, which you get to keep (limited quantities available). In addition, we will be donating $2 per glass purchased and throwing in an extra 5% of the day`s total food and beverage sales to the CCBA! #CAPintDay

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Happy Friday! Not only is it California Pint Day, but we also have a limited run of Blind Pig cans available in our gift shops and online store (link in bio)! Today at the pubs, all RRBC beers are available in this limited edition commemorative Pint Day glass, which you get to keep (limited quantities available). In addition, we will be donating $2 per glass purchased and throwing in an extra 5% of the day's total food and beverage sales to the CCBA! #CAPintDay

Join us at the Windsor Brewery this weekend for the World Cup! We have 3 extra TVs ready to go, including one in the beer garden! Watching at home? Stock up on to-go beer, including a fresh batch of Blind Pig in CANS! Happy Hour All Day Sunday!🍻⚽

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Join us at the Windsor Brewery this weekend for the World Cup! We have 3 extra TVs ready to go, including one in the beer garden! Watching at home? Stock up on to-go beer, including a fresh batch of Blind Pig in CANS! Happy Hour All Day Sunday!🍻⚽

This Friday is California Pint Day at both our pub locations! All RRBC beers will be available in limited edition commemorative Pint Day glass which you get to keep (limited quantities available.) In addition to donating $2/glass purchased, we will be throwing in an extra 5% of the day’s total food and beverage sales to the CCBA! #CAPintDay

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Open post by russianriverbrewingofficial with ID 18143352436468543
This Friday is California Pint Day at both our pub locations! All RRBC beers will be available in limited edition commemorative Pint Day glass which you get to keep (limited quantities available.) In addition to donating $2/glass purchased, we will be throwing in an extra 5% of the day’s total food and beverage sales to the CCBA! #CAPintDay
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