Russian River Brewing’s Pliny the Younger celebrates its big 2-0

Russian River Brewing’s cult fave, Pliny the Younger, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, a landmark for a triple IPA that makes an appearance for just two weeks at the brewery each year.

It’s a beer steeped in history, from its Ancient Roman name to the early days of the West Coast craft brewing movement … in Temecula wine country. Vinnie Cilurzo launched his first brewery, Blind Pig Brewing, in Temecula in 1994, back when San Diego County’s brewery tally was still in the single digits. There, he brewed what is widely believed to be the first double or Imperial IPA and dubbed it Blind Pig Inaugural Ale.

The brewery did well enough, but was ahead of its time, so Vinnie and his wife, Natalie, moved to Sonoma County, where she continued to work in the wine industry, while he pursued his brewing passions. Soon after, Vinnie was approached by Korbel, the sparkling wine house, which was interested in investing in the nascent microbrewery revolution. The result was Russian River Brewing. In 2002, the Cilurzos bought the rights to the brand, and the couple opened their own Russian River brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa two years later.

You’ll see nods to the past on the Russian River beer list, which includes a Blind Pig IPA and the famous double IPA, rechristened as Pliny the Elder. It’s named after the early Roman Empire military commander, naturalist and author whose most famous work, “Naturalis Historia” or “Natural History,” refers to what many believe was hops — Lupus Salictarius. Pliny died trying to save a friend during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E.

Beer sales typically slow during the colder months, so during the winter of their first year, Vinnie decided they needed a special beer, one that would take the Pliny the Elder recipe to triple status. The result is Pliny the Younger, named after the nephew the elder Pliny adopted and raised. Pliny the Younger became a lawyer and magistrate of Rome, best remembered now for his letters describing Roman life at the time, including Vesuvius’ catastrophic eruption — featured on the 2024 label.

The triple IPA was released in 2005 with little fanfare, but it sold well, and Russian River continued to release a limited batch each February, brewing enough — or so they thought — to last until the brewery’s anniversary in April. That changed very dramatically in 2010 when hundreds of people suddenly descended on the brewpub, lining up before the Cilurzos had even opened the doors and ordering pints and growlers in quick succession. By the time the dust settled, the brewery had gone through their entire supply of Younger in just eight hours. I was there that day and witnessed the enthusiastic chaos.

The following year, the brewery limited orders and stopped filling growlers, which were being re-sold illegally online. Further tweaks were added in subsequent years to make sure everyone has a chance to try the beer.

This year’s Pliny the Younger release will run from March 22 through April 4, a day after the official anniversary. Find details at bit.ly/younger24.

Each year has given Vinnie a chance to fine-tune the recipe. “That first batch of Younger was 11 percent ABV but still relatively dry,” he says. “Simcoe has always been the primary hop in both Pliny the Elder and Younger. Over the years, new proprietary hop strains have emerged, allowing us more creativity and flexibility with the recipe. In 2023, we added the New Zealand hop Nectaron for the first time. This year, we kept the recipe virtually the same, only adding more Nectaron because it was such a nice addition to last year’s beer.”

He teases that there’s another change in this year’s recipe, but you’ll have to wait for the reveal on social media during the Younger fortnight. Meanwhile, you can visit the Santa Rosa brewpub at 725 Fourth St. and the Windsor Brewery and Pub at 700 Mitchell Lane. Be sure to wish them a happy anniversary.

Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.