Russian River – Pliny The Younger Coming 2/7

Great news from Russian River:

It’s official- Pliny the Younger is now fermenting away at both breweries! We scheduled the brews pretty close to the release this year, but it will be ready in the nick of time! We are releasing Younger as planned at our brewpub on February 7th. As in recent years, it will be allocated each day until we run out for the day, lasting 14 days through February 20th. It will be available on draft only, no bottles or growlers, as usual. Distribution will not begin until the following week. We are making the same amount this year as last, so you can expect to see it in the usual places if you live in an area where our beer is distributed. It’s obviously too soon to know who will get what and when, so please hold those questions for now! This weekend I will find time to put together more info for our website. In the meantime, if you are coming to Santa Rosa during those 2 weeks, TWO local hotels are extending special Younger rates to our guests! Check out The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa: 800-848-8300, or the Hampton Inn in Windsor: 800-426-7866. Tell them you are attending the Pliny the Younger Release at Russian River Brewing and they will give you their special rates! Please check out our website for a more complete list of local hotels near the pub. Stay tuned for more info coming soon… We are looking forward to celebrating the 10th Annual return of Pliny the Younger!

Full Details:

Pliny the Younger will make his 10th Annual return to Russian River Brewing Company February 7-20th, 2014! It will be available on draft each day at our brewpub until we run out of that day’s allocation. Younger is neither bottled nor available in growlers so more people will have the opportunity to enjoy it right from the source, or at a handful of select draft accounts. Following is some helpful information to make this year’s Younger Release fun and safe for everyone!

The Beer:

Pliny the Younger is categorized as a “triple” IPA, simply meaning that it is higher in alcohol and has tons of hops. The alcohol should finish at about 10.25%, although it is remarkably dry for the amount of malt used in the recipe, and it is loaded with hop flavors, bitterness, and aromatics. The hops used in this year’s recipe are of excellent quality from the 2013 harvest: Simcoe, Warrior, Chinook, Centennial, Amarillo, and Tomahawk. We brewed Younger for the first time 10 years ago as a winter seasonal, building upon the Pliny the Elder recipe while pushing the envelope with malt, hops, and alcohol just to see how far we could go! It is always brewed only once a year and released the first Friday in February, rain or shine.

The Man:

Pliny the Younger was the nephew and adopted son of Pliny the Elder. He was a lawyer and an author in Ancient Rome and witnessed the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, which took the life of his uncle. He lived from 61 AD to 112 AD. He wrote many letters which survive today and have great historical value. We thought it appropriate to also pay tribute to Pliny the Elder’s nephew by naming this special beer after him!

What to expect if you come to our pub:

First, you can expect there to be a long wait to get in. Last year we heard the wait in line was up to 8 hours! It’s a timing thing, and I wish I knew the magic time to arrive and which day is your best bet for the shortest wait. But that is impossible to predict as there are so many factors. There are 2 things we simply cannot control: the weather, and how many people will show up to our pub in February. And our pub’s capacity is 135 people (at least that’s what the sign on the wall says!). Younger is served in a 10 ounce glass with a maximum limit of 3 per person. We are bound by law to NOT serve anyone who is obviously intoxicated. We will also have about 18 other excellent beers on tap for your enjoyment, many of which are available in growlers or bottles to go.

The Line:

Last year the majority of our very few problems stemmed from the line of people waiting to get in to our pub. These problems were brought to our attention via our neighbors, the City of Santa Rosa, and local law enforcement. The last thing we need is to piss off our neighbors or the local authorities! In an effort to remain neighborly and responsible business owners in our community, we kindly ask you to comply with a few things:

• Open container laws are alive and well in Santa Rosa. There is no drinking in line, period.
• The City of Santa Rosa has a No Smoking Ordinance, stating there is no smoking ANYTHING within 20 feet of business entrances or where people gather.
• Our neighboring businesses were mostly upset with the line blocking their entrances or the parking lot driveways. Please remember our neighbors are putting up with us for 2 solid weeks!
• Hey man, no cuts! Does that sound like something you heard in grade school? Same rule still applies. Show up with your whole party, than take turns getting coffee, food, haircuts, shopping, or whatever. We have many great businesses in Downtown Santa Rosa that would love your support and can help make the time waiting a little more enjoyable!

Parking:

The City of Santa Rosa charges for parking on the street and in most lots from 8AM to 6PM with a 2 hour maximum. I recommend the parking garages or the 10 hour lot at the corner of 3rd and E Streets. Better yet, just take a cab! Parking is FREE on Sundays!

Lodging:

TWO local hotels are extending Special Younger Rates to our guests during the 2 weeks we have Pliny the Younger on tap!

• The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa: 800-848-8300, [email protected]. Just let them know you are coming for the Pliny the Younger release at Russian River Brewing Company!
• The Hampton Inn in Windsor: 800-426-7866. Let them know you are coming for the release or use client ID #2982817.
• Check out our website for more lodging recommendations and directions.

Distribution:

We will begin distributing Pliny the Younger on draft the week of February 10th in and around Sonoma County and the Bay Area. Stone will likely pick up their shipment for Southern California that week or the following week. We will be sending kegs to our distributors in San Jose, Sacramento, Oregon, Colorado, and Philadelphia sometime in February, ship dates TBD. At this time, we do not know what accounts will receive kegs of Younger, but it will likely be available at many of the same accounts who received it last year since the production numbers are very similar. It is our recommendation that our accounts tap it as soon as possible after receiving their delivery to preserve the freshness and integrity of the beer. This beer is not meant to age AT ALL! Pliny the Younger is very much like the fresh catch of the day and best enjoyed right away!

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