Russian River Brewing

Absolutely loved this place!
We were wine tasting in Sonoma and this was a nice little beer break! I’ve had Pliny the elder in the past but have heard such good things about their other beer so had to come check it out!
Came on a Tuesday evening and it was pretty packed. Grabbed some drinks while we waited for a table for dinner.
THE BEER
We did a taster to figure out which we wanted more of. The standouts were
— Pliny the elder. Such a perfect IPA!
— Sanctification. An American wild ale. My first time having this style but it was delicious. Slightly sour but refreshing!
— Consecration. Awesome sour beer. Aged on cab sav wine barrels so there’s a hint of that. Hands down one of my favorite beers. A 6 pack ended up costing us about $ 80 but totally worth it!
THE FOOD
I’m never usually impressed by the food at breweries but this place was definitely an exception.
— Pliny bites (⁴⁄₅) Bread with cheese and jalapeños. Served with marinara sauce. You can’t go wrong.
— Mikey (4.5÷5). Delicious meaty pizza!
— Excell (4.5÷5). It’s healthy when there’s spinach on it right? I liked it paired with the sausage but there’s also a veg version of this pizza.
Already planning our next trip back!

Great beer but waiting in a line down the main street in 90 degree weather? Not happening.
Will need to check this place out during the winter, it was not fun waiting in line and we decided to walk down the street to another brewery with seating. Also, they don’t greet the line or let you know how long you’ll be waiting so you just sort of stand there and guess how long you’ll be waiting.

Come here all the time. Great food and typically great service. Most of the waiters remember us by name and remember our usual orders.
A wait time during peak times but always worth it.
Also medford is the best bartender! :)

Most beer enthusiasts will recognize Russian River’s Pliny the Elder beer, but who knew they had great food too? If you find yourself in Santa Rosa, I recommend stopping by Russian River Brewing. It is a very popular spot and there is always a crowd so plan on waiting at least 30 – 40 mins. The good news about waiting is you can order a beer and enjoy their outside patio area while you wait. If you are in the mood for beer and pizza this is a great place for both. Surprisingly their salad is also fresh and very delicious. I would also highly recommend the buffalo wings. There is something on the menu for everyone and the price is just right. Two of us had wings, salads, split a pizza and drank two beers and we came out just under $ 30 each.

So not much I can say differently than other except if you like a double IPA and are willing to drive north than this is your place. Pliny the Elder on tap along with many other varieties. I enjoyed my Hopfather actually more than Pliny. The tasting flights for everything on tap was well priced and I was proud that I was able to finish it all. The restaurant food was solid too with great pizza options. I’m a fan of the Margreta and ordered that along with a salad and was satisfied. The line are LOOOONNNGGGG so come early to get a table. Thankfully we came rightt after opening and got seats after waiting for a few minutes.
The pick up line is much shorter so if you’re just looking for a few bottles to go eat at a local parklet I would highly recommend it. Pliny the Elder only sold in cases of 12 for $ 66 each. We ended up bringing back 3 cases for my sisters wedding and it was the crowd favorite.

Russian River Brewing Company is the real reason we took our vacation! We drove from San Diego all the way to Santa Rosa so that my brewer fiancé could finally visit the home of his favorite beer ever, Pliny the Elder, let’s just say he was almost in tears as the we left.
I kept hearing that there were going to be lines out the door and although it was a Friday evening, that was not at all the case. If anything everyone seemed so mellow. We gave the hostess our information so that we could have a table to enjoy all we were about to explore. Our hostess was really sweet and funny enough she was from San Diego just like us!
We sat at the bar as we waited for a table to open up, it was awfully busy up at the bar, rows of people ordering beer after beer. Finally we managed to catch the eye of one of the bartenders, Bryan (my fiancé) and our friend Jenny ordered their beer and I managed to order a … ROSE. The bartender instantly replied back with, «there’s no beer in rose,» I laughed, I’ve never been much of a beer drinker and now that I am engaged to a brewer I think it’s even funnier. As soon as we had received our drinks, I get a text from our host stating that a table was ready for us, it was faster then the 45 minute wait we had been anticipating.
My fiancé was so excited to come to the brewery, weeks before the trip he kept psyching himself out, saying that we didn’t need to go. We were there and it was amazing to see him this happy. Bryan ordered their flights and more beer and some nibblies to go along with it. We shared their pliny bites and man were they cheesy, I always order chicken wings because it pairs so well with my rose, I’m not kidding look it up. Bryan ordered his own calzone and Jenny ordered an individual pizza. Jenny and I devoured our food while Bryan prolonged his experience and asked for a box to go. Pliny the Elder is at least $ 10 a bottle at a craft beer store here in San Diego, but you cannot buy Blind Pig, that’s what we came home with.
This was an incredible experience, especially for my fiancé who was on the brink of tears as we made our way home. Thank you for your hospitality, good food, great brews and better customer service!

So. Many. Beers.
We did a bit of a bar hop around downtown and this place is supposedly quite famous for beer so of course seeing as I only go to SR every 9 years, I had to try a sip.
The place was very busy even for a weekday but my friend and I got a table along the wall near the kitchen and from here you can see their terrifically long list of beers that you have to choose from (written on a giant chalkboard)
I tried the Pliney the Elder beer which is a double india pale ale (on the bitter side) and since we were bar hopping I did not have space to try the food out.
Overall, this seems like a good place to catch up with friends on a non-​fancy night (provided they love beer) as the price was reasonable.

I have heard great things about Russian River Brewing Co and it didn’t disappoint. Despite being absolutely 100% packed on a Friday afternoon at 1:30 PM and not a single seat available inside, we were lucky enough to grab a seat outside. We had to order a Pliney the Elder along with the full sample. To say the least, the cold delicious beer helped us cool off in the 95 degree heat

Came here since I was told they had the best beer in town. To be honest I’m not a big beer person but since I was here I might as well check it out.
Busy place but the staff was super nice. The beer was beer. I ordered a light beer and their beer bites which was yummy. I would come back again for sure.

Full disclosure — I don’t drink beer. If I did, I’d probably give an extra star.
My husband loves craft beer. We live on the East Coast, so he has never tried Pliny the Elder. When he discovered his work conference was only an hour away from here, it was a must stop for him. Within a few hours of stepping off the plane, we arrived.
It was late Sunday afternoon and this place was packed, with two different lines to wait in outside. The «beer to go» line was definitely moving quicker than the «eat in» line, you had to wait just to give your name to the hostess to get a table. Once you get to that point of your wait, you can order drinks from the bar. My husband got a Pliny and I got a chardonnay. We brought them back outside to drink while we waited. We probably had a 30 – 40 minute wait at that point, plenty of time to get a second round.
It’s very crowded and noisy inside. We were given a table for two right next to the kitchen. Service was very good. We had a variety of people that kept coming by to check on us, take empty plates, deliver food, etc.
We started with the Pliney bites, which are pieces of pizza dough with cheese and jalapenos. We ordered them with both the marinara and ranch dressing. They weren’t bad and the portion size was generous. We also split a Mikey pizza, which wasn’t bad. As busy as this place was, food came out pretty fast.
After we ate we headed to the store to get some swag and beer. Beer can not to shipped from California to Massachusetts, so in anticipation of the beer purchase we had bought special luggage to transport a case of Pliney home. Yes, you read that right.
If it were just me, I would never wait in that kind of line to eat and drink here, but I don’t drink beer. My husband left here a very happy camper though.

Came here after a long hike to try out the brewery and have a nice lunch.
There was a wait to get in, but it moved pretty quickly. We then had to wait for a table, but were able to get drinks at the bar. They have a California flight and a Belgian flight, which was a great way to have a little taste of everything.
In terms of food…
Pizza: so good! I was able to customize my own pizza which was great since I don’t eat cheese. Our group also got a large pizza that was big enough to feed 3 hungry boys.
The Pliny bites were the favorite. The bread was soft and just melted in your mouth.
The have an outside area as well as an inside space for seating. The service wasn’t super speed because they have a lot of tables, but they’re pretty good about making sure you have beer to sip on while you wait for your food.

This is the beer Mecca so be prepared to wait, and wait. Grab a beer from the bar while you wait for your table (you’ll have to wait for that too). There were people everywhere. Some were just getting beer to go, others waiting for a table and others getting a drink at the bar. It felt very claustrophobic and was pretty loud.
We were there on a Friday at 1:00 and had a 45 minute wait which wasn’t too bad considering how busy it was. They took our cell phone number and sent a text when our table was ready so we could have walked around but we opted for a beer from the bar instead.
No one really comes here for the food, but the food was pretty good. We ordered a pizza, wings and a salad.
I’ve had Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger a few times so I was really looking forward to all the other beers Russian River has to offer. We ordered tasters of the entire beer board for $ 22 which is what they are known for and is an amazing price! Also ordered a a Pliny and Blind Pig but I enjoyed trying all the sours and Belgians that are hard to find.
We sat at our table for a few hours eating and drinking and never felt rushed to leave. We left around 3:45 and there were a lot of open tables so if you want to come without a long wait that could be a good time to try and get a table.

What can I say? I have been looking forward to visiting RR for a long time. My local beer bar in Denver always has PtE on tap, and gets a good amount of PtY every February, but yet my curiosity to visit the home of the Pliny still lingered. I was not let down at all. I started with a wonderful sour Propitiation. It was great and new to me. We were then seated for food. The pizza was great and the Pliny bites were wonderful. I also helped myself to the 20 beer flight for sampling all the treats they offer.

Probably the pinnacle of west coast brewing along with the Lost Abbey/​Port brewing in San Diego. Still privately owned and haven’t sold out though they certainly could have as they are packed every day.
Great selection of American style beers and Belgian style beers. The pizzas are excellent and the oven baked wings are very good.
Expect a line out the door every weekend and often on weekdays too. Excellent happy hour with $ 3.50 pints.
Easily amongst the top 10 breweries in the world in my opinion.

Russian River has its flaws for sure, but the excellence in what it is good at, outweigh the bad. Had my first trip here a couple of weekends ago. Knowing beforehand how busy this place could get I was pleased with my experience and think it’s a must-​see if you’re in the area or a fan of beer.
I gave up expecting to get here during the two weeks a year that they release Pliny the Younger and was crazy enough to try to come on a Saturday night but all things considered it was a great visit!
Expect to see a line out the door, due to capacity constraints you will most likely have to wait before you can even get in to put your name on the list for a table. The bar area will have very little standing room (this is when you’ll be glad that they limit entrance and make people wait in a line outside). Once you put your name in they will call/​text you when your table is ready so if you really wanted to, you could leave and come back (Barnes and Noble is right across the street), but I suggest getting a beer and sitting outside in the patio area while you wait.
Upon being seated we immediately ordered the 20 beer flight of 2 oz pours. Definitely not for the faint of heart, and hopefully not unless you have a big party or you are lyfting it (which we were). I think my love for Pliny gave me super high expectations, overall there are really only a handful of beers that I think are amazing, so the 20 beer flight ended up as more of a novelty than as spectacular as I had hoped.
Best in show: Pliny the Elder, Blind Pig IPA, Russian River IPA, Aud Blonde, and Hop 2 It
I didn’t have super high expectations for the food since the beer is their specialty but wow, the pizza we ate was delicious and the Pliny Bites are also highly recommended (spicy but yummy). The only other hiccup was our Pliny Bites came out at the same time as our pizza even though we ordered them about 5 minutes ahead of the pizza.
Why they deserve 5 stars:
For the handful of truly exceptional and amazing beers, impressive customer service (for their size and volume of customers), and the quality of their food (those pliny bites doe).
Expect: To wait in line, an invasion of personal space at some point in the evening, and some beers that don’t live up to the name.

It’s not often that I walk into a crazily well known brewery, crowded as Fu… well you know what I’m thinking… and walk away thinking knowing why people keep going back. Yes, the chances that you’ll have to wait in a que are high, but the bouncer attending to the line is helpful and friendly and they do a great job ushering people in and out.
Put your name on the waitlist for a table because chances are you won’t find a free barstool. Also, in our experience, most people put their name on the waitlist and than ended up giving up their tables, so chances are, the wait won’t be as long as quoted.
While you wait, grab a beer and drink it outside! Even with the popularity of Russian River, they offer Happy Hour M-​F 4 – 6:30 and ALL DAY Sunday! Let me tell you, that means pints for $ 3.75 all day Sunday, and we’re talking pints of Pliney the Elder and Striped Pig!
But wait there’s more! If you are unsure of what you want, or just want the full experience, get the flight. This is no baby, light beer drinkers flight, this is every beer they have to offer: 20 varieties with everything from wheats to sours to porters to IPA. They’ll serve it along with a beer list for $ 22.00 even.
And if you just can’t wait to drink some Russian River beer at home, have no fear, walk over to their bottle/​growler area and get your fill {plus a t-​shirt or souvenir to go!}
Overall: excellent beer, excellent management of an enormous crowd, excellent bartenders and excellent prices. You really can’t go wrong and should put Russian River at the top of your brewery check list!

March 30, 2016 Wednesday — 1:30 PM for lunch
4 adults
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — Have to the mecca of West Coast IPA’s.
Atmosphere — This is an old school bar that serves food. Love the old beer memorabilia on the ways.
Food
Drink –Beer please, it is why we are here. I did not have any Pliny the Elder as that came how with me. I had two beers from them that I have not had in the past. Row 2 Hill 56 and Happy Hops both Pale Ales and I enjoyed both of them.
Lunch — The four of split a large New Yorker. The description basically sounds like a stand pepperoni pizza. The pizza was not made with stand pepperoni but a spicy small sausage called Linguiça. This is such a better sausage on pizza. A little heat in those slices. The Linguiça curls up on the edges when baked in the pizza oven which allows them to become crisp on the edges. The only drawback with this type of sausage is the about of grease that is left on top of the pizza. You might want to tab so it off.
Service — Tons of employees in this place and they are all hustling.
Future — Yes Please!

Pliny the elder on tap. Need I say more? (Of course I will, but the beer lovers will know what i’m saying.)
Super busy place at lunchtime, but were able to be seated within about ten minutes. Lots of old beer paraphernalia on the walls to view. The selection of beers that they make are staggering and look to have something for everyone (even if you are not a fan of IPAs).
We were hungry so we ordered a house salad to split and the New Yorker pizza. The pizza had a ton of pepperoni and it was spicy, tasty, and went well with the Blind Dog and Pliny the Elder.
They offer growler fills and lots of branded merchandise for sale. Some of their more popular beers are even available for sale by the bottle to take home with you.
Great place to enjoy beer and I could even see coming back and doing one of their samplers to get a better idea of what else they produce that I might like.

It just wasn’t that impressive. Weird vibe, especially outside on the porch. Super busy, which we thought was a good sign but honestly we weren’t in love with the beers. Maybe we’re spoiled with our micro breweries in Denver but we got the giant 20 $ flight and only liked about half of them.
We had high expectations and they weren’t met. Bummer!

Food (⁵⁄₅): Order a pizza! I mean it. We got the Omni (12″ was good for two people) and of course not only does it go with beer, but it is AMAZING.
Beer (³⁄₅): to be honest, I do love me my beer but I wasn’t that impressed with Russian River. We ordered the sampler (so we could try all of them of course) but I was disappointed with the taste and originality of the beer.
To be honest, Lagunitas isn’t too far away and has some of the best beer I’ve ever had.