Business: A bit of ailing for Pliny the Younger
For the first time in a decade, there will not be crowds of thousands lining up on Santa Rosa’s Fourth Street this February. They will not be shivering outside in the often cold, rainy weather as they await the chance to taste Pliny the Younger, the triple India Pale Ale from Russian River Brewing Co. that is one of the world's biggest cult favorites.
That’s all been canceled due to coronavirus concerns, said Russian River coowner Natalie Cilurzo in what is certain to be a huge — if not exactly surprising — disappointment to the beer geeks who make the pilgrimage to Sonoma County every year during the first two weeks of February, when the cultish, 10.25% alcohol by volume beer is offered on draft at Russian River’s two brewpubs.
“It was just becoming really clear that there’s no way we could invite thousands of people who come from around the world and descend upon our community in a very short period of time,” Cilurzo said. “There was just no way we could control that safely.”
That doesn’t mean that the beer won’t be brewed, however. A mixed case of Russian River beers, including four 510 ml bottles of Pliny the Younger and several other beers, will be available on the brewery’s website in late January or early February, Cilurzo said. The price of the case, which will be shipped only to California addresses, will probably be somewhere around $ 100. The bottles won’t be sold at Russian River’s two brewpubs, and they also won’t be put into distribution to be sold at other bars. A few select California bars or restaurants will get some kegs, though, to pour on draft, but those businesses will be asked to refrain from hosting any Younger related events, Cilurzo said.
Last year was the first time that Pliny the Younger was ever put into a bottle; the brewer avoided it for years, due to fears that bootleggers would resell the bottles on the black market. But this will be the first time that Younger bottles can be purchased online, and each customer will be limited to one mixed case.
“I know it’s going to end up on the black market, because we saw that last year,” Cilurzo said, noting that some Younger bottles did show up for sale online from thirdparty sellers who had bought them directly from the brewery — but not nearly as many as she’d expected. “We saw very little of it, so I’m not that worried. We’re lucky that we have so many awesome fans out there who will notify us when they see those shenanigans.”
Despite widespread perceptions that the brewery welcomes the frenzy around Pliny the Younger, Cilurzo and her husband, head brewer Vinnie Cilurzo, have attempted to make the beer more easily accessible to drinkers. They built a $ 50 million brewpub in Windsor to add production and visitor capacity to complement their original Santa Rosa location, allowing them to significantly increase the volume of Pliny the Younger — from about 150 barrels worth of keg volume in 2018 to 500 in 2020.
Russian River begins brewing Younger at the end of December, and Cilurzo said she doesn’t know how much will be produced this year, though it’s clear that it will they’ll make a lot less of it than usual.
Sonoma County remains in the most-restrictive purple tier of the state’s pandemic reopening protocol, which now includes at 10 p. m. curfew, based on its COVID19 infection rates. Russian River’s two brewpubs have been open with seating outside, but Cilurzo was aware of the possibility that outdoor dining permissions could be revoked for Sonoma County, as they recently were for Los Angeles County — another reason why she didn’t feel comfortable planning an inperson event for February.
The cancellation of 2021’ s in person Pliny release is another corona virus related blow to Sonoma County’s heavily tourismdependent economy. According to a report from the county’s economic development board, the 2020 Pliny release generated $ 5.1 million in economic impact. It drew 23,525 visitors from 47 U.S. states and 14 countries, the report said, with an average spending of $ 445 on lodging in Sonoma County.
It’s a setback for Russian River’s bottom line, too. The Younger release makes February the biggest revenue month for the business all year.
“I like to call it our 14day wedding,” Cilurzo said. “It’s sad that we don’t get to have it this year.
“But it’s just one year. We’ll be back in 2022.”