Russian River Brewing Company (Windsor).

Russian River Brewing Company (Windsor)

Nine pounds of hops go into every barrel of Pliny the Younger, three in the kettle and six across a triple dry-hop. This is the Windsor brewery, where the tour runs daily from noon.2

Why go

Sarah Doyle reported the 2026 Younger for the Press Democrat and put the hop bill on the page: Simcoe, Amarillo, Tangier, Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron and Warrior, the same seven as the year before in different proportions.2 The beer lands at 10.25% and she credits the balance to head brewer Vinnie Cilurzo.2 March 2026 was the 22nd annual release.2 Windsor is the working brewery of the two doors, and you can walk it yourself between noon and 5 any day, or take the guided version Friday to Sunday.1

Order this / avoid

• Order: Pliny the Younger, if you are here between 20 March and 2 April. Three 10-ounce pours and three bottles per person, until the day's allocation runs out.2
• Avoid: the weekend morning queue. Doyle's own tip is that Windsor runs shorter Monday to Thursday and in the evening, and waits hit six hours with people arriving at 5am.2

What locals & experts say

• Sarah Doyle, The Press Democrat (10 March 2026), on the 2026 Younger: the beer exudes bright citrus aromas of orange and grapefruit, with notes of candied tangerine, stone fruit and resinous green pine that lead to a clean, bitter finish, and at 10.25% it stays remarkably balanced and ultra-drinkable, a testament to head brewer Vinnie Cilurzo's talents.2

Good to know

• Hours: pub 11am to 10pm, kitchen closing at 9, last call 9.30. The gift shop opens at 11.1
• Groups: ten is the walk-in limit. Up to sixteen by calling the pub and asking for the host or the GM.1
• During the Younger release both pubs run 11am to 10pm daily and you get two and a half hours inside.2
• This is the Windsor door. The Fourth Street pub in Santa Rosa is the other one, on the same phone number.2

Verdict

should-visit — A recipe and a queue make the case, and Sarah Doyle reported both in the Press Democrat in March 2026. Nine pounds of hops go into every barrel of Pliny the Younger, three in the kettle and six across a triple dry-hop, and she credits the balance at 10.25% to Vinnie Cilurzo. Twenty-two years of an annual release that people sleep outside for is its own argument, and this is the door where the brewing actually happens, with a tour running daily. The rung stops short of the top because everything cited is release coverage, and no critic in the record has written about the beer or the kitchen on an ordinary week.