Russian River Brewing Company

Russian River Brewing CompanyRussian River Brewing Company
Russian River Brewing CompanyRussian River Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

725 4th St
Santa Rosa, California, 95404-4407
United States

(707) 545-2337 | map
rrbeer.com
BEER STATS
Average:
4.13
Beers:
123
Ratings:
63,521
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.57
Reviews:
393
Ratings:
1,032
pDev:
8.75%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Ancalagon:
Photo of Ancalagon
Rated by Ancalagon from California

4.75/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75

Oct 10, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -15.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3
Boy, is Santa Rosa far more built up and populated than I pictured in my head. This original street side location is nestled within a full on urban environment that will likely be bustling regardless of day and time, both of course due to the much lauded name they have made for themselves, but also due simply to the population of the surrounding area, which never lets up from those damn jam-packed highways.

Unfortunately the bar was full up when we walked in, so we had to settle for a table, which thankfully there were a few of. Every single person in the place had a pizza in front of them, so the name of the game here was clear. Unfortunately, the crust was a bit dry and bland to my taste, even if the toppings seemed fresh and wholesome.

Service, too, took quite a long time to come to the table, as well as return once our glasses were empty. Sure, it was busy, but it wasn't asses to elbows, and they had an impressive depth of staff to support, so I'm not really sure what the reason was for the delays. It wasn't enough to taint the evening, though it was noticeable.

But we're here for the beer, and as expected, the taplist has a respectable variety on offer, and everything is up to the standards I've come to expect from my experiences with Russian River. I ordered as many beers as I could that I have not previously had the opportunity to enjoy via various shipping and trading efforts in the past, while also revisiting some of their sours. I'd hoped that some of those had become a little more balanced by now, and while they have slightly reduced their acidity, it still was not quite to the extent that the old world purveyors have perfected.

The vibe exudes a reverence for classic and quirky beer memorabilia, somewhat like stepping into a Delirium location, though much less busy to the eye. I appreciated the collection of antique signs, and was surprised to see such a dearth of RR branding on-site.

I'm glad to have finally checked this Mount Rushmore of American craft beer off of my must-visit list, but it certainly was a little less exemplary than I had hoped.
Feb 08, 2024
 
Rated: 4.73 by macshark from Virginia

Oct 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Jun 15, 2023
Photo of TheIPAHunter
Reviewed by TheIPAHunter from California

4.48/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3.75
Stood in line today for the PtY release. Got there before opening, so total time in line was about an hour. I really dug the homage to some of the old-school beers via the interior decor. The food was above average, at best, but that's really not why the people come. The beers are amazing, and there's more than enough to choose from. The gift shop was fully stocked and completely organized. Thankful to finally visit one of the OGs in person. Cheers.
Mar 30, 2023
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

4.55/5  rDev -0.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Certainly a destination brewery, taproom, and restaurant. Address is on a quiet downtown Santa Rosa street, with diagonal parking. Public parking lot available at the back part of the block. The room itself has lots of wood, with a high, open industrial ceiling. Has a long bar and other multi-level seating options. There is a separate room to the left of the front entrance that offers merchandise and beers to go. Very pleasant and helpful staff.
Mar 07, 2023
 
Rated: 4.55 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Jan 29, 2023
Photo of GoBearsWalter34
Reviewed by GoBearsWalter34 from Illinois

4.61/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
The first obvious thing that jumps out at you s the quality of beer and the price. Even for California, this is probably the best price point for amazing beer anywhere in the world. $6.25 for drafts of some of the best beers I have had, 16oz…can’t believe beat. Carry out for $5.30 16 oz bottles, are you kidding me?? Seated immediately, great food in which my college graduates even liked, priceless. The girls went to Walmart for me to finish!!! I had to wait a little between draft # 1&2 is only complaint.
May 25, 2022
 
Rated: 4.23 by West_Chester_Ale_Tester from Ohio

May 23, 2022
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

4.03/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75
This is a classic bar, atmosphere and decor wise. A fairly narrow room with much dark wood for the bar. tables, chairs and walls. Then one learns from the name of their Irish style stout that the place was indeed a tavern named The Old Vic, before Russian River Brewing. They serve tasting flights 5 at a time on a board that has bottle caps imbedded in it with the beer names on them, nice touch. Pliny the Elder was the favored beer of the five and got six bottles of it to go.
May 19, 2022
Photo of not2quick
Rated by not2quick from Missouri

4.59/5  rDev +0.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
They have a legendary beer sampler. Pretty sure it holds every beer on tap which is 15 or so.
Jan 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.35 by dannyexists from California

Dec 31, 2020
Photo of rorjets
Reviewed by rorjets from Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5
Arrived on a Wednesday afternoon in January. Pleased that there was no line to enter, and the 4 of us got a table right away. The place was close to full upon arrival, and was certainly full when we left after about an hour. Unfortunately due to other obligations we couldn't stay long. I had two of their classic beers - Pliny the Elder DIPA and Shadow of A Doubt Imperial Porter. Both were excellent, but I think I enjoyed the imperial porter a bit more, probably because it wasn't something you get too often. Loved al the old beer signs hanging around the place, and picked up some merch on the way out. I'm hoping this isn't my only trip to RR, but if it is I had a great time there!
Jan 29, 2020
 
Rated: 4.81 by Crusher81a

Jan 17, 2020
 
Rated: 4.61 by wc94wc from California

Dec 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by Montanabeerz from Montana

Nov 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.54 by BerryKumquat from California

Sep 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.38 by MAS from California

Sep 28, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Sep 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by Noah_Aimar from Oregon

Aug 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.17 by cryptichead from Illinois

Jul 02, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by JonnyS from California

Jun 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.74 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Apr 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.65 by paulman86 from California

Mar 09, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by fehrminator from North Carolina

Mar 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.9 by Hondafit682311 from Arizona

Feb 24, 2019
Photo of ManapuaMan
Reviewed by ManapuaMan from Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25
Windsor Brewery...new new new and huge huge huge. Wow! What a large setup that caught me off guard. Full disclosure- I've never been to the Santa Rosa pub.

Sparkling new brewery with enough space to brew multiple batches of whatever they like. I had the kids in tow so the space worked out very well - large, distinct spaces for the pub, gift shop (with bottles to go), tasting room that was closed during our visit, self-guided tour (basically you can look down into the brewing and packaging areas) and a large outdoor area to let the kids stretch their legs. I can see this being gangbusters over the summer.

Such joy knowing that you can take home bottles upon bottles of Pliny, Happy Hops, Pig, select -"ations" . Wonderful and easy. Food was solid and reasonably priced. Pliny was snappy and crisp from draft. Beautiful.

Nothing quaint about it - it's a destination that you can spend several hours enjoying, and that's just what we did.
Feb 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.2 by Clembo1957 from England

Feb 14, 2019
 
Rated: 4.83 by fegelFatso from California

Feb 09, 2019
Photo of BWood
Rated by BWood from California

4.36/5  rDev -4.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
Pliny the younger release 2019. 15th anniversary. Good experience.
Feb 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.75 by COBEERHUNTER from Colorado

Feb 01, 2019
Photo of edsanchezz28
Rated by edsanchezz28 from California

3.73/5  rDev -18.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
bring blank growlers, they will not fill ones from other breweries
Jan 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.07 by acurtis from New Jersey

Dec 25, 2018
Photo of Psaulnier
Reviewed by Psaulnier from Vermont

4.31/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Finally made it from the East Coast to Santa Rosa to try Pliny the Elder and some of their other brews. Definitely worth a visit and a wait for a table. The pizza is really good too and with a crowd of happy beer enthusiasts of all ages its all good.
Nov 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.78 by bolanosco from New York

Sep 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4.33 by Billybass from Idaho

Sep 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.79 by HeadHeadman from Louisiana

Sep 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.64 by jrmeeinc from Illinois

Sep 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.7 by Dexman from New York

Sep 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.11 by DaveCash from New York

Sep 13, 2018
Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, CA
Brewery rating: 4.13 out of 5 with 63521 ratings