Younger Release next February - any advice?

i hit the line this year at 9ish and was probably 75-100 back. they open at 11 and we were finally seated about 1230. line was almost as long when we left 2 hours later. i went day after superbowl.

 

Check out Bear Republic, Lagunitas, and Third Street Ale Works. All three are close by. If you are able to, also visit City Beer in SF and Beer Revolution in Oakland.

The lines for RR will be long on opening day and the weekends. I heard that the lines were much shorter on Monday and Tuesday.

Cheers!

 

My Advice... Take a trip to VT instead to The Alchemist. No lines and you can get a couple of cases AND IT IS WAY BETTER!

 

Check out the many threads on the subject as well as www.beerbybart.com

For a fun sightseeing day check out Muir Woods then hit up Iron Springs in Fairfax or the Pelican Inn at Muir Beach.

 

Cancel the reservations, get a place in Oakland or SF, and enjoy other beer week events without driving and get Younger without having to wait in a stupid line.

 

Subjective, AND YOU ARE ENTITLED TO YOUR OPINION. I'm excited for the OP. I didn't find Heady held a candle to Younger, although hardly apples to apples at roughly a 11% beer in comparison to a 8%er. Heady is a very good beer for the record.

OP - Suggestion is if you don't care for football, go Super bowl Sunday. Much shorter lines. Also, Lagunitas in Petaluma is a must. Arguably the best beer drinking atmosphere I've experienced for a brewery.

 

If we're making "alternate trip" suggestions, you could always stay here in Oregon and drink this... shhhhhhh, don't tell anybody http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23066/70013

 

My advice...be prepared to be let down. Younger is not 10X better than anything you've ever had, but you're probably putting yourself through 10X the difficulty in getting it compared to most other beers.

As someone else said, there are much easier ways in getting some than spending money on a hotel (just for Younger) and waiting in line for 6+ hours.

Take stupac2's advice.

 

I'm hoping for a boycott due to their growler filling policy. I don't want to deal with the lines this year.

 

Or he could do what I said, and drink both Younger and Notorious at the DIPA festival in Hayward.

 

Younger is on tap for weeks. And can be found at numerous places around the bay during SF Beer Week. Come down mid-week if possible and get it easy.

I don't know why people make the pilgrimage to Russian River especially when those bastards aren't even filling blank growlers.

 

It's like eight months away. You must be VERY pumped to post this so early.

 

Did they do the pink wristband last year or did that start this year? I don't remember a wristband in 2011 and it was possible to slip in on a weekday for lunch with no wait.

 

In my opinion it's an experience that shouldn't be missed. Yeah you stand in line for hours to drink outstanding beer and eat mediocre food, but it's much more than just that. There is an unbelievable vibe during younger. People in line are happy and everyone talks to everyone about beer as if they've been friends for years. Once inside, you get to order from a menu of some of the best beer on earth. With each beer down the vibe gets better. We can get Pliny the Younger in Sacramento, but I drive to the brewery each February just for the scene. And before moving to my current home, I drove from Portland every year. It's a rite of passage for every craft beer drinker. Do it, enjoy!

If you drink whiskey, be sure to visit Jack And Tony's.

 

Russian River is very worth visiting. It is not worth standing in line for 2-3 hours though, unless you live in Santa Rosa. I would literally drive past a dozen bars carrying Younger, some with no line at all, just to stand in line at RR. The tourists can have it.