Booth: Russian River Brewing Co.

No crystal or caramel malt in any of the Pliny recipes these days. There used to be a small amount of crystal malt in the Pliny recipes but a couple years ago we removed it and switched our base malt to a slightly higher color base malt so we get some color there and instead of crystal I use Munich 30 malt to gain a little color and mouthfeel. Crystal malt as it turns out stales beer more quickly so in the end removing crystal malt from any IPA is a good thing for shelf and flavor stability.

 

When we first made PTY we specifically chose January to brew it and release it in February as that is the slowest time of the year in the brewery and thus we have tanks open. That still is the case today, we don't have enough capacity in other times of the year when we are busier. Plus it is like Christmas, it wouldn't be special if Christmas happened more than once a year .

 

Once we scale a recipe up from a smaller batch we will than start making small tweaks and if the initial batch doesn't meet our standards we will either dump it or more likely blend it away to the point where the consumer can tell. We now have a 5 bbl pilot brewery so making test batches is super easy and fun.

 

Safety is the first thing that comes to mind, safety in the brewery is always the first thing to consider. After that, super high quality ingredients and from there the basics of sanitation and right behind safety is keeping oxygen out of your process. If you don't own a dissolved oxygen meter I'd start saving your pennies now for one. Though it is still expensive, Gusmer Enterprises sells what is probably the least expensive DO meter but even than it is $7K, but, quality cost money!

 

Actually the first batch of beer off our new 5 bbl pilot brewery was the original Inaugural Ale from Blind Pig Brewery back from 1994, this is widely considered the first Double IPA in the modern micro/craft beer industry. It was fun for Natalie and I to re-brew this, I've been thinking of brewing it again on a larger scale is it is kind of a look back at what IPA once was in America which is way different than today.

 

Final post, there was lots of questions asking if RRBC plans to increase distribution in other parts of the country. As of right now the answer is no (sorry). I'm super humbled and appreciated of all the love, but when we expanded a couple years ago with our dream brewery in Windsor, CA, the plan was to first fulfill all the back orders with our loyal accounts who have supported us for years and than to fill in the empty spots in the state where we thought we could sell beer. To Natalie and I the beer business is a life style yet it is stressful enough being an IPA brewery and trying to keep our beer cold all the way through the distribution chain. I already don't sleep much at night as I am often having a Mind Circus worrying about the freshness of our beer. In my next life I plan to be a Pilsner and Saison brewer (less shelf and flavor stability stress). As I said earlier, I'm a firm believer in drinking local beer so with that said, support your local brewery! If you are thinking of taking a vacation come on out and visit us, in normal times we have an amazing customer experience and the tour of the Windsor brewery is pretty great with three tasting stations along the way, you start out on the brewhouse floor than go upstairs and look down at the rest of the brewery including a visit to our koelschip room. Sonoma County is an amazing place with lots of outdoor activities and tons of great beer, food, and wine.

 

Looking through the feed, am completely humbled with your responses to all the questions, mine included. Am 100% impressed with your knowledge and passion for brewing, which stands out with the time you took to answer during the Cyberfest and now. You brew the best beer I have ever had in my life. Edgar said it best, it was a religious experience for sure. Sending peace and good energy toward the RRBC. Stay safe! Hoping to visit for the Younger release someday!