Pliny the Younger advice

You need to show up bright and early on Friday to be in line for Saturday.

 

If you can find any charity events that you pay extra but don't have to stand in line, that would be my recommendation. Depends on how much you value your time.

 

SF Beer Week is Jan 22-31 next year because the Super Bowl is in the Bay Area in early February (game is in Santa Clara, but festivities will be in SF), so the Younger madness will come early next year. I've never braved the RR crowd during Younger, so can't provide much advice on that front, but IIRC they have a certain amount allotted daily at the pub for about two weeks around Beer Week.

Agree with what @Catchy_Name said.

 

Good friend from Atlanta went last year. Stood in line, in the rain, for six hours to get in. I told him he was an idiot. He agreed.

 

Finding it on tap in the dozens of areas in and around the bay is much easier... Unfortunate it's easier for locals than travelers unless you get really lucky

Last time I went to a younger release we could get growlers to go of pty, ahh the good ol days

 

Worth seeking/tasting, hell yes. Worth enduring the shit show at RR to do so, no.

 

Plan on a 3-6 hour wait depending on the day and time of your visit. Friday and Saturday probably closer to six.

 

Your best bet is to go mid week the second week. Get in line an our or two early.

I've gone first friday for the past 7 years. It's only gotten progressively worse. I got in line I think at 3:30 Friday morning, got in first wave. Drank several, ate, had a great time and left.

First friday is the worst. First weekend is next, second weekend is next...

They basically have a couple kegs per day. When it kicks it kicks.

 

Gonna disagree with all advice given so far and say that as long as they keep the "3 drink wristband" rule in effect for next year* then your best bet it to go late in the evening... say 8-9pm and you will probably not have to wait more than 20 minutes. Last year I did this four times, the first time was on day two of the release.

Just make an evening of it. Pre game a bit at Beercraft, then grab some dinner in SR (I suggest El Coqui right behind RR if you like Puerto Rican food), then head over for younger in the evening.

*if they change the system then all bets are off...

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but do we know for sure that RR will move up production of PtY for SF Beer week?

 

Take the much shorter trip to Philadelphia and go to Monks Cafe. Walked in last March and they had Plinythe Younger on tap, by the pint, and no line at all. One of the luckiest finds of my life.

 

Various bay area bars have RR contracts and get a keg of PtY a week after the release. They usually announce it on FB, Instagram, and Twitter. Some that I have personally seen do this include City Beer Store and Toranado in SF, Cato's and Ben n Nick's in Oakland, and The Bistro in Hayward. Sometimes candid, but more often semi-cryptic.

 

I have heard nothing to change the fact that Younger has always been released the first Friday of February.

SF Beer week is changing it's timing.

 

Keg of Younger at Levi's Stadium!

 

That's what I was worried about. I might have come into town for SF Beer week, which is an absolutely incredible set of events, but I'm not doing it if there won't be any PtY. That beer is legitimately great.

 

The Bistro in Hayward will have PTY on tap for its Double IPA Fest, which is always the day before the SF Beer Week opening gala.

 

Even though they haven't announced it don't you think they will shift it to coincide with SF beer week? It's basically their beer week event.

 

This year it was a day or so after the gala.