Paso Robles Pliny the Elder?

Russian River Brewing Co. recently announced that it will be halting production in order to update brewing equipment. The Santa Rosa, Calif., microbrewery, and makers of the extremely popular Pliny the Elder double IPA, purchased a new system and will be shut down completely while the install happens.

They took to the Russian River blog in late September to lay out the plan for the updates for their fans:

“After six hard years of cranking out as much beer as possible, the 50-barrel kettle and mash tun’s days are numbered. The writing was on the wall for the brewing couple and a brand new brewhouse purchase was inevitable. They have secured production of a new four vessel 50-barrel brew house from AAA Metal Fabrication in Oregon. Their shiny new brew house is expected to be delivered and installed in February 2015.”

Understanding the chaos that would ensue if the very non-elastic supply of Pliny dried up for a month, Russian River’s fellow craft brewer Firestone Walker Brewing Co. stepped in to brew the six-time winner of Zymurgy Magazine’s Best Beers in America.

“Firestone Walker will brew Pliny the Elder for draft distribution only, and bottled Pliny will continue to come from Russian River through existing inventory in their fermenters. Vinnie will be working closely with Brewmaster Matt Brynildson to dial in the Pliny recipe in an effort to maintain flavor consistency. If you are at all familiar with the Firestone beers, you know their brewing practices and quality are already first class!”

So have no fear hop heads, you’ll have no more trouble finding Pliny the Elder any more than you did already. Now for the more important question, does the shiny new equipment at Russian River mean more Pliny in the future? Get the answer by reading their blog post: “Big news from Santa Rosa and Paso Robles.”

Andy Sparhawk

Andy Sparhawk, the Brewers Association's acting editor-in-chief for CraftBeer.com. Andy is a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP Beer Judge. He lives in Westminster, Colorado where he is an avid craft beer enthusiast. On occasion, Andy is inspired to write on his experiences with craft beer, and if they are not too ridiculous, you might see the results here on CraftBeer.com.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.