Russian River Brewing Company (RRBC) has recently decided to pull distribution of its iconic brands from the craft beer-centric state of Washington. In a letter from RRBC to its Washington distributor Click, which was published by the Seattle Beer News, RRBC states that its distribution to Washington will end.
The last RRBC beers were shipped to Washington in December 2012. Hop heads in Washington are sad to the see the famed double IPA: Pliny the Elder leave their state, and many of there comments on the decision can be seen across the social media sphere.
In the letter, RRBC explained: “This is our only market where, due to state liquor laws, we have little or no control over the managing over our brand.” Though, lack of control was not the primary reason for pulling out of the state, it played a role in the decision of which market to withdraw from.
“Our brewpub accounts for more than 50 percent of our revenue which is quite remarkable for a brewery our size,” RRBC continued. RRBC is one of the many craft brewers that is facing strong demand in local markets and have made the decision to pull out from out of state markets.
RRBC has maxed-out at production level, and currently has demand they can not meet—signifying local allegiance to craft beer in California and across the country. In a note on the RRBC facebook page, Russian River Facebook Page , reiterated that they have no plans to expand and will be focusing their attention on local Russian River fans.
The entire letter from RRBC can be read on Seattle Beer News.
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