is situated in Santa Rosa, deep in the heart of Californian wine country. It was established in 1997 by Korbel Champagne Cellars. Vinnie Cilurzo, a young brewer hailed as the creator of the “double IPA” beer style while at the Blind Pig Brewing Company, was hired as the first brewmaster. After being awarded “Small Brewing Company of the Year” and “Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the Year” at the Great American Beer Festival in 1999, the Russian River business was sold to Vinnie and his wife, Natalie, in 2002. See great american beer festival.

As of 2010, Russian River produced approximately 3,000 barrels a year of which more than half was served in the adjacent pub and restaurant in Santa Rosa. It is renowned for its extremely esoteric and innovative approaches to brewing. Cilurzo explores beer’s relationship with wood, embraces the art of beer blending, adopts a very liberal attitude to hopping, and even plays music to his yeast in an attempt to further enhance the fermentation process.

Strongly inspired by the Belgian brewing tradition, yet rooted firmly in the American craft brewing movement (for which Cilurzo is a prominent figure and spokesperson) Russian River’s range of ales include several Brettanomyces-tinged barrel-aged beers, Belgian-style ales, and highly-hopped American IPAs and “double IPAs.” Russian River has been a strong advocate for sour beer styles and their own sour beers have proved highly influential upon an up-and-coming generation of craft brewers.

Russian River’s most revered ales include “Pliny the Elder,” an American “Imperial IPA” with an IBU of 100 and “Supplication,” a brown ale aged with sour cherries in Pinot Noir barrels inoculated with Brettanomyces yeast and Lactobacillus and Pediococcus bacteria. Hop lovers also head to Santa Rosa to sample the original “Blind Pig IPA” now brewed by Russian River.

See also double ipa and sour beer.