Russian River Brewing Co. Plans Huge Expansion

Russian River Brewing Co., the popular Santa Rosa brewery behind cult favorite beers Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder, has big plans to expand. Brewery owners Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo have closed on a 15-acre of property in neighboring Windsor, where they plan to build a brewery, restaurant, tasting room, and gift shop on 90,000 square feet, complete with acres of parking.

It's a move that the Cilurzos hope will ease the traffic jams at their smaller Santa Rosa property, which attracts craft beer aficionados from all over and draws long lines for its limited release beers. The brewery produces about 12,000 barrels of beer per year, according to Inside Scoop, and attracts upwards of 300,000 visitors. The new facilities will increase that to around 30,000 to 35,000 barrels. And yes, that does mean that there will also be an increase in production of the much sought after Pliny the Younger, but "just slightly."

The production costs will reach upwards of $20 million, financed by Comerica bank from Dallas. It's a different plan of development than their original brewery, which was backed by almost 30 investors, all of whom the Cilurzos have since bought out; this is their first self-funded venture, and it's an ambitious one. They hope to start construction in spring of 2017, with an opening slated for summer 2018.

Also of note: chef Adam Dulye, formerly of Monk's Kettle in SF, will be the consulting chef for the food menu at the new brewery restaurant. No word on what type of cuisine it will be, though the menu at the Santa Rosa brewpub is a pretty unremarkable offering of sandwiches, salads, calzones, and bar bites. Stay tuned for for more information on construction, food, and more.

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