Pilgrimage

It's a restaurant. It's a bar. It's in the center of downtown Santa Rosa, but most important of all, it's a brewery, home of Pliny the Elder India Pale Ale and, for just two weeks in February, also the home of the legendary strong, hoppy brew called Pliny the Younger.

Now I am not a beer drinker, but OilMan loves it, so I have been to the Russian River Brewing Company. It's a big, slightly dark and dingy room dominated by a long wooden bar, the stools of which seem to be perpetually filled. The hamburgers and fries served here seem to be almost an afterthought. There is an outdoor space right on 4th Street, surrounded by a chain link fence, as if to protect the people walking down the street from the beer drinkers, or perhaps it's the other way around. The brewing operation, unlike some brewery/restaurant spots I have visited, is kept out of sight, somewhere between the rear parking lot and the bar.

Despite the popularity of their brews, the owners of the Russian River Brewing have declined to increase production of either Pliny or his offspring. Distribution is tightly controlled. Perhaps they are trying to protect some of their other excellent brews, perhaps they are just controlling types, but I think they are very smart. They released Pliny the Younger on Friday, February 7th, and despite torrential downpours all weekend, people waited up to 12 hours in queues stretching down the block and around the corner for their 10 oz glass of elixir. The taps will turn off until next year on February 20th.

Only a few local bars in the area will receive some of the beer. They are encouraged to serve it as soon as possible, "since this beer is quite perishable and best enjoyed when very fresh", said brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo.

OilMan enjoys Pliny the Elder in bottles, which he can usually obtain year 'round at our local grocery store, but he is of the opinion that when it comes to waiting in line for a sip of the younger, once was enough...and he didn't have to wait in the rain.