# Russian River Brewing Company — Santa Rosa, California

> Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California, United States scores 4.63 out of 5 — Exceptional, #10 in California.

*Canonical page: <https://finding.beer/brewery/russian-river-brewing-company-3665/> · data updated 2026-09-09*

Breadcrumb: Breweries → United States → California → Russian River Brewing Company

Russian River Brewing Company is a brewery in Santa Rosa, California, United States. We grade it Exceptional, with a score of 4.63 out of 5 on the beer it brews — #10 in California. Of the 314 beers we track, 53% are IPA and 19% Sour / Wild Ale.

## Rating

- Score: 4.63 out of 5
- Grade: Exceptional 😍 — A short list of extraordinary breweries worth planning a trip around.
- Ranked: #10 in California · #93 in United States · #116 worldwide
- Popularity: Extremely widely rated
- Beers tracked: 314

## About

Russian River Brewing Company was founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, CA, in 1997. Vinnie was hired as the brewery’s brewmaster and initially sole employee. For the next 6 years, Vinnie continued to set the bar high for super hoppy and Belgian-inspired beers. Pliny the Elder, first brewed at the Korbel location in 1999, was one of the first commercially brewed Double or Imperial IPA’s in America and won numerous awards over the years. It is still our most popular beer more than 20 years later. in 2003, Korbel decided to get out of the beer business and transferred the rights to the Russian River Brewing Company name, all beer names, and the recipes to Vinnie and his wife, Natalie. They wrote a business plan, found 2 managing partners, and convinced 30 friends and family to invest in their new brewpub venture. In April 2004, they opened the doors to the next chapter of Russian River Brewing under their ownership.

## What they brew

- IPA — 53% of the beers we track
- Sour / Wild Ale — 19% of the beers we track
- Belgian Ale — 9% of the beers we track
- Pale Ale — 7% of the beers we track
- Stout / Porter — 5% of the beers we track
- Pale Lager — 4% of the beers we track
- Other — 3% of the beers we track

## Find them

- Address: 725 4th Street, Santa Rosa, California, United States
- Coordinates: 38.441806, -122.71165
- Website: https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/

## Breweries nearby

- [Shady Oak Barrel House](https://finding.beer/brewery/shady-oak-barrel-house-59.md) — 3.86, Fine — Santa Rosa, California — 0.4 mi away
- [Fogbelt Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/fogbelt-brewing-company-1732.md) — 3.79, Fine — Santa Rosa, California — 1 mi away
- [Cooperage Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/cooperage-brewing-company-5181.md) — 4.15, Great — Santa Rosa, California — 2.7 mi away
- [Moonlight Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/moonlight-brewing-company-2305.md) — 4.20, Great — Santa Rosa, California — 2.7 mi away
- [Iron Ox Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/iron-ox-brewing-company-21875.md) — 3.87, Fine — Santa Rosa, California — 2.8 mi away
- [HenHouse Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/henhouse-brewing-company-3448.md) — 4.29, Great — Santa Rosa, California — 2.9 mi away
- [Old Possum Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/old-possum-brewing-company-364.md) — 3.75, Fine — Santa Rosa, California — 3.6 mi away
- [Parliament Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/parliament-brewing-22329.md) — 4.21, Great — Rohnert Park, California — 6.1 mi away

## Rankings this brewery appears in

- [Best breweries in Santa Rosa, California](https://finding.beer/breweries/united-states/california/santa-rosa.md)
- [Best breweries in California](https://finding.beer/breweries/united-states/california.md)
- [Best breweries in United States](https://finding.beer/breweries/united-states.md)

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Finding Beer scores breweries on the beer they brew rather than on the venue. Method: <https://finding.beer/how-we-rank.md>. Rankings by place: <https://finding.beer/breweries.md>. The iPhone app adds a live map of what is around you: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finding-beer/id1082135126