2026 Russian River Pliny The Younger.

Regional Dining Discussions SF Bay Area, NorCal, Tahoe
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Actual brewery release:

March 20th-April 2nd, 2026

  • Stuft Pizza in Milpitas had it on 2/3. Went there for the first time. Didn’t like the pizza, too dry and chewy.

They give you 3 10 oz pours, but don’t really explain that only the middle one is Pliny The Younger. The other two are other Russian River beers. The server didn’t even label which one was which or explain that. A seat neighbor explained that to me. I didn’t even know until the neighbor explained that only the middle one was Pliny The Younger. By then I’d already finished the right of the three pours.

  • Smoke Eaters schedule:

Santa Clara 2/21
Almaden 2/28

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUbOuU9Abip/

Went there last year for Santa Clara, which was on a Friday evening. It sold out a few people before me, about 36 minutes after tapping.

Went the next day for the Almaden one. Got in, and might have gotten more than 1 pour. Lasted about an hour 23 minutes before they sold out.

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Toronado in SF has had it every day for their beer week which ends today - there’s two kegs(?) of Younger on tap today for the finale.

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You can also check out where people are drinking it on Untappd:

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Almanac in Alameda is tapping a keg at 5 PM today, and on Wednesday The Monk’s Kettle in Oakland is featuring it as part of its Triple IPA Fest, starting at 11:30 AM.

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Thanks!

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How long do you think it will last at Almanac today? I probably can’t get there until 5:30.

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My daughter’s craft beer bar sold through their keg in 54 minutes!!!

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2/21:

I went to Smoke Eaters Santa Clara. In 2025, they had it on a Friday evening. It was gone in 36 minutes and I didn’t get any. When I went to Almaden the following day, it lasted over an hour and 20 minutes, and I got two pours.

This year, Smoke Eaters Santa Clara had it on a Saturday. I got in line at 10:47 am. Placed my order at 11:10.

Was able to place another order less than 20 minutes later, and there were only a few people in line then.

Couldn’t get a 3rd order in.

Pliny The Younger was ok. The lines were reasonable so I was fine with the overall experience.

My seat neighbor thought it wasn’t as good this year.

Personally I’ve always liked Blind Pig a lot.

Almanac:

On 2/23, I got there at 6:01 pm. They had tapped out in 36 minutes after 5pm, so I didn’t get any.

First time at Almanac.

Nice space. Lots of outdoor seating. Lots of indoor seating. Big screen projector in one area, although the resolution and colors aren’t the greatest.

Liked the Berry Sournova.

The Smooches Chocolate Stout was good at first, but didn’t like it after a while. Might need to try it again for a better answer as to how much I liked it, and whether I’d want to keep getting it.

Didn’t like the Dunkel Jeff Dark.

Maybe my schedule next year will let me get there earlier.

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At least you found it somewhere. I take it your schedule won’t allow you to get to The Monk’s Kettle at 11:30 AM tomorrow? :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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No.

I did do a mid day thing on 2/3 when I went to Stuft Pizza in Milpitas. They were tapping at 9am, and I got there a little after 11:30am.

I don’t want to do another mid day thing, especially since as you said, I already got Pliny The Younger at Smoke Eaters in Santa Clara.

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In SF, it’s generally been a lot easier to find in the past few years outside of the places that make a big deal about keg releases, i.e., the non-beer nerd places. Last year Zeitgeist tended to still have it the day after a tapping. Garaje didn’t even advertise it - it wasn’t on the list, I just walked in unknowingly and got offered one and seemed to be the only one in the place drinking it. Even Crafty Fox had it throughout beer week, although I think they just got a lot of kegs. Much nicer to just show up the day after their advertised releases and avoid the crowds.

This year, Casements still seemed to have some available last night, although their online menu says it’s sold out now. They definitely had their first keg last multiple days, not sure how many they got. Last year it was available for at least a week or so. I’m under the impression that maybe production has gone down, or at least local allocations have.

FWIW I didn’t much care for this year’s PtY compared to previous years, but triple IPAs aren’t really my thing.

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Good info.

For me, if I were to go to SF for Pliny The Younger, I’d want to know beforehand if they had it.

When it comes to doubles and triples, I like trying them, but there’s only a few that I think are really good that I’d have again.

Also, for me, in IPAs, I think freshness matters more than other styles of beer. I actively check dates on bottles and cans for them, and ideally want something within the past 40 days.

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For anyone that’s gone to the actual brewery for Pliny The Younger in recent years, how are the crowds on weekdays, and on weekends?

When I went in 2014, I waited 5.5 hours to get in on a Sunday. That was before the newer location of Windsor would open in 2018. I’m hoping having two locations now has cut the wait time by less than 1/2.

Still, because of my experience from 2014, I’m considering going on a weekday this time. But would still like feedback from anyone that’s gone in recent years, and what day they went, and which location.

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i always go on the first tuesday of the release. done it for years. as a single, i always get seated at the bar if i line up by 8:30am. i’ve lined up as early as 6:30, but it really isn’t necessary for a single. if you have a larger party it’s more difficult to get the first seating unless you’re there by 7:30. this is for the downtown location.

i always sit near the guy who builds these incredible coaster towers. he’s been a regular for years.

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Ok, so you line up 8:30am for an 11:00 opening? What time do you get seated?

How does he get so many coasters in a single day? Don’t the workers need them for the other customers?

Has anyone ever accidentally knocked them down?

The workers haven’t accidentally knocked them down?

I thought a weekday might be easier, because when I went on that Sunday in 2014, the guy ahead of me was a local and said he went on the previous Monday, and waited 1 hour. 1 hour on a weekday is better than 5.5 hours on a weekend.

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yes, you have to sign in once you join the line. at about 10:30 they start organizing the parties that are going to be let in first. they also do wristbands at this time. the point, for me, is to get in on the first seating of the day. if you miss the first seating, you’ll have to wait an additional 60-90 minutes for seats to open up. weekdays are definately the way to go if you want to minimize wait time. you could probably show up at 9:30 and have a reasonable chance of getting one of the last seats of the first sitting (but not the bar, which i prefer).

re: coasters. as soon as he sits down, the staff delivers about a dozen tall packs of coasters just for him to build with. he’s done this every year for over a decade, so they know him and expect it. he always gets the spot at the center of the bar. he builds effortlessly (i believe he has a background in structural engineering) and methodically. i’ve never seen him make a mistake and have a partial collapse. his structures never fail, and have to be dismantled intentionally at the end of the day. last year he made a tower much taller than the picture i shared, i think it was his personal record (needed a ladder). i think the brewery posted it to their social media. if you want to see him build, he’s usually there on Tuesdays, but some years he’s picked different days so not guaranteed.

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I called them for their estimates. These were the responses from the hostesses:

Windsor:

Best case scenario, 2 - 2.5 hours, weekday or weekend.

If you come after 8pm, it’s much quicker as a lot of people are there just to buy bottles, and not dine in.

Some people start lining up at 3am.

Santa Rosa:

First week, 2 - 2.5 hours, doesn’t matter the day.

2nd week, maybe 30 minutes - 60 minutes on a weekday.

++++++++++++

I still think the Windsor location should move faster, since it’s 200+ capacity vs. 135. But the fact that they think it’s still 2+ hours on a weekday, is disappointing.

Also, if trying to get to Santa Rosa by 8pm on a weekday with traffic, is not worth it. We’d have to leave before 5pm, and there still wouldn’t be guarantees. And we wouldn’t be able to do anything else that night either. That could only work if we arrived in Santa Rosa early in the day, did something else, then headed to the brewery at 8pm.

Trying to plan a trip with some friends. One person is in for sure, doesn’t matter the day. For the others, a weekend could possibly work. If the weekday isn’t much better, then maybe go on a weekend again? I don’t know.

My intuition is with @anaxgorous , that a weekday is better, regardless of the location.

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Ok, it’s confirmed that I’m going to Russian River this year. First time since 2014.

Going to try Windsor since it’s bigger, so presumably the line moves faster.

Does anyone have a link to a portable hard stool or chair? Something that feels firm when you sit on it. Not one of those fold out chairs that sinks when you sit in it.

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i have some hard top (think plastic) stools, found in camping supply stores. but it has no back. for line sitting, i use something like this:

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That looks pretty good. I like how it has bars across the seat bottom, so it will feel firm when you sit on it.

Wish I could see a pic of someone wearing it like a backpack so I could visualize that.

The specifications don’t mention the weight.

I also need to make sure it’s compact enough that when put away, I can carry it inside the brewery and it won’t be blocking people’s way or stick out.

I probably need to decide and order something by tomorrow, so it gets delivered in time in a week.

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one thing to consider: when they get ready for people to enter, they usually have everyone pack up their stuff and stand about 10 minutes before they start processing the line. at that point your ‘place’ in the line will be registered, so what I do is make a quick run to my car to drop things off. there’s no danger of losing your place at that point. then again, Windsor is a big space, i’m sure it wouldn’t be an obstacle to bring it in.