Russian River Brewing Company (RRBC) was originally owned by Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, California and was founded on their historic and beautiful property amidst vineyards and redwoods near the Russian River. When Korbel decided to get out of the beer business in 2003, they generously offered the brewmaster, Vinnie Cilurzo and his wife Natalie the rights to the brand. Russian River Brewing might be something completely different now if it weren’t for this incredible opportunity. In the early days on the Korbel property, Vinnie not only brewed the beer, but made the sales calls and deliveries as well. Eventually they hired a sales/delivery guy to help with all of that so he could focus on brewing! Korbel planted a small hop field where Vinnie received a “field” education on growing and brewing with “wet” hops. It was from those amazingly fresh hops, grown just a few yards away, that he made his first wet hops brew, “Hop-Time Harvest Ale”. As it turns out, demand is still greater than the supply, but they prefer to grow their business organically while focusing on efficiencies and quality. For now, it is easier to make better beer than it is to make more beer! The history of Russian River Brewing Company would be incomplete without a little background on the people who own it, operate it, and are passionate about their brewery and craft beer in general!