photo credit: Tina Caputo
The line in Windsor in mid-March.

Are they there for the beer? Or is it something deeper? 

“The most important thing is that people who come here from all over the world… or from just down the street,” said Natalie Cilurzo, the co-founder and president at Russian River Brewing Company, “they realize that they're not standing in line just for beer. They're here for the journey.”

A big part of that journey, she said, is hanging out with a bunch of strangers in line. 

“They're here with like-minded people from all over the world,” Cilurzo said. “They get to meet the most interesting people. They make new friends. They have reunions. We've had couples meet in line and then end up in relationships and now they come back, they have their kids and it's just really beautiful to see.”

For Robert Norton of Redwood City, the experience is a chance to be part of something bigger. 

“It's such a unique beer and we really enjoy kind of the community spirit this whole event brings,” he said. “For us, it's almost a pilgrimage. We come every year now. A friend comes down from Seattle to visit us and so we come out and like to experience it. It's a lot of fun.”

For the last dozen or so years, Matt Brunell has come out from Livermore with a multi-generational crew. For them, he said, waiting in line together is a great way for everyone to catch up. 

“I got my uncles, my aunts, I got everybody here. So, it's really cool and it's just great to see everybody,” Brunell said. “We can always guarantee that we're going to be here because sometimes holidays, we're in different parts of the country, wherever. So this works out great.” 

For some Pliny pilgrims, like Jennifer Glen of Oakland, the family bonding aspect is bittersweet. 

“My younger brother Jeremy was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and this was his favorite beer, his favorite brewery,” Glen said. “And he wanted to come in 2024. So, we got the whole family together and waited in line and he passed away two months later.”

Since then, the Pliny the Younger release has become a yearly tribute to her brother.

“That was like our little family reunion, and so we've done it every year since,” she said. “It’s just a great tradition for our family. So, we just come and drink for him.”

Ultimately, Cilurzo said the event is a reminder that connecting in real life is better than anything you can do on a screen.

“I think it’s just the whole experience and it just brings a lot of joy and a lot of fun to people,” Cilurzo said. “And it’s good for people to get out and be together and get off their phones and get off their computers, and just remind each other that we need human connection. And I think that’s what sustains this release.” 

The Pliny the Younger event continues through April 2^nd