BierTalk English 42 - Interview with Vinnie Cilurzo, Co-Founder of Russian River Brewing Company, Windsor, California

Welcome back to BierTalk — this time we’re heading to Sonoma
County, California, to talk with Vinnie Cilurzo, co-owner of
Russian River Brewing Company. We dive into what makes Russian
River beers so famously crisp and consistent: an uncompromising
focus on freshness — cold chain, low oxygen, tight distribution,
and quality control all the way to the shelf. Vinnie also opens the
brewhouse door and shares the thinking behind his hopping approach,
recipe evolution (yes, even Pliny the Elder), and why staying
relevant means never stopping the work. And because it’s Russian
River, we also touch wild beer, the story of the “Vinnie Nail,” the
fonio collaboration with Garrett Oliver, and their latest
sustainability step: CO₂ recovery. Grab a beer — and enjoy the
conversation...