Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny the Younger release draws a crowd in Santa Rosa

A little rain didn't dampen the spirits of beer lovers who lined up as early as 11 p.m. last night outside Santa Rosa's Russian River Brewing for today's once-a-year release of its Pliny the Younger brew.|

Despite the occasional rain shower, beer fans camped out overnight to be near the front of the line for the opening day release of Pliny the Younger, one of the most coveted beers in the world.

By 7 a.m., there were more than 100 people line in front of the downtown Russian River Brewing Co. The crowd was less than in previous years in part to almost an inch of rainfall in Santa Rosa since midnight.

Boots Byrd, of Ventura, was the first in line at 11 p.m. Thursday. Doors are scheduled to open at 11 a.m. Friday, though in past years it has been around 10:45 a.m.

“It was fantastic,” Byrd sarcastically said. “Nice and wet. Cold. Freezing. A little frigid. Soppy shoes. It was fun, though.”

Byrd was second in line last year and decided to be first this year, driving up Thursday afternoon after his morning shift from southern California.

It is Byrd's third year in the row of the event and brought his infant son up with him up this year for the experience. His son slept in a nearby van with his mom while he toughed it out in the elements with the overnight low of 55 degrees.

“My Pliny experiences have always been great. It's quite an event to be here and see everybody line up. At same time, you feel a little crazy sometimes after waiting so many hours.”

He brought up a friend, Jerremy Waisman, for the wait. Waisman said he changed out of his soggy clothes at Peet's Coffee and Tea at 5:30 a.m. when the store opened.

Russian River debuted the beer in 2005 but the crowds emerged in 2010 thanks to social media and rankings in various beer sites as one of the top beers in the world. In past years, waits of more than eight hours were not uncommon as the brewpub can handle only about 150 customers.

The beer is a very hoppy, triple India Pale Ale that has an alcohol content of 10.25 percent.

Check back later for more details.

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.

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