Russian River Brewing founder Vinnie Cilurzo on the classic beer that inspires him

Russian River Brewing founder Vinnie Cilurzo with one of his favorite beers

Everyone has that one beer – the beer that ignited your love for craft beer and sent you on a journey. This could be a basic lager or something more complex like a gueuze or lambic. In many cases, it’s a flagship from one of the pioneers of the craft beer industry. In our hyper-local craft scene where breweries often crank out several new releases every week, sometimes we overlook the classics and the staples that may have been super exciting at one point in time. These beers may feel antiquated or old man-ish compared to the latest pastry stouts or quadruple dry-hopped haze bomb, but they are still just as worthy of attention. They are also quite often the go-to beers for brewers who want a beer that is balanced, respectable, and not too much of a palate overload. In our column The Beers That Made Us, we talk with brewers about the beers that have made the biggest impact on them in terms of their personal taste and love of craft beer as well as well as how it inspired their approach to brewing. 

In the world of craft beer, few breweries have been as influential as Russian River Brewing Company. Since its founding in 1997, the California brewery has been steadily churning out some of the most highly acclaimed beers in the world with an emphasis on IPAs and Belgian-inspired ales (although it’s fair to say they knock pretty much every style out of the park). Nobody can debate the impact of beers like Pliny the Elder and Younger on popularizing double and triple IPAs as well as the very notion of brewery hype, but a deeper look at the portfolio of Russian River finds a brewery steeped in history. Owner/Brewer Vinnie Cilurzo is clearly the nostalgic type and someone who loves his history, despite being considered a trailblazer in the modern craft beer world. Him and his team often brew beers inspired by regional classics and characters that inhabit the California beer world. Beers like Happy Hops and the helles lager Velvet Glow are renditions of beers that influenced Cilurzo and were a part of his region’s rich beer history. With this in mind, it may come as little surprise to hear Cilurzo cite Sierra Nevada Pale Ale as a formative beer in his own journey, but for this edition of The Beers That Made Us he chose to point our attention towards a beer that is neither an IPA nor is it from California. 

Beer: 

Duvel

Your first time:

Vinnie Cilurzo: I’m not sure I can remember the exact very first time I had a Duvel, but it quite possibly was in 1989 when I took my very first trip to Belgium. That was an eye-opening trip where I tried for the first time many great Belgian beers that I still drink today. But as a homebrewer at the time, Duvel really peaked my curiosity.

What makes it special:

VC: Duvel is so light in color yet it has a high ABV at 8.5%. The body and mouthfeel of the beer is so light, yet there is such strong malt, hops, and particularly yeast-driven notes. I also love the firm bitterness that Duvel carries. Too many beers (many of which are IPAs) these days are lacking in bitterness, but that is not something you can say about Duvel. The bitterness contributed from the hops leaves you coming back for another sip and, for that matter, another bottle!

Why this beer is influential:

VC: In the big picture, Duvel invented the Strong Golden Ale beer style, so there is that. For me, it is the complexity of the aroma and flavor in the beer that keeps me drinking it and has inspired me (and many other brewers) to create a Strong Golden Ale at our own breweries.

Why beer drinkers should pay attention:

VC: Aside from the fact that Duvel is a magnificent beer, I think beer drinkers should remember how amazing Duvel (and many other great Belgian beers) is. Even in this day and age of IPAs, Duvel is quite hoppy, but it uses hop varieties that are not associated with IPA, which is refreshing. Still though, the hops in Duvel create a great companion to the yeast and malt in the beer. I’ve been drinking more Belgian and Belgian-inspired beers as of late. It is a nice alternative to the heavy hop loads in American IPAs and I encourage other beer drinkers to do the same. 

Russian River Brewing Damnation was inspired by Duvel

How this beer inspired your brewery:

VC: Yes, Damnation, our Belgian-inspired Strong Golden Ale was inspired by Duvel. I didn’t try to copy Duvel, but rather used it as an inspiration. Honestly, I don’t think another brewer could copy Duvel. The Moortgat Brewery where Duvel is made is such a technical brewery and there are so many technical brewing components that go into making a great beer like Duvel.