The power of Pliny the Younger: $8.6 million in economic impact

An infographic showing the economic impact.
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Russian River Brewing released its uber-popular Pliny the Younger triple IPA in late March (March 22nd-April 4th), with an ongoing event at its two locations in Sonoma County, California. The Sonoma County Economic Development Board just announced that Pliny the Younger’s release and surrounding events generated $8.6 million for the local economy. The number represents a significant increase (36.5 percent) over last year and a continuation of the upward trajectory.

A chart showing the economic impact of the history of the beer's release.
The economic impact of Pliny the Younger’s release event on Sonoma County. Note that there was no event in 2021.

The Sonoma County Economic Development Board conducted a survey, which is how it arrived at these numbers. Here are some highlights.

  • More than 25,000 people attended the two-week event.
  • Respondents to the survey traveled to Sonoma County from 40 U.S. states and seven countries outside the U.S. Likely, many more states and countries were represented during the two-week celebration of Pliny the Younger; the results only accounted for survey respondents.
  • 69 percent of respondents’ spending went to food services and accommodations. The remaining 31 percent went to entertainment, wineries, retail, transportation, and other expenditures.
  • 65 percent of respondents said they’d attended Pliny release events before.
  • 99 percent said they’d do it again.
  • Of the 25k attendees, over 12,000 visited Santa Rosa and over 12,000 visited Windsor. (Russian River Brewing has locations in each of those towns.)
  • On average, each group spent $329 at Russian River Brewing.

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