STiVO, Our Collaboration Cult Pilsner With Russian River, Is Back Again

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves.

Yes, it’s true, California’s cult pilsner is back with the return of STiVO, a small-batch release from two of craft beer’s favorites: Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Russian River Brewing Company.  

 STiVO is an immaculately conceived mashup of Russian River’s Breweries’ STS pilsner and our Pivo Pilsner. Initially released only in draft and last seen in seasonal canned format 2022 after winning a gold medal at the 2018 World Beer Cup, STiVO is now available in cans again. 

STiVO is now available exclusively for a limited time at our three California taprooms in Paso Robles, Buellton, and Venice Beach. So, what are you waiting for? Come by today.

Once you get a four-pack of STiVO by your side, come back here and read more about this beloved beer, our friendship with Russian River, and how two pilsners came together to create some seriously flavor-filled liquid magic.

Brewed at our Propagator R&D brewhouse in Venice Beach, California, this latest batch is once again a testament to the longtime friendship and mutual pilsner passions of Russian River Co-Owner/Brewer Vinnie Cilurzo and Firestone Walker Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. 

“Vinnie and I respect each other immensely as brewers,” Matt told us some time back. “But more importantly, we’re good friends,” noting that their collaborative connection spans over 15 years.

Matt recalls that when Vinnie and his wife Natalie built their brewery, Vinnie would call regularly seeking technical input. Similarly, when Firestone Walker established its Barrelworks wild ale facility in Buellton, the brewing team leaned on Vinnie for his expertise. Vinnie even gifted his original bottling line to Barrelworks. 

In 2014, when Russian River was undergoing a brewhouse expansion, Firestone Walker temporarily brewed the brewery’s iconic Pliny the Elder to help keep the taps flowing.

“That was the ultimate collaboration,” Matt says.

But it wasn’t until 2016 that Matt and Vinnie decided to brew their first official collaboration beer, and there was no question as to what they would brew: a pilsner. By that time, Russian River had made its mark with its STS pilsner, and Firestone Walker had done the same with its Pivo pilsner.

“We’re both mad about pilsner brewing,” Matt says. “We just love these types of beers and the simple recipes surrounding them.”

The result was STiVO, a happily arranged marriage of the STS and Pivo recipes, which were already quite similar except for the hop bill. They ultimately split the hops down the middle between Pivo’s German Saphir hops and STS’s French Aramis hops, both of which belong to the new wave of European hop cultivators.  

After their initial batch in 2016, they perfected the recipe over a few additional batches, ratcheting down the ABV to 5.3 percent and brewing it in the unfiltered “Keller pils” style, ultimately snagging the lone gold medal in that style at the 2018 World Beer Cup. 

And now, you can try the 2025 edition. But you better get your hands on some quick, because when it comes to STiVO, we know it doesn’t take long for our taproom fridges to go barren once we start featuring it on our shelves. And who know when it will come back next. 

STiVO is now available exclusively at all our locations on draft and in canned four-packs. Come by and have a beer with us in Paso Robles, Buellton, or Venice Beach today.