OT: Rolling Rock Brands sold to Anheuser-Busch, Brewery workers jobless

[J Piroth]

For all you hops & barley fans, the "glass-lined tanks of Old Latrobe" were just pilfered by the ubiquitous Anheuser-Busch dynasty. AB is shutting down the brewery in PA and moving manufacturing of the Rolling Rock & Rolling Rock Green Light brands to their existing plant in New Jersey at the end of July. The 250 workers at the plant will be let go when that happens, unless the plant is purchased and used to brew a different beer. In either case, it's the end of an era. (Rolling Rock Brewery was actually sold to Labatt's a while back, but at least they kept brewing it in the same tanks where it began in 1893.)



Locals are calling for a boycott, and I for one agree. Follow the link to the whole article. And if you're looking for an alternate brew, I suggest Yuengling, brewed at America's oldest brewery. (Which just happens to also be in PA.)

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

I'm a IC Light fan myself. Never cared for the horse pee (using nice terms here) that AB sells.

 

[Frank Marano]

Rolling Rock is my upmost favorite beer. It was brewed in that small town, by those small town workers. It tastes great. I feel very bad and will continue to buy it until the brewery in Latrobe stops making it in July.



Yuengling is a bit darker then Rolling Rock. I think I will have to go to Labatt light now...canadian. I don't think the southern and western usa people get to enjoy Labatts.

 

[NYJohn]

Isn't Yuenling owned by Anheauser Busch? My friend used to work for Budweiser and he was always coming home with free cases of Yuenling.

 

[Richard L]

I was stationed in Washington, DC on two occastions while in the US Army and became very fond of Rolling Rock beer. It was very popular in the DC area, but I have not seen it anywhere west of the Missisippi river. I know it was made in PA.



Maybe I will remember to look for some in Louisville.



...Rich

 

[Greg Grimes01]

DRINK UP! DRIVE SAFE!!..

 

[GccST]

I live and go to school in Latrobe and mostly everyone is pissed! Everyone around Pittsburgh drinks Rock and that was one of the only cool things that was in Western PA. Its a shame these big name companies are taking over the little guy again.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Maybe we all need to send A-B email telling them how we disapprove of that decision.





Tom

 

[walter clark]

Never tried RR but have had Yuengling, it wasent bad but didnt get all giddy and excited about it like others do. I am a Canadian brew fan as well as several domestic micro brews. All AB products are truely piss and arnt fit to be given to inmates or stinking winos either. Molson XXX or Labatts Blue for an anywhere drink and at home alot of Otter Creek and Long Trail for something realy special. BTW I am a southener and no we all dont drink bud, bush, or the beast down here. We even have a few micro brewers down here in SC and they are quite good, just a little hard to find at times.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I suspect the move of Rolling Rock to a different plant is just a business decision. I'm sure A-B plans to make this brand available nationally, instead of keeping it a regional beer. I'd bet the existing plant is too small and antiquated to produce enough beer to support the volume needed to cover the entire country.



I tasted Rolling Rock once. I guess it is an acquired taste like Stroh's. For some reason I haven't been able to enjoy any American beer that wasn't brewed either in Golden, CO; St Louis, or Milwaukee. I like several international beers (not really imports, since I drank them in the home country). Even then, Bud Light remains in my top three favorites list.



Also, I won't support a boycott against Anheuser-Busch, since they are one of the biggest supporters of our Military members.

 

[Jim Reeves]

I will certainly support your boycott, and will refrain from drinking any A-B products. And just to show I'm serious, I will also boycott every other beer producer, both domestic and foreign.



Don't drink! Drive safe!

 

[Johnny O]

I live in western PA and Rolling Rock is my beer of choice. If it doesn't come from the mountain springs to me via the glass-lined tanks of old Latrobe, then it isn't Rolling Rock.

I mean, would it kill them to continue making it here even if they make it in other breweries too?

 

[Tom Schindler]

I suspect the move of Rolling Rock to a different plant is just a business decision. I'm sure A-B plans to make this brand available nationally, instead of keeping it a regional beer. I'd bet the existing plant is too small and antiquated to produce enough beer to support the volume needed to cover the entire country.

That might be true. Budweiser is not just made in St. Louis either. There is a plant that makes Bud and Diet Bud in Columbus, just for an example.



A-B could keep that plant open, then also brew it somewhere out west to supply those in the west with some Rock.



Personally, I feel it is pretty dirty of A-B and I will make sure to read the labels when buying beer to make sure I don't support A-B. That also includes thier Theme Parks. (Busch Gardens, Sea World, etc.)





Tom





Tom

 

[GccST]

I agree with JohnnyO. Rock is more of a regional beer. Most people who try it for the first time will tell you that it tastes like piss anyway. It just wont be the same drinking something that isn't made here in scenic Latrobe lol.

 

[TomT]

Now made by Anheuser-Busch huh? Means they will be brewing it with toilet water, the same as all their other beers.

 

[Gypsy me]

Bummer, Latobe will have a lot of jobless, that's gonna hurt. I like Rolling Rock, Strohs is one of my fav beers. Gosh I put away alot of Strohs when I lived in Fl. I can buy Rolling Rock in AZ *it is national* but not Strohs

 

[Bill V]

fmarano, I suspect that both RR and Labatt are nationwide--They're both here in Minnesota, and I know I've seen both prominently on the west coast, so they're definitely not just eastern/regional brews.



For my tastes, nothing beats a Leinie's.

 

[Jeff Geist]

More importantly...what's up with the '33'? I am more of a Killian's drinker but I used to drink the Rock quite a bit in my college days. I'm from the Philadelphia area and have had some good local brews. We used to drink a local brew from the Roxborough/Manayunk area called Pride light. $7 for a case of bottles and it was better than Coors light. Too bad the local brewery closed around 1993-94 (halfway through my college career).



Snopes covers the 33 mystery at the link below.

 

[Brian Hill 2]

RR remind me of the movie The Deer Hunter They drank lots of it in the movie.