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Rolling Rock

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Rolling Rock is a 4.4% abv American lager launched in 1939 by the Latrobe Brewing Company . Although founded as a local beer in Western Pennsylvania , it was marketed aggressively and eventually became a national product. The brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, Missouri , in mid-2006, which transferred brewing operations to New Jersey while continuing to label the new beer prominently with the name of Latrobe.

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40-548: From 1939 until July 26, 2006, Rolling Rock was brewed at the Latrobe Brewing Company in Latrobe, Pennsylvania , a small city 34 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania . As stated on the bottle, it was brewed with a distinctive soft local water in large glass-lined tanks, which were considered state-of-the-art at the time of its introduction (in part due to sanitation concerns). On May 19, 2006, Anheuser-Busch purchased

80-467: A copper to reddish-brown colour , low bitterness, low hop profile, a malty aroma, and 4.8–5.4% alcohol by volume . Pale lagers were not common until the later part of the 19th century when the use of lighter roasted malts spread. Dark lagers may be called Dunkel , tmavé or Schwarzbier depending on region, colour or brewing method. Tmavé is Czech for "dark" – beers which are so dark as to be black are termed černé pivo , "black beer". Dunkel

120-473: A deal with the plant's current owners, City Brewing Company in April 2007 to produce beer in the plant. The Boston Beer Company had pledged 3 to 7 million dollars to upgrade the plant. It is estimated that 200,000 to 250,000 barrels of beer would be produced in the plant during the remainder of 2007. In late October 2008 City Brewery-Latrobe laid off 70 workers, forcing a temporary shutdown, and had not brewed beer at

160-553: A deep tan or amber color. Among the common styles of amber lager are Märzen , traditionally brewed in Munich for the celebration of Oktoberfest , Bock , a higher alcohol-content amber lager originating in Einbeck in central Germany, and the widely distributed Vienna lager. The Vienna lager style was developed by Anton Dreher in the late 1830s. While on a trip to England and Scotland in 1833 with Gabriel Sedlmayr, Dreher gained knowledge of

200-637: A higher strength. The Vienna lager style has survived to this day, mostly thanks to the emerging microbrewing, home-brewing and craft beer scene in the United States of the 1980s and 1990s. Due to the influence of the American craft beer movement, Vienna lager can again be found in Europe, including traditional Austrian breweries like Ottakringer and Schwechater who have made this pale amber beer style part of their range of beers again. A Vienna lager typically has

240-455: A hybridization in the early fifteenth century. In 2011, a team of researchers claimed to have discovered that Saccharomyces eubayanus is responsible for creating the hybrid yeast used to make lager. Based on the numbers of breweries, lager brewing became the main form of brewing in the Kingdom of Bohemia between 1860 and 1870, as shown in the following table: In the 19th century, before

280-525: A more heavily hopped pale lager, is most often known as "Pilsner", "Pilsener", or "Pils". Other lagers are Bock , Märzen , and Schwarzbier . In the United Kingdom , the term commonly refers to pale lagers derived from the Pilsner style. While cold storage of beer, "lagering", in caves for example, was a common practice throughout the medieval period, bottom-fermenting yeast seems to have emerged from

320-638: A pale amber colour. The beer style became well-known internationally, in particular due to the Dreher brewery's restaurant and beer hall at the International Exposition of 1867 in Paris, and started getting copied by many of the US-American lager breweries founded by German immigrants. The first amber-coloured Oktoberfest-Märzen brewed by Franziskaner-Leistbräu in 1872 was also a Vienna-style beer brewed to

360-517: A process of cool fermentation , followed by maturation in cold storage. The German word "Lager" means storeroom or warehouse. The yeast generally used with lager brewing is Saccharomyces pastorianus . It is a close relative of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast used for warm fermented ales. While prohibited by the German Reinheitsgebot tradition, lagers in some countries may include

400-453: A proportion of adjuncts , usually rice or maize. Adjuncts entered United States brewing as a means of thinning out the body of beers, balancing the large quantities of protein introduced by six-row barley . Adjuncts are often used now in beermaking to introduce a large quantity of sugar, and thereby increase ABV , at a lower price than a formulation using an all-malt grain bill. There are, however, cases in which adjunct usage actually increases

440-562: A purchase of the plant." City Brewing currently operates the historic G. Heileman Brewery in La Crosse. However, with the sale of the plant still in limbo, the Latrobe Brewing Company plant officially shut down on July 31, 2006, and the plant sat idle. In September 2006, City Brewing Company agreed to purchase the brewery. In March 2007, the brewery reopened its doors and produced "Samuel Adams." The Boston Beer Company signed

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480-404: A regular (12 oz.) or small (7 oz.) of the beer as a "horse" or "pony" respectively. It also likely led to the standardization on a 7 oz. size: major national brands introduced 7 oz. pony bottles in the early 1970s, of which the most prominent is Miller High Life (pony introduced 1972). The number 33 is printed prominently on all bottles of Rolling Rock. Many have speculated on the significance of

520-433: A total of 33 letters. One widely held belief is that it marks the repeal of prohibition in 1933. James L. Tito, former CEO of Latrobe Brewing , opined that the "33" signifies the 33 words in the beer's original pledge of quality, which is still printed on every bottle: Rolling Rock - From the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe , we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from

560-483: Is a style of beer brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale , amber , or dark . Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term " lager " comes from the German word for "storage", as the beer was stored before drinking, traditionally in the same cool caves in which it was fermented. As well as maturation in cold storage , most lagers are distinguished by

600-483: Is occasionally shown drinking Rolling Rock during dinner scenes in That 70's Show . Rolling Rock is also featured in the movie That’s My Boy , which has the father of the main character double fisting bottles of the ‘rock. Rolling Rock is featured as the beer that the main character, Jonathan Banks, drinks in the movie Side Effects . Rolling Rock is shown as the beer of choice for Kate Winslet’s character and others in

640-544: Is usually mild, and the producers often recommend that the beers be served refrigerated. Pale lager is a very pale to golden -coloured lager with a well attenuated body and noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it to existing lagering brewing methods. This approach

680-569: The 19th century, predating Rolling Rock by over 50 years, and is due to the diminutive size; similar words include pony glass and pony keg . Indeed, advertising for Rolling Rock since the 1950s uses the term "pony bottle" generically, stating "... Rolling Rock is the Largest Selling 7 oz. Pony Bottle of premium beer in Pennsylvania". Though it did not originate the term, the popularity of Rolling Rock doubtless reinforced it: one could refer to

720-575: The Nerd, takes a sip from a bottle of the drink to calm himself down when getting angry at bad games. Rolling Rock also appeared occasionally on episodes of The Sopranos , which was based in New Jersey. In the 1978 film The Deer Hunter , Robert De Niro ’s character (Michael) offers Meryl Streep 's character (Linda) a Rolling Rock. Rolling Rock is prominently featured in the 1986 film At Close Range , which takes place in rural Pennsylvania. Red Forman

760-536: The Rolling Rock and Rolling Rock Green Light brands from InBev for $ 82 million and began brewing Rolling Rock at its Newark facility in mid July, 2006. The final batch of Rolling Rock was shipped from Latrobe on July 31, 2006. Union leaders in Westmoreland County organized a nationwide boycott of Anheuser-Busch and InBev brands because of the move. Anheuser-Busch has said that Rolling Rock's original pledge on

800-421: The Rolling Rock bottle This was followed by the "33". The current pledge is on the 12 oz. bottles, while the "little nip" pledge is from the 7 oz. bottle version. The 7 oz. bottles were referred in some parts of Pennsylvania as “nippers”, and a popular mode of packaging was in cases of 24, with a perforation so the case could be split in two, or a dozen each. A founding executive is said to have written "33" at

840-419: The advent of refrigeration, German brewers would dig cellars for lagering and fill them with ice from nearby lakes and rivers, which would cool the beer during the summer months. To further protect the cellars from the summer heat, they would plant chestnut trees , which have spreading, dense canopies but shallow roots which would not intrude on the caverns. The practice of serving beer at these sites evolved into

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880-405: The canned beer was now being brewed using the traditional process. Rolling Rock's 7 U.S. fl oz (207 ml) pony bottle had been very popular until its discontinuation, so much so that this had given rise to the folk etymology that "pony" is from the Rolling Rock horse logo. This is incorrect: the term pony in "pony of beer" has been used in the United States of America since

920-537: The cost of manufacture. It is possible to use lager yeast in a warm fermentation process, such as with American steam beer ; while German Altbier and Kölsch are brewed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae top-fermenting yeast at a warm temperature, but with a cold-storage finishing stage, and classified as obergäriges lagerbier (top-fermented lager beer). Lagers range in colour from extremely pale, through amber beers such as Vienna lager, to dark brown and black Dunkel and Schwarzbier. The depth of colour comes from

960-438: The end of the slogan to indicate the number of words it comprised as a guide for the bottle printers. They assumed it was part of the text and incorporated it into the label graphics. Hence, the first batch of bottles carried the number "33" and they remained that way since they were continually collected and reused. Tito admitted, however, that there is no hard proof for this theory, and that at this point no one really knows what

1000-624: The installation of a can line and started canning in 12 and 16 ounce packages. A 24 ounce can line was expected to be completed in early 2010. In 2012, Diageo moved production of the U.S. supply of Red Stripe from Jamaica to the U.S., with City Brewing Company making the beer in their Latrobe brewery. Guinness Blonde was also currently being brewed in this brewery. On September 7, 2016 Diageo returned production of Red Stripe to Kingston. 40°19′10″N 79°23′25″W  /  40.3195°N 79.3902°W  / 40.3195; -79.3902 Red lager Lager ( / ˈ l ɑː ɡ ər / )

1040-502: The introduction of Rolling Rock beer (famous for its small green bottles) and Latrobe became one of the largest breweries in the United States. It was purchased by Labatt Brewing Company in 1987, which in turn was purchased in 1995 by the Belgian brewing conglomerate corporation Interbrew , which merged later into InBev in 2004. In May 2006, InBev announced that it was selling the Rolling Rock brands to Anheuser-Busch , ( Budweiser ),

1080-547: The label will be preceded by these words: "To honor the tradition of this great brand, we quote from the original pledge of quality." In July 2008, InBev reached a deal to acquire Anheuser-Busch, thereby returning ownership of Rolling Rock to InBev, now known as Anheuser–Busch InBev and based in Belgium . In 2009, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced that it was exploring the sale of the Rolling Rock brand. In 2015, Anheuser-Busch stopped brewing bottled Rolling Rock in glass-lined tanks. Only

1120-626: The largest brewer in the United States. This sale, however, excluded the brewery, leaving an uncertain future for the Latrobe brewery, which only continued producing the Rolling Rock Brands through July 31, when production was moved to an Anheuser-Busch facility in Newark, New Jersey. On June 21, 2006, InBev signed a letter of intent with City Brewing Company from La Crosse, Wisconsin , "giving it exclusive rights for an undetermined time to negotiate

1160-504: The modern beer garden . The rise of lager was entwined with the development of refrigeration , as it made it possible to brew lager year-round (brewing in the summer had previously been banned in many locations across Germany), and efficient refrigeration also made it possible to brew lager in more places and keep it cold until serving. The first large-scale refrigerated lagering tanks were developed for Gabriel Sedelmayr's Spaten Brewery in Munich by Carl von Linde in 1870. Lager uses

1200-406: The mountain springs to you. —Current pledge written on the Rolling Rock bottle While the original wording on the label was somewhat different, it also contained the 33 following words: A little nip from the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe. We tender this package as a premium beer for your delight and economical use. It comes from the mountain springs to you. —Original pledge written on

1240-412: The number 33 are that there were exactly 33 stairsteps from the brewmaster's office to the brewing floor in the original Latrobe brewery. Also that the Pennsylvania fish and game commission at the turn of the century numbered the streams within the commonwealth and the water that was used to brew this beer was taken from the stream numbered 33. The words "Rolling Rock" appear three times on the bottle for

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1280-470: The number 33 has been a traditional part of Rolling Rock iconography, Rolling Rock Red's label has a "3", presumably signifying the name of the beverage ("Rolling Rock Red") or the words in the tagline "Finely Crafted Lager", which appears only on the Rolling Rock Red bottles. Rolling Rock is a significant symbol in internet celebrity James Rolfe 's series Angry Video Game Nerd , where his character,

1320-471: The number 33: that the "33" refers to 1933, the founding year of the Pittsburgh Steelers (who hold their annual training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA); that 33 degrees Fahrenheit is the proper temperature to keep beer; the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry; that Latrobe test-brewed 33 batches of beer before coming up with the final formula for Rolling Rock. Other theories concerning

1360-417: The pale malt making process. Dreher combined the pale malt making techniques with cold bottom fermentation, using yeast given to him by Sedlmayr. In late 1840, Anton Dreher started renting a cellar to mature his beer under cold conditions, a process that is called "lagering". The resulting beer was clean-tasting and relatively pale for the time thanks to the use of smoke-free "English" hot air kilns, resulting in

1400-705: The plant since November. Boston Beer Co. has since moved their operations to an old Schaefer plant they purchased near Allentown, PA. In May 2009, Iron City Brewing signed a deal with City Brewing Co to once again begin producing beer at the plant, with brewing started in June and bottling/kegging production resumed in July 2009. In July 2009 some Southampton brands (Double White, IPA, Altbier, Pumpkin, Imperial Porter) were moved to Latrobe from Lion Brewing. In addition to Iron City Beer, City Brewing also produces Stoney's and Stoney's Light. On December 8, 2009 City Brewing completed

1440-515: The series Mare of Easttown which is set in suburban Philadelphia. Latrobe Brewing Company Latrobe Brewing Company was founded in 1893 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania as part of the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. Forced to close in 1920 due to prohibition, it was purchased by the Tito brothers and reopened in 1933 selling “Latrobe Old German” and “Latrobe Pilsner” beers. The year 1939 saw

1480-412: The specific grain bill used in the beers; paler lagers use unroasted barley and may even add other grains such as rice or corn to lighten the color and provide a crisp, bright finish to the flavour. Darker lagers use roasted grains and malts to produce a more roasted, even slightly burnt, flavour profile. The most common lagers in worldwide production are pale lagers . The flavour of these lighter lagers

1520-442: The true origin of the "33" may have been. Nonetheless, the tradition of the printing explanation has been sustained by the company as the wording on the labels has changed over the years, and the verbiage is carefully structured to retain a length of 33 words. The Rolling Rock nomenclature on the bottles was painted on, not paper or plastic. Anheuser-Busch introduced a red lager version of Rolling Rock called Rolling Rock Red. While

1560-450: The use of Saccharomyces pastorianus , a "bottom-fermenting" yeast that ferments at relatively cold temperatures. Until the 19th century, the German word Lagerbier ( de ) referred to all types of bottom-fermented , cool-conditioned beer in normal strengths. In Germany today, it mainly refers to beers from southern Germany , either " Helles " (pale) or " Dunkles " (dark). Pilsner ,

1600-589: Was picked up by other breweries, most notably Pilsner Urquell Brewery in Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic ) where Josef Groll produced the first Pilsner beer. The resulting pale coloured, lean and stable beers were very successful and gradually spread around the globe to become the most common form of beer consumed in the world today. Another pale lager variety is Helles , native to Munich. Amber lagers are generally darker in color than pale lagers, often

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