Rolling Rock

Rolling Rock is a brand of beer brewed in the Pittsburgh suburb of Latrobe, Pennsylvania by the Latrobe Brewing Company, which is owned by Labatt USA.

Related Topics:
Beer - Pittsburgh - Latrobe, Pennsylvania - Latrobe Brewing Company - Labatt

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It is distinctive in several ways. It is one of the few mass-market brands of beer distributed in green glass bottles with painted, rather than printed labels. It has a rather strong taste for a light-colored, light-bodied beer; this is apparently due to the strain of yeast and the variety of hops used in the brewing process. The company stresses that it is brewed in "glass-lined tanks".

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Rolling Rock is considered to be something of a premium beer and has benefited greatly from the trend toward the consumption of higher-quality alcoholic beverages that has been developing in the United States since the 1970s.

Related Topics:
Alcoholic beverage - United States - 1970s

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The term pony bottle is derived from the horse on the bottle, and refers to the smaller sized 7 ounce bottle. Although the 12 ounce bottles have moved to a screw-off cap, the "ponies" retain their traditional pop-top. Some pony bottles have paper, rather than painted, labels.

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The number 33 on the bottle is a mystery that is open to speculation. The most widely accepted explanation is that prohibition was repealed in 1933, but according to James L. Tito, once CEO of Latrobe Brewing, the 33 signifies the thirty-three words in their slogan, which are: "Rolling Rock From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 the mountain springs to you." Due to a printing error on the draft of the label design, their first batch of bottles had the number 33 imprinted on them. This tradition is held in place by the company itself: even as the wording of the labels changes over the years (the new wording on low-carb Rock Green Light labels, for example, discussing the nutritional information), the main paragraphs are carefully structured to retain a length of 33 words.

Related Topics:
33 - Prohibition - 1933

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