This is just wrong! Rolling Rock to be brewed in ....... Newark!

[Benny Profane]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/ny...=1&oref=slogin

NEWARK, Aug. 7 — One small town in western Pennsylvania has long provided trivia buffs with two obscure questions that share an answer: Where was the golf legend Arnold Palmer born and raised? And where did those seven-ounce pony bottles of Rolling Rock beer — actually extra-pale lager — come from?

The answer, until last week, was Latrobe, Pa., a town of about 9,000 snuggled in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

But the glass-lined tanks of Latrobe have given way to the red-brick Anheuser-Busch factory on Routes 1 and 9 in the shadow of Newark Liberty International Airport.

Anheuser-Busch — the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob and other beers — bought the Rolling Rock brand, the recipe for its mountain-brewed extra-pale lager and the entire Latrobe Brewing Company from the Belgium-based InBev SA company in May for $82 million. After weighing several options, said David A. Peacock, vice president for business and finance for Anheuser-Busch, the company decided to move operations to Newark.

“It made sense because Newark is close by, it’s a very good brewery and we can produce the same great packaging and beer there,” Mr. Peacock said.

But in Latrobe, the decision is not going down smoothly.

“No offense to New Jersey, but I didn’t think it had any mountain springs,” Clint Shaffer, 39, a resident of Latrobe, said in a telephone interview. “Rolling Rock is a source of pride around here, and moving it someplace else is like hearing that Chevys will now be made in Japan.”

The move has become such a visceral issue that Mr. Palmer, Latrobe’s favorite son, will not discuss it.

“There are a lot of people with a lot of strong feelings,” said Mr. Palmer’s longtime assistant, Doc Giffin. “He doesn’t want to weigh in right now.”

But others are only too happy to fill the vacuum. Beer drinkers like Richard Lott of Grenada, Miss., plan to stock up on as much of the Latrobe-made brew as possible, and when it is all consumed, it will be time to find a new brand.

[Mtn Man]

Ummm, Rolling Rock and Bud suck. Who cares if they join forces, two negatives don't make a positive in this case....

B)

[BigDaddy]

Ummm, Rolling Rock and Bud suck. Who cares if they join forces, two negatives don't make a positive in this case....

B)

Rolling Rock + Budwieser = Shitz

Sad trend in brewing: http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/04/30.html

Pseudo-variety in the beer market


One technique retail oligopolies use is flood the shelves with a pseudo variety of similar products made in almost exactly the same way, so that minor vendors that offer real variety can be elbowed out. The beer industry is a great example of this trend.

There is a great episode of the Simpsons where Homer Simpson takes a tour of the “Duff” brewery. What we see (and Homer doesn’t) is one master pipe which divides in three to supply three enormous vats, one labeled Duff Regular, a second Duff Light, and a third Duff Dry. The point: these three varieties (and we might add Duff Ice and Old Duff) are essentially exactly the same. They represent not variety, but the illusion of variety, what we call “pseudo-variety.”

But while no supermarket or other retailer is likely to fill more than a few yards of its shelf space with regular Budweiser, it is more than happy to include Bud Light, Bud Dry, Bud Ice, Bud Ice Light, Michelob, Michelob Light, Michelob Dry, Michelob Ultra, Busch, Busch Light, Busch Ice, Natural Light, and Natural Ice, all from the same company, Anheuser-Busch, which owns 46% of the US beer market. These seemingly distinct beers fill up many yards of shelf space.

We’d contend that any European beer drinker (and plenty of Americans) would find little difference in taste between any of these brands. These are all products from the same Anheuser-Busch vats, and they are all in same style, American lager.

If this shelf coverage isn’t enough, look at the brands of the other oligopoly competitors:

Miller (over 29% of the domestic beer market) sells Miller High Life, Miller High Life Lite, Miller High Life Ice, Miller Lite, Miller Lite Ice, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Genuine Draft Light, Miller Ice House, Milwaukee Best, Milwaukee Best Light, and Milwaukee Best Ice.
Coors (10% of the market), in the same way offers Coors Light, Original Coors, Coors Artic Ice, Coors Artic Ice Light, Coors Extra Gold, and Coors Dry.
The fourth major American beer manufacturer, Pabst (which has taken over Stroh’s recently) offers similar beers: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Stroh’s, Stroh’s Light, Schlitz, Old Milwaukee, Old Milwaukee Ice, Old Milwaukee Light, Schmidt's, Schaffer, Schaeffer Light.
These all represent two basic categories of the all the beers available – namely American-style lager and American-style light beer, a watered-down version of the same. While there are variations in taste, they are small. In contrast, The Great American Beer Festival, an annual contest, offers 56 categories of beer, among which are varieties of porter, stout, wheat beers, bitter, brown ale, pale ale, bock, pilsner, and fruit beers. Granted none of these are popular drinks in the US, but they hardly have a chance, elbowed off the shelves by a mass of close variations on the same theme.

Once all these American lagers and lites are on the shelves, they are can complemented with a few real (though mild) variations are Anheuser-Busch brands as well: Michelob Golden Draft, Michelob Golden Draft Light, Michelob Classic Dark, Michelob Black & Tan Lager, Michelob Amber Bock, Michelob Pale Ale, Michelob Honey Lager, and Michelob Hefe-Weizen. The others offer a few similar products.

But the main result is the appearance of enormous diversity and bounty, and the reality is an oligopoly of a few companies with very little variety, except in packaging. The shelf sapce is occupied, and free choice, which seems unlimited, is in fact very restricted.

Principles illustrated:

Oligopolies offer pseudo-variety.
Oligopolies try to master three basic forces: shelf life, shelf space, and mind space.

Support your local brewery! And support it often!

[squirrelmurphy]

Ummm, Rolling Rock and Bud suck. Who cares if they join forces, two negatives don't make a positive in this case....

B)

seconded

[Benny Profane]

Hey, I'm as much a micro brew snob as the next guy, but Rolling Rock has been my default beer at bars that have no good beer for years. And it has a super nostalgia factor if you grew up in the Tri State area. And then there's the bar games centered around the cryptic bottle markings, which, by the way, haven't changed since, like, Eisenhower.

Fuck Bud.

[mrw]

Travelin Gravel and Michelob have always been headache beers for me.

With all the hand crafted micros out there, there is no excuse for drinking crappy beer. If faced with a bar with no micros, Yingling Lager (a tri-state classic) is my domestic brew of choice.

[Shaggy]

Kokanee was brewed in London, Ontario for a few years in the 1990s, there's no "glacier fresh" water here.

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

You've still got Yuengling.

[BigDaddy]

You've still got Yuengling.

...and Iron City!

[Mtn Man]

You've still got Yuengling.

Agreed, Yuengling is one of the few "good" domestic lagers out there. I usually stick with ales though when I have a choice.

B)

[cj001f]

non-micro local beers are dead. At least Weinhards is brewed in OR again (by FullSail)

[Brocktoon]

...and Iron City!

Arn sucks. I can't drink two ounces of that shit without getting a headache. Do you really want a beer made with water from the Monangahela?

[PaSucks]

I have been avoiding this topic since news broke months ago. Now I need a new beer.

You've still got Yuengling.

Wrong side of the State.

...and Iron City!

Ugh!


The Rock wasn't the best beer out there but it wasn't BAD, some of you guys are just elitist and wanna claim your superiority. Rock was a local institution, a beer brewed in a place with quite a drinking problem. It is sad that the plant that has been the life-blood of old Latrobe will no longer make a world-famous product. Now it will make just another crappy sports drink.

Latrobe it quite the oddity. A little town in Podunk that can lay claim to more than many large cities, Latrobe was the sight of the first ever professional football game, the maker of the rock, and the home of both Arnold Palmer and Fred Rogers. The Lincoln Highway, the nations first interstate, passes right through town, and the Superbowl champs hold training camp there every year.

[shmerham]

I love my microbrews, but I really enjoy Rolling Rock too. Whenever I have one, it always surprises me how much I like it. It's great on a hot day, and what's even better is that it doesn't taste all that horrible when it gets warm (I try not to let that happen but sometimes the heat is stronger than my thirst). It's easy-drinkin' and refreshing. I could knock back a lot more of those than a richer microbrew or a crappy tasting macrobrew. Not sure if it's going to change. I hope not.

[Tippster]

The Rock is my favorite Macro-Brew... well, was. So much better than Yuengling, especially Ice cold on a hot day, and cheaper too. I remember when they were BOTH considered crap beer, and Yuengling had the idea to merely raise their prices to try to gain some cachet. It seems to have worked.

66 fo life, yo.

[BigDaddy]

Arn sucks. I can't drink two ounces of that shit without getting a headache. Do you really want a beer made with water from the Monangahela?

... I was just trying to find a silver lining for those living in Pittsburg.

Yuengling was good for a bit last summer, but man,.... serious gas effects...

[MakersTeleMark]

66 fo life, yo.

Half it.

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.

[Tippster]

(66 is if you order two at a time - as you should.) Oh, and it's "Laurel Highlands."

[Public_enemy#1]

Yeah I'm pissed too! The local paper said about how all the Latrobe locals are going to boycott Rolling Rock now. Rolling Rock isnt too bad of a beer although its not my favorite. Yuengling is by far my favorite beer. Beats everything else out there. And not just cause I'm a PA boy.

[PaSucks]

Pittsburg.

This isn't Kansas.

[Rasputin]

. Yuengling is by far my favorite beer. Beats everything else out there. And not just cause I'm a PA boy.

Bwahahahahahahah!!!


-Elitest micro-brew snob

[MarsB]

Yuengling is by far an acceptable beer. Beats pretty much everything else out in it's price range. And not just cause it's only $5 a sixpack.

Fixed for yinz.

[mrw]

Does anyone remember Ballantine India Pail Ale from years back?

That kinda defined good cheap beer to me.

[PaSucks]

(66 is if you order two at a time - as you should.) Oh, and it's "Laurel Highlands."

The bottle says "old latrobe," as does my t-shirt.

[Aldo]

Newark and PBR, perfect together..