SaveRollingRock.org

Welcome to SaveRollingRock.org

Note: This site will be dark July 31st in respect for Latrobe and the brewery workers.

Anheuser-Busch's purchase of the Rolling Rock brand has caused quite a stir among the devoted fans of this small town brew. Several sites have popped up in support of Rolling Rock / Latrobe Brewing Company, a "coalition" has formed, and even a documentary is in the works!

Rolling Rock's History

Rolling Rock was a locally owned brewery back in the day. Quite content with a distribution as far out as their drivers could go in one day and make it back to their family that night, Latrobe Brewing Company did a good business for a small town brewery. For what ever reason, the Tito Family sold the brewery to Labatt's Brewery of Canada. Although I think this was the beginning of the end, this in itself was not a bad deal. Labatt's put money back into the brewery, threw some money at marketing, and increased the distribution market greatly. Labatt's was subsequently bought by InBev in 1995 who killed the 7 ounce pony bottle about a year or so ago.

Never the less, Labatt's and InBev knew better than to mess with old-school Pennsylvania tradition. They kept production in Latrobe. Everything was business as usual and Rolling Rock continued to be the small-town beer with a ever growing following of loyal drinkers who all (OK, maybe mostly) had some link back to Western Pennsylvania.

Rolling Rock's Future

Along comes the purchase of the Rolling Rock brand by Anheuser-Busch. What could be wrong with this? After all, Rolling Rock is coming back home to America. Well, several things are wrong with this, IMHO. But first let me say that I am not not sure Anheuser-Busch is the bad guy in all of this, InBev really is the company that let the brand be sold separate from the actual brewery. However, who can really blame InBev? They are simply a "holding" company. Their only interest in buying Rolling Rock was to improve their own portfolio. It's simple business. While everyone was excited when they poured $20 million into the brewery, (in retrospect) what did you think they were doing? They were simply priming the pump for the eventual sale. I guess the bitch here is telling the brewery workers that the new ($20 million) Eagle line will "secure your (the brewery workers) future" (30 meg video, SaveRollingRock33.com).

So now Anheuser-Busch buys the brand with the intent of moving production out of Latrobe. From a "big-business" standpoint, I guess I understand that. Why take on the expense and liability of another relatively small brewery (relative to what Anheuser-Busch already has)? What they don't understand, with their Wal-Mart mentality, is Latrobe makes Rolling Rock what it is. No one can deny what Anheuser-Busch is, or the fact they are the United States largest brewery conglomerate. Good for them! Go USA. I have drank my fair share of Bud Light. But their purchase of Rolling Rock (and the subsequent moving of production to New Jersey) only strips the charm and mystique from this beer as well as threw Latrobe's economic infrastructure in a tizzy. What if Anheuser-Busch bought Rolling Rock and kept production in Latrobe? That would have been fine. But it's the fact Anheuser-Busch is moving production out of Latrobe that throws a monkey wrench in to the works.

Latrobe, for being a small town, is rather resilient and will survive, they can still cling to the banana split and Arnold Palmer. Yes, some (many?), who put their faith in InBev and thought their "future was secure" will fall short on their monthly budget, possibly falling behind on mortgages or their children's college payment, but in the grand scheme of things, I guess that just don't matter to Anheuser-Busch's bottom line.

There is such a thing as responsible business, and Anheuser-Busch might have done well to practice that in this situation.

Shame on you, Anheuser-Busch, for turning your back on the folks that made Rolling Rock the brand you want to add to your portfolio.