John's Blog

The final "real" Latrobe-made Rolling Rock beer was produced last week prior to it's move to the Newark Anheuser-Busch brewery. Although I'm sure that the corporate giant will be able to produce a beverage that is indistinguishable from the original, what it will be lacking is the charm surrounding the many legends surrounding the Rolling Rock label that were a legitimate part of the beer's appeal.

But I'm sure, over time naysayers such as myself will be forgotten and the corporate marketing steamroller will prevail with the brand becoming just be another label, although devoid of it's character and meaning. Those who lament the loss will just add this to the growing list of brands that still exist, but have lost their historical and geographic context like Natty Boh. Was it a case of unintended irony that in the NY Times article one of the people they interviewed who was upset by the move was "Richard Lott, 33, of Grenada. Miss"? Perhaps.