I love Rolling Rock. I love the clear, green glass bottle, beaded with dewy condensation. I love the drawing of the horse and the mysterious "33." It's tasty and stylish.
you know, I forgot 'bout RR (it's one o' them YELLAH' SWILLS I refused to drink in my Beer Snob Days, of which I'll speak of later, I'm sure).
GREEN beer bottles... they're rare, aren't they? Lessee, there's Grolsch and RR and Mickey's Big Mouth... What others??
BTW, I'm sure there's a story behind the "33"... I wonder what it means? It reminds me of the plot of "Still Life with Woodpecker" by Robbins-- the character lying in a stifling hot attic staring at a pack of Camel cigarettes wondering what it all means...
"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 The most widely accepted explanation is that prohibition was repealed in 1933, but according to James L. Tito, once CEO of Latrobe Brewing, the 33 signifies the thirty-three words in their slogan, which are: "Rolling Rock From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." An executive wrote the number of words in the slogan to indicate how much space it would take on the bottle and that draft was sent to the printer. Therefore their first batch of bottles had the number 33 imprinted on them and during the depression there was no reason to throw away perfectly good merchandise. 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. It is also speculated that the "33" indicates the temperature at which Rolling Rock has its best taste. Still there are more theories that the “33” is representative of its ingredients: water, malt, rice, hops, corn, brewer’s yeast; also, it is believed that the number designates that Rolling Rock was Latrobe Brewing’s 33rd different recipe for beer."
you know, I forgot 'bout RR (it's one o' them YELLAH' SWILLS I refused to drink in my Beer Snob Days, of which I'll speak of later, I'm sure).
ReplyDeleteGREEN beer bottles... they're rare, aren't they? Lessee, there's Grolsch and RR and Mickey's Big Mouth... What others??
BTW, I'm sure there's a story behind the "33"... I wonder what it means? It reminds me of the plot of "Still Life with Woodpecker" by Robbins-- the character lying in a stifling hot attic staring at a pack of Camel cigarettes wondering what it all means...
Little Kings are green.
ReplyDeleteNot sure what the 33 means. I think the manufacturers are playfully coy about its meaning. It's part of the fun of drinking Rolling Rock.
here's what Wiki has to say about the 33:
ReplyDelete"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." An executive wrote the number of words in the slogan to indicate how much space it would take on the bottle and that draft was sent to the printer. Therefore their first batch of bottles had the number 33 imprinted on them and during the depression there was no reason to throw away perfectly good merchandise. 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. It is also speculated that the "33" indicates the temperature at which Rolling Rock has its best taste. Still there are more theories that the “33” is representative of its ingredients: water, malt, rice, hops, corn, brewer’s yeast; also, it is believed that the number designates that Rolling Rock was Latrobe Brewing’s 33rd different recipe for beer."
it's still open to speculation, I guess...
Steinlager comes in green bottles. That's New Zealand's contribution to beerness, and a bloody good one at that.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of 33, but I love numbered beer. Here in Western Canadia, I'm partial to 1516 from Okanagan Spring (the year the purity laws were passed).
Here's to the next 400 posts. Lick your friend's elbow.