Category: default || By jt3y

At a gathering the other night in a local watering hole in the Glass City, an old cow-orker and colleague was depressed at the thought of --- as he put it --- having to find a new beer to drink.

He was marking the end of Rolling Rock production in Latrobe by consuming his last "Rocks," having decided not to patronize Anheuser-Busch.

He's not alone. And I suspect a lot of people drink --- or drank --- Rolling Rock because it was made in Western Pennsylvania, not because it was all that noticeably superior to every other American beer.

If City Brewing of Lacrosse, Wis., goes through with its proposal to purchase the old Latrobe Brewing plant --- and I hope they do --- they would be smart to introduce a new American-style pale lager.

In green bottles with painted-on labels.

And called something like "Laurel Mountain" or "Old Latrobe" or "Loyalhanna."

As long as it didn't taste like malted cat urine, I think they would grab the hearts of a lot of ex-Rolling Rock drinkers around these parts.

As of Tuesday, by the way, the Rolling Rock website has been scrubbed of any references to Latrobe, Pa. --- and the "Latrobe Brewing Co." is now legally based in St. Louis, Mo.

Well, then "feh" on the house of Augie Busch. Feh on Busch Stadium, the Gateway Arch, and the Cardinals, even though Busch no longer owns them. Feh on the Mississippi River, the New Madrid fault, the Eads Bridge, the Post-Dispatch and KMOX, for all I care.

On Monday, the Daily News (whose sister paper, after all, is the Latrobe Bulletin) said it with great eloquence:

While the world converges on Latrobe and training camp for the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers, a piece of that city's history fades into undeserved infamy.

That might seem a bit harsh, as we talk here about beer. However, we'd suggest, the next time you ask for Rolling Rock, ask also when your tavern or distributor received the stock on tap.

If the answer is sometime after last week, try another beer, preferably one not made by new Rolling Rock owner Anheuser-Busch.

Anheuser-Busch still misses the point of why, as it said, "Rolling Rock has established itself as an authentic, iconic American lager with a loyal following." ... The newest "Made in New Jersey" crop of "Rolling Rock" is just another beer. The real "Rolling Rock" will be consigned to the memories of Tri-State beer drinkers.

I can sympathize with all of the disillusioned Rock fans. But the simple fact is that most good American lager beers taste the same (at least to me). If they're fresh, and made with good ingredients, and you like American beer, you'll like them. If they're stale, or made with cheap ingredients, they're good only for poisoning slugs and getting frats and sororities drunk. (Or is that redundant? Ha! I slay me.)

(Don't get me started on "light" beers --- particularly that one made in Golden, Colo. People who drink that repulse me in the same way as people who put ketchup on hot dogs.)

The only significant reason I've ever chosen one brand of beer over another has been the geographic location where it was made. I have two reasons for that, and both of them are selfish.

First, I figure that breweries in Pennsylvania employ Pennsylvania workers who pay Pennsylvania taxes. Second, I figure beer brewed in Pennsylvania is more likely to be fresh --- and nothing is worse than skunky, stale beer. OK, maybe this is.

So, if you're a Rolling Rock fan feeling abandoned, I'd say that you should put your money (literally) where your mouth is:

• Try a Stoney's. (They're not just for breakfast anymore).



• Pump an Iron. (Every cent you spend helps Joe Piccirilli pay his water bill.)



• Grab a Straub. (You can even get it in green bottles, in case you miss 'em.)

And maybe with luck, in a few months, you'll be able to get a beer brewed in Latrobe again.

If not --- and as a last resort --- there's always sobriety.