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What does the number 33 mean on the back of the green bottles for Rolling Rock Beer of Latrobe, Pennsylvania?

Question #66816. Asked by myjoey.
Last updated Jan 06 2019.

Related Trivia Topics: Vocabulary  
peasypod
Answer has 3 votes
peasypod
20 year member
3273 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
The 33 words on the back of the bottle:

"Rolling Rock from glass lined tanks in the Laurel Highlands. We tender this premium beer for your enjoyment as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you."

link http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/389/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels



[ straightdope.com/classics/a2_044 no longer exists ]

Response last updated by gtho4 on Sep 10 2016.
Jun 12 2006, 8:18 AM
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raidersruleall star
Answer has 3 votes
raidersruleall star
15 year member
114 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.
According to James L. Tito, former CEO of Latrobe Brewing, the "33" signifies the 33 words in the beer's slogan: "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."

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Rock#Number_33

Some people believe that the 33 is on the bottles because 1933 was when prohibition was repealed.

May 25 2009, 10:14 PM
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star_gazer star
Answer has 4 votes
star_gazer star
22 year member
5236 replies avatar

Answer has 4 votes.
There are a number of theories as to what the "33" on the Rolling Rock bottle symbolizes, one theory is that 1933 is the year that prohibition was repealed.

link http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/rolling.asp

May 25 2009, 10:15 PM
queproblema
Answer has 3 votes
queproblema
18 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
Good old "Cecil Adams" says they came up with the 33-word blurb and jotted down the number beside it. It was accidentally printed....and a legend was born.

link http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/389/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels

May 25 2009, 10:47 PM
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zbeckabee star
Answer has 5 votes
zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 5 votes.
According to James L. Tito, former CEO of Latrobe Brewing, the "33" signifies the 33 words in the beer's slogan: "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."
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Rock#Number_33

Some people believe that the 33 is on the bottles because 1933 was when prohibition was repealed. There are a number of theories as to what the "33" on the Rolling Rock bottle symbolizes, one theory is that 1933 is the year that prohibition was repealed.
link http://www.snopes.com/business/hidden/rolling.asp

Good old "Cecil Adams" says they came up with the 33-word blurb and jotted down the number beside it. It was accidentally printed....and a legend was born.
link http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/389/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels



Response last updated by gtho4 on Sep 10 2016.
May 26 2009, 10:26 AM
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daver852 star
Answer has 3 votes
daver852 star
22 year member
312 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.
The most plausible explanation is that it began as a printing error:

link http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/389/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels

Jun 15 2013, 5:16 AM
garydart
Answer has 3 votes
garydart

Answer has 3 votes.
There are a number of theories as to why the 33 is on there, but no concrete answer as to why it is.

link www.snopes.com (this lists many possible answers as to what the reason is.)

The family of James Tito, one-time chief executive officer of Latrobe Brewing (makers of Rolling Rock beer) owned the brewery from the end of Prohibition until the company was sold in 1987. Based on notes and discussions with family members now dead, James Tito believes the mysterious '33' got there by accident when family members couldn't agree on the wording of a slogan to be printed on the bottle, or even whether the slogan should be long or short. Someone eventually came up with the 33-word pledge now in use, and to emphasize its brevity, he drew a large '33' on the paper. The printer to whom this wording was sent mistakenly thought the '33' was part of the copy and included it on the labels. By the time the mistake was discovered, so many labels had been printed and affixed to bottles that it would have been prohibitively expensive to scrap and replace them, therefore the mistake was retained as a permanent feature of the label. Thus every Rolling Rock bottle now sports the following pledge:

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. "33"

The "mistake" explanation doesn't sound terribly convincing since the printer who sets and runs off thousands of labels before providing the customer with a proof copy to approve does so at his own risk. And even if someone from Rolling Rock had mistakenly approved the label design, error and all, there was no good reason why the errant '33' couldn't have been removed from the copy before the next printing. So, the only real answer here is that no one knows the real answer. And perhaps that is the answer — after all, nothing helps sell a product like a little mystery.

Jun 16 2013, 12:48 PM
pjmjlm star
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
pjmjlm star
17 year member
69 replies

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
On the Rolling Rock website, they say, "Nobody knows." and then go on to offer some of the theories that have been put forth. More than just four, by the way, e.g.:
Holiday theory - Rolling Rock was founded in Pennsylvania, where Groundhog’s Day is a very popular day. It’s also the 33rd day of the year.
Freemasons theory - The Freemasons are an international fraternal society that conspiracy theorists say is made up of prominent politicians and businessmen. The Rolling Rock 33 is a nod to them.
Bye bye prohibition- Prohibition ended in December 1933. Although Rolling Rock wasn’t produced until 1939, the owners wanted to celebrate the 21st amendment that allowed them to make beer.
A sign of quality - There is a 33-word quality statement on each bottle of Rolling Rock. “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 incidentally scribbled '33' was on the label sent to the bottle printer, noting its brief length. The printers used this in the final copy and printed it as part of the label.
It's in the bottle - If you add the letters in Rolling Rock’s ingredients (water, malt, rice, hops, corn, brewer’s yeast), it equals 33.
Take your temperature - Thirty-three degrees is the temperature at which Rolling Rock is brewed. It’s also the temperature at which it should be served.
A day at the track - Legend has it that one of the founding members of the brewery bet $33 on Horse #33 (Old Latrobe) and won. Then, in 1939, he took his earnings and founded the Latrobe Brewery.
link https://www.rollingrock.com/history.html
I'm guessing that anyone who thinks they have a definitive answer can't, at this point, be sure.

Response last updated by gtho4 on Jan 06 2019.
Jan 06 2019, 1:30 AM
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