Rolling Rock To Be Sold

[PhishyBrewer]

So we had a little visit from August Busch III yesterday at the Fairfield Brewery. He came to let us know that if Rolling Rock is bought out buy Anheuser-Busch, Inc more than likely our brewery would brew Rolling Rock for the west coast.

 

A comment was also made that the Latrobe Brewery would be no more if this sale goes through.

 

So far it's Anheuser-Busch and Sam Adams bidding for the company.

 

 

InBev puts Rolling Rock beer on the block -sources

 

By David Jones

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's biggest brewer, InBev, is looking to sell its U.S. domestic beer brand Rolling Rock after struggling to revive the iconic brand over the last decade, sources close to the matter said on Wednesday.

 

Belgium-based InBev, brewer of Stella Artois and Beck's, is keen to resolve its poor U.S. performance, and new Brazilian Chief Executive Carlos Brito wants to focus InBev on being a strong player in the U.S. import beer sector, they added.

 

InBev says it has decided to concentrate its U.S. sales and marketing resources on imported brands such as Bass, Brahma and Labatt Blue, as well as Stella Artois and Beck's, and is examining all options for the future of Rolling Rock.

 

"The company has started examining opportunities both inside and outside InBev to determine how to optimize the full potential of Rolling Rock and the Latrobe Brewing Company ... No final decision has been made at this time," an InBev spokeswoman told Reuters.

 

One option is to keep the Rolling Rock brand and sell off the brewing facility at Latrobe in Pennsylvania -- InBev's only brewery in the United States -- but there is a lack of big buyers for the brewery, the sources added.

 

"Rolling Rock is on the block, but it is difficult to see any obvious buyers, apart from some of the smaller U.S. brewers," one source close to the situation said.

 

The sources said InBev U.S. had seen a poor performance, with volumes down in recent years, and they estimate the brand and the brewery together could be worth $50-100 million, depending on any cost-saving synergies available to a purchaser.

 

Rolling Rock is unlikely to attract bids from the top three U.S. brewers Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc, SABMiller Plc or Molson Coors Brewing Co, but might attract attention from smaller players, such as Samuel Adams-brewer, the Boston Beer Co. Inc., they added.

 

Rolling Rock has been brewed since 1939 at Latrobe, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, and with its long-necked green bottles and painted labels has a strong following among beer drinkers in the northeast of the United States.

 

It is the official beer of Heinz Field, home of Super Bowl champions the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

InBev acquired Rolling Rock with its purchase of Canada's second-biggest brewer Labatt in 1995, but its U.S. beer volumes declined 2.7 percent in 2005, and fourth-quarter volumes showed an even worse fall of 3.2 percent.

 

The biggest U.S. brewer, Anheuser-Busch, which has half the U.S. beer market, is unlikely to be allowed to buy Rolling Rock, while SABMiller already has overcapacity, and Colorado-based Coors' weakness in the northeastern United States was partly resolved by last year's merger with Canadian brewer Molson to form Molson Coors.

 

InBev's Brito has experience of the North American beer market as he ran the region after InBev was formed in August 2004 until he was made Chief Executive in December 2005, and in those 16 months had initiated cost-cutting programs in Canada.

 

InBev was formed when Belgium's Interbrew took over Brazil's AmBev, and Brito was AmBev's last Chief Executive for the eight months up to August 2004's takeover and formation of InBev.

 

Brito's appointment, coming after fellow AmBev executive Felipe Dutra became InBev's Chief Financial Officer in January 2005, is seen by analysts as evidence of greater influence over the group by the three Brazilian founders of AmBev, Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira.

 

Brito and Dutra, the proteges of the AmBev founders, are leading a program of cost cutting, largely in Europe and North America, to revive profit growth in the mature beer markets.

 

 

 

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.

[PhishyBrewer]

Belgium's InBev may reportedly sell Rolling Rock

 

6:14 AM ET Mar 23, 2006

 

BRUSSELS (MarketWatch) -- Belgian brewer InBev NV (INB.BT) is looking to sell its Rolling Rock brewery and brand, L'Echo reports Thursday, citing an unnamed U.S. spokesman for the company.

The sale would come to allow InBev to concentrate on more important brands such as Stella Artois and Beck's, the newspaper says.

The paper says that both Anheuser Busch (BUD) or Boston Beer Company (SAM), producer of Samuel Adams, are interested in buying Rolling Rock.

Newspaper Web site: http://www.lecho.be

-By Brussels Bureau

[CoasterFanatic]

While I would like to see them picked up by an American Company (which looks to happen under either scenario), It saddens me because of the jobs in Latrobe that wil go bye-bye.

 

Plus ... no more Rolling Rock Town Fair or Garage Rock.

Myrtle Beach 2005

[TheGreatOne]

Comedian Demetri Martin (Daily Show contributor) rearranged all the words on the back of a Rolling Rock bottle and made a poem out of them. Pretty funny. http://www.slate.com/id/2101150/sidebar/2101284/ent/2101283/

[Zingo!]

^Love that!

 

Ahhhh, Rolling Rock: the "mid-clips" of beer.

 

Scott

[ChrisZer0]

No offense to augustus the third, but I think they should keep their hands off of old #33. Its about the only national brand out there I will drink (rock and rock light) because it doesnt taste like crap (see: budweiser line of beers). No right minded person in latrobe drinks AB products nor should anyone else in this country, I say we should take down the AB empire brick by brick and burrrrrn it!!!!

[DailyBugle_JL]

^But what will happen to us cheap college students who like cheap beer and busch gardens. I guess theres always Milwuakee Beast and Natty Light.

[PhishyBrewer]

I say we should take down the AB empire brick by brick and burrrrrn it!!!!

 

Dude... that my effing job your talking about!

[Jew]

*whistles*

[ChrisZer0]

I say we should take down the AB empire brick by brick and burrrrrn it!!!!

 

Dude... that my effing job your talking about!

 

Im joking man, I dont mean it literally...just never been a big fan of AB's beer line...

[PhishyBrewer]

Video from a local news station near Latrobe had this little report today.

 

http://kdka.com/video/?id=15620@kdka.dayport.com

 

The whole story is here http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_115194819.html

 

Rumors Fly About Future Of Rolling Rock, Brewery

 

Mary Berecky

Reporting

 

(KDKA) LATROBE Rolling Rock beer is one of Western Pennsylvania's most recognizable products.

 

Now, the maker of Rolling Rock could sell Latrobe Brewery.

 

Recently, the company announced they'll no longer be focusing their sales and marketing resources on Rolling Rock products.

 

Rumors are swirling around Latrobe about the future of Rocking Rock and Latrobe Brewery.

 

KDKA’s Mary Berecky spoke with Latrobe Brewery’s home office in Connecticut.

 

They told her today that no decisions have been made about the future of Latrobe Brewery.

 

Whatever decisions are made, the Latrobe officials say they'd like to see the brewery, the jobs and the making of Rolling Rock beer stay in town.

 

The company dates back to the 1800s and it is as much a part of the city of Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split, and native sons Arnold Palmer and Mr. Fred Rogers.

 

“As of today, nothing has happened yet," said Latrobe Mayor Tom Marflak. "There's been no sale, there's been no change of ownership. Some of the options have been explained to me as outright selling the brewery, maybe getting another one of their brands that they currently produce to be produced out of our brewery, so in addition to Rolling Rock we'd have another brand being brewed in Latrobe.”

 

In 1939, the brewery introduced Rolling Rock beer.

 

"We can't afford to let another thing slip away from this city -- it's vital to us," added Marflak.

 

"There's been a lot of conversation back and forth on what might be happening with the brewery," said Mary Lou Townsend of the Latrobe Area Historical Society. "Keep the name. Keep the brewery here. If they can find any way to fit it into their whole corporate structure, then it's very important to our town."

 

Latrobe's mayor says he has been given no time frame as to when any decisions might be made.

 

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[Nrthwnd]

Turn the brewery into a big-butt dark boat-ride attration:

 

Charlie and The Rolling Rock Brewery Tour

 

[PhishyBrewer]

Oh God... I don't even know what to say.

[Nrthwnd]

~ $ * ? # @

 

Hang in ther e buddie. You'r edoing just fi ne.

 

I'm sure you know way more information, por favor, than the rest of us here are getting posted.

 

I Believe in Anheuser BUsch!

 

(gesundgheit - waht/ever...)

 

 

[PhishyBrewer]

^You shouldn't post while drinking Bill.