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Rolling Rock
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==Number 33== [[File:Original Rolling Rock Bottle.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Rolling Rock bottle with original quality pledge]] The number 33 is printed prominently on all bottles of Rolling Rock. Many have speculated on the significance of the number 33: that the "33" refers to 1933, the founding year of the Pittsburgh Steelers (who hold their annual training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA);<ref>[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/389/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels Why is there a "33" on Rolling Rock beer labels? ] from ''[[The Straight Dope]]''</ref> that 33 degrees Fahrenheit is the proper temperature to keep beer; the 33 degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry; that Latrobe test-brewed 33 batches of beer before coming up with the final formula for Rolling Rock. Other theories concerning the number 33 are that there were exactly 33 stairsteps from the brewmaster's office to the brewing floor in the original Latrobe brewery. Also that the Pennsylvania fish and game commission at the turn of the century numbered the streams within the commonwealth and the water that was used to brew this beer was taken from the stream numbered 33. The words "Rolling Rock" appear three times on the bottle for a total of 33 letters. One widely held belief is that it marks the repeal of [[Prohibition in the United States|prohibition]] in 1933. James L. Tito, former CEO of [[Latrobe Brewing]], opined that the "33" signifies the 33 words in the beer's original pledge of quality, which is still printed on every bottle: {{Quote box |quote=Rolling Rock - From the glass lined tanks of [[Latrobe, Pennsylvania|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.|source=—Current pledge written on the Rolling Rock bottle|width=350px |align=center}} While the original wording on the label was somewhat different, it also contained the 33 following words: {{Quote box |quote=A little nip from the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe. We tender this package as a premium beer for your delight and economical use. It comes from the mountain springs to you.|source=—Original pledge written on the Rolling Rock bottle|width=350px |align=center}} This was followed by the "33". The current pledge is on the 12 oz. bottles, while the "little nip" pledge is from the 7 oz. bottle version. The 7 oz. bottles were referred in some parts of Pennsylvania as “nippers”, and a popular mode of packaging was in cases of 24, with a perforation so the case could be split in two, or a dozen each. A founding executive is said to have written "33" at the end of the slogan to indicate the number of words it comprised as a guide for the bottle printers. They assumed it was part of the text and incorporated it into the label graphics. Hence, the first batch of bottles carried the number "33" and they remained that way since they were continually collected and reused. Tito admitted, however, that there is no hard proof for this theory, and that at this point no one really knows what the true origin of the "33" may have been. Nonetheless, the tradition of the printing explanation has been sustained by the company as the wording on the labels has changed over the years, and the verbiage is carefully structured to retain a length of 33 words. The Rolling Rock nomenclature on the bottles was painted on, not paper or plastic.
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