Rolling Rock - The Little Can that Could

You know what's damn hard to find?  A picture of a rolling rock can.  Don't believe me?  Go google it, it's tricky.  I'm not even sure this is a can, but for the sake of time, we'll go ahead and say it is.  Back to the task at hand.  There are few beers that successfully transition to cans.  The vast majority are the cheap light beers, i.e. Keystone Light, Bud Light, Miller Light, and so on, that rarely start in bottles.  Still, there are a couple "higher echelon" beers that pull it off.  Take a look at anything by Oskar Blues, a brewery that has successfully pulled it off for seven years, or the two offerings by New Belgium, Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat.  It can be done, though it's not easy.  So when I stumbled upon a 30 pack of Rolling Rock cans that came in cheaper than even the low brow beers (Keystone Light and Busch Light), I was intrigued enough to bite.  So here goes a 17 dollar gamble.

I've always put the Rolling Rock label a couple notches above the standard Anheuser beers.  Oddly enough (I blame the green label), I'd put it up against Heineken or Grolsch.  It's a good tasty beer that just seems a bit classier than Bud Light.  The "Extra Pale" label always made me laugh, as this is by no means a pale ale, but it has a tad more hops than it's oddly more expensive brethren, and thus makes it a more flavorful brew.  It's definitely a malty beer, and one that sits heavier than a light beer.  Though sold in a 30 pack, I can't match the drinking pace that I usually keep up with my other favorite 30 rack, Keystone Light.  The explanation could be in the numbers, the Rock has 142 calories with a 4.6% ABV, while the stone is 103 calories and 4.13% ABV, so even when standardized, Rolling Rock is indeed a heavier beer.  But is that a bad thing?  Not necessarily.  It's easy enough to hide the 30 pack in your fridge and pretend you bought a sixxer.  It's actually just what this economy needs.  High five Rolling Rock (I won't give Anheuser credit, I'm still holding that grudge), at least someone is trying to dig us out of this hole with style.


As I said, this 30 pack is now on shelves alongside the cheap-o's, and from what I've seen, it's a good two bucks cheaper.  It's like 4 free cans, and of a tasty beer to boot.  How long it has been there, I don't know, but I will say I hope it stays.  Since 2006, Rolling Rock has been brewed by Anheuser Busch in Newark, NJ, not the iconic and original Latrobe glass lined tanks.  Has the taste changed?  I have no idea, I've only been legal since '07, though I'd say that acquisition is definitely to blame for the cans.  I can't seem to find the actual date of the addition of cans to the lineup (I didn't look that hard), but I'd hazard a guess that it was after the move.  The beer itself has been around since 1939, and I can see why, it fills a relatively empty gap between the mass produced and the craft beers.  It's a dangerous gap, as I don't think there are a ton of shoppers that seek out beers like this, but hey, if you can sway me, you can probably sway many other Americans.  I'm easy.

Final Grade: B+.  My choice in a 30 pack, but as it is a tweener, it struggles to find a spot.  I won't play beer pong with it, and I won't drink it with a nice meal, but it goes well with pizza or hot pockets.  I feel pretty ok about offering it to friends though, which explains the relatively good grade.

Girly Grade: A-.  I really feel like this is where this beer could shine.  It's not a dopplebock or a heavy porter or anything, but it's more respectable than Bud Light, and dammit, it's more affordable too.  Sorority girls, take note, next time you're shopping for pledge week, pick up some Rolling Rock for the not-so-girly-girls among you.

Take note of this occasion, I have officially reviewed a beer that is not only available and affordable, but very tasty too.  I've broken new ground for this blog, and I intend to continue.  Bring on the Sam Adams.  Bring on the Big Sky.  I'm ready.  Until next time, bottoms up.

-The Drunken Dane