Latrobe Brewing Company

The first beer in this area was produced at a gristmill by Benedictine monks. Years later, Latrobe Brewing Comany was established in 1893 as part of the growing Pittsburgh Brewing Company. According to local lore, the same Benedictine Monks who founded St. Vincent College in Latrobe also founded the brewery, but this is demonstrably false The brewery would see success in the area until 1920 when the 18th Amendment extended prohibition throughout the United States and forced the brewery to change its business model.

The Tito brothers purchased the facility betting that the laws would change within the next few years. Their bet finally paid off when the Prohibition Era ended in 1933 and the Tito family had a head start on most other would-be-brewers. Not long after in 1939, Rolling Rock Beer was first introduced. The beer was supposedly named as a tribute to the smooth-pebble streams in Latrobe that the brewery used as a source of water. 

Years would pass as the Rolling Rock brand grew with its natural appeal. Gradually over time production and sales would grow despite a lack of marketing push from the Tito family. In 1974 the production of Rolling Rock beer at Latrobe would peak at 720,000 barrels. Within the next decade competitors in the industry and stronger marketing campaigns caused Rolling Rock’s sales to decline and in 1985 the Tito family sold the brewery to the Sundor Group.

Over the next few decades, the brewery would go through two more buyouts. One in 1987 by Labatt USA, and another in early 2006 to InBev, a Belgian based beer manufacturer. Eventually in May of 2006 InBev would swell the brand of Rolling Rock to Anheuser Busch. Anheuser Busch then moved production of Rolling Rock beer to Newark New Jersey, laying off hundreds of employees at Latrobe Brewing Co.

Production at Latrobe would be in flux for the next few years, gaining contracts to produce Sam Adams for the Boston Beer Co. which were then lost in 2008. Production for the following year was halted until Pittsburgh Iron City Beer, along with Southhampton beers and Stoney’s all signed contracts with the Latrobe Brewery to produce for them. In 2012 City Brewing Co from Wisconsin signed a contract to brew Red Stripe at Latrobe as well, putting the variety of beer produced at Latrobe at an all-time high.

Gambardello, Joseph A.. This beer's from where?, The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 10th 2013. Accessed September 29th 2020. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/food/20131010_Forget_the_born-on_date__check_beer_s_birthplace_This_beer_s_from_there__What_s_brewing_.html.

Latrobe Brewing Company, Wikipedia. November 18th 2019. Accessed July 1st 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latrobe_Brewing_Company.

Stumpo, Nick. The Latrobe Brewing Co.: Rolling Rock and More, Pennsylvania Center for the Book. January 1st 2009. Accessed September 29th 2020. https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/latrobe-brewing-co-rolling-rock-and-more.

Latrobe Brewing Co, Company Histories. Accessed September 29th 2020. https://www.company-histories.com/Latrobe-Brewing-Company-Company-History.html.