InBev to Sell Rolling Rock

WSJ says the powers that be at Anheuser-Busch InBev are looking to sell the Rolling Rock brand.

For those keeping score at home, Anheuser-Busch bought Rolling Rock from the (then) solo InBev for $82 million. InBev later bought AB, and it seems they are ready to offload the struggling brand again.

Rolling Rock is an American pale beer, and while not one of the greatest brews in the world (it has a flavor some have called “variable“) it’s a great example of how a craft brand can be ruined by becoming mainstream.

Orignially brewed in Latrobe, Penn., Rolling Rock was founded by two brothers in 1939. It’s probably most iconic for the “33″ on the bottle, which has been said to stand for the 33 words on the bottle:

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.

However, some say “33″ was a note to the printer to tell him how many words were in that phrase, and he mistakenly included it on the bottle text.

While the distinctive green bottle and “33″ may have helped the brand grow from it’s small town roots to a greater drinkership, it seems InBev can’t capture whatever spirit first took the brand out of Latrobe.