Fox 33 out of Norfolk, VA
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Aug. 24, 2008 4:35 p.m. neon4891 Dork
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Aug. 24, 2008 4:51 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
33
The official explanation for the number, which is not entirely coterminous with the REAL explanation, is that 33 signifies two things: the year Prohibition was repealed (1933), and the number of words in the legend printed above the number on cans and returnable bottles. I quote:
"Rolling Rock from glass lined tanks in the Laurel Highlands. We tender this premium beer for your enjoyment as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you."
Now, this is a touching sentiment, and there is no question it has 33 words in it. But from the standpoint of intellectual satisfaction, it sucks.
Therefore, I hunted up James L. Tito, who at one time was chief executive officer of Latrobe Brewing, the maker of Rolling Rock beer.
Mr. Tito's family owned Latrobe from the end of Prohibition until the company was sold to an outfit in Connecticut in 1985. After some prompting, he told me the sordid truth.
Based on some old notes and discussions with family members now dead, Mr. Tito believes that putting the 33 on the label was nothing more or less than a horrible accident. It happened like this:
When the Titos decided to introduce the Rolling Rock brand around 1939, they couldn't agree on a slogan for the back of the bottle. Some favored a long one, some a short one. At length somebody came up with the 33-word beauty quoted above, and to indicate its modest length, scribbled a big "33" on it.
More argument ensued, until finally somebody said, dadgummit, boys, let's just use this one and be done with it, and sent the 33-word version off to the bottle maker.
Unfortunately, no one realized that the big 33 wasn't supposed to be part of the design until 50 jillion returnable bottles had been made up with the errant label painted permanently on their backsides. (I suppose this bespeaks a certain inattentiveness on the part of the Tito family, but I am telling you this story just as it was told to me.)
This being the Depression and all, the Titos were in no position to throw out a lot of perfectly good bottles. So they decided to make the best of things by concocting a yarn about how the 33 stood for the year Prohibition was repealed.
In retrospect, this was a stroke of marketing genius. Next to cereal boxes, beer labels are probably the most thoroughly scrutinized artifacts in all of civilization, owing to the propensity of beer drinkers to stare morosely at them at three o'clock in the morning.
The Rolling Rock "33" has baffled beer lovers for generations, and accordingly has become the stuff of barroom legend. I have letters claiming that the number has something to do with a satanic ritual, that it was the age of Christ when he died, even that it signifies the number of glass-lined tanks in the Latrobe plant.
Tres bizarre, but if M. Tito is to be believed, not quite as bizarre as the truth.
--CECIL ADAMS
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Aug. 24, 2008 5:21 p.m. neon4891 Dork
I miss the old indie UHF stations, back before the days of wide spread cable use
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Aug. 24, 2008 5:37 p.m. Volksroddin Reader
33,+beer= satan, hmm probly not. Most of those bible thumper are kinda kreepy eny way.
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Aug. 24, 2008 5:39 p.m. Volksroddin Reader
neon4891 wrote:
I miss the old indie UHF stations, back before the days of wide spread cable use
that was a long time ago......in a gallixy far far away.....
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Aug. 24, 2008 5:41 p.m. neon4891 Dork
IIRC, "proper" ( or at least one certain sub-group of)babtists are suposed to abstain from alcohole.
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Aug. 24, 2008 9:46 p.m. neon4891 Dork
damnit, I forgot what I was gonna say
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Aug. 24, 2008 10:01 p.m. mtn Dork
The westboro baptists had been demonstrating on campus all week. I wanted to throw a rock at them. But instead I just ignored them.
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Aug. 25, 2008 8:28 a.m. mad_machine SuperDork
neon4891 wrote:
damnit, I forgot what I was gonna say
Now that is ignorance
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Aug. 25, 2008 2:24 p.m. neon4891 Dork
i need to stop ingoring my car and clean it off...no more "seasonal Roads" in a neon
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Aug. 25, 2008 2:32 p.m. walterj HalfDork
I haven't ignored this in a while
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Aug. 25, 2008 2:34 p.m. neon4891 Dork
your avi makes me want to ignore this and go watch "regected cartoons"
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Aug. 25, 2008 2:36 p.m. walterj HalfDork
I am a banana
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Aug. 25, 2008 2:55 p.m. RogerB HalfDork
neon4891 wrote:
IIRC, "proper" ( or at least one certain sub-group of)babtists are suposed to abstain from alcohole.
alcohole?
I'm going to ignore that.
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Aug. 25, 2008 3:20 p.m. walterj HalfDork
alcohole? I'm going to ignore that.
I am ignoring that my alchohole could use a beer
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Aug. 25, 2008 3:36 p.m. Salanis Dork
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Aug. 25, 2008 4:06 p.m. Volksroddin Reader
haahhaaa!!!
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Aug. 25, 2008 4:17 p.m. ArtOfRuin Reader
RogerB wrote:
neon4891 wrote:
IIRC, "proper" ( or at least one certain sub-group of)babtists are suposed to abstain from alcohole.
alcohole?
I'm going to ignore that.
Alcohole: The cause of- and the solution to- all of life's problems!
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Aug. 25, 2008 4:20 p.m. Mental UltraDork
mtn wrote:
The westboro baptists had been demonstrating on campus all week. I wanted to throw a rock at them. But instead I just ignored them.
I converted to Catholic after being raised as Baptist. Now I don't have to ignore friends in the liquor store.
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Aug. 25, 2008 4:40 p.m. neon4891 Dork
That is one thing i will give to the catholics, you guys get to drink in church, OTOH, you have to sit thrue mass to get it.
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Aug. 25, 2008 6:10 p.m. Volksroddin Reader
ArtOfRuin wrote:
Hommer SimpsonRogerB wrote:
neon4891 wrote:
IIRC, "proper" ( or at least one certain sub-group of)babtists are suposed to abstain from alcohole.
alcohole?
I'm going to ignore that.
Alcohole: The cause of- and the solution to- all of life's problems!
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Aug. 25, 2008 6:39 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
alcohole.. is that somebody who turns into a complete shiny happy person when drunk?
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Aug. 25, 2008 7:19 p.m. nickel_dime HalfDork
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Aug. 26, 2008 7:40 a.m. walterj HalfDork
mad_machine wrote:
alcohole.. is that somebody who turns into a complete shiny happy person when drunk?
I thought it was the filler neck
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Aug. 26, 2008 7:41 a.m. walterj HalfDork
neon4891 wrote:
That is one thing i will give to the catholics, you guys get to drink in church, OTOH, you have to sit thrue mass to get it.
The guy in the dress and funny hat gets to chug the whole goblet after everyone has had a sip. I tried to ignore it but I couldn't.
