Latrobe Brewing Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Headquarters | Latrobe , United States |
| Products | Beer (including Rolling Rock, Iron City Beer, Stoney's) |
Latrobe Brewing Company is a brewery established in 1893 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, recognized for its production of the Rolling Rock American lager. Ownership changed hands in 1987 when Labatt Brewing Company acquired the brand. Labatt itself was purchased by the Belgian firm Interbrew in 1995, which later became part of InBev through a merger in 2004. In 2006, the Rolling Rock brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch, but the original brewery was not included in this transaction; production was subsequently shifted to Newark, New Jersey.
Later that same year, the Latrobe brewery was bought by City Brewing Company, which has continued brewing a variety of beers at the facility.
History
The Latrobe Brewing Company began operations in 1893 as a division of the Pittsburgh Brewing Company. It ceased operations during Prohibition and resumed brewing in 1933 under the management of the Tito brothers, offering products such as “Latrobe Old German” and “Latrobe Pilsner.” The debut of Rolling Rock in 1939 played a significant role in establishing Latrobe as one of the major breweries in the United States.
In 1987, Labatt acquired Latrobe Brewing, and later, in 1995, Interbrew took over Labatt. By 2004, Interbrew had merged to form InBev. The Rolling Rock brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2006; however, this sale did not include the Latrobe brewery itself. By July 31, 2006, production had been relocated to Anheuser-Busch’s facility in Newark, New Jersey, casting uncertainty over the future of the original plant.
In June 2006, City Brewing Company from La Crosse, Wisconsin—known for operating the G. Heileman Brewery—secured exclusive rights to negotiate for the Latrobe plant and completed its purchase by September. The brewery resumed operations in March 2007, producing "Samuel Adams" under an agreement with Boston Beer Company. Boston Beer invested between $3 million and $7 million to modernize the facility, aiming for an annual production volume between 200,000 and 250,000 barrels.
Despite this progress, layoffs occurred and operations were temporarily halted in late 2008 after Boston Beer shifted its production to a former Schaefer brewery near Allentown, Pennsylvania. In May 2009, City Brewing entered into an agreement with Iron City Brewing to restart brewing at Latrobe; production recommenced in June with bottling beginning by July.
By July 2009, brands from Southampton were also moved to Latrobe. City Brewing currently manufactures Iron City Beer along with Stoney's and Stoney's Light at this location.
By December 2009, City Brewing had installed a canning line capable of handling 12- and 16-ounce cans, with plans to introduce a line for 24-ounce cans early in 2010.
In 2012, Diageo transferred U.S. production of Red Stripe beer from Jamaica to Latrobe; additionally, Guinness Blonde was brewed there until production moved to Baltimore in 2018. Diageo returned Red Stripe brewing back to Jamaica in September 2016.