by Beth Benson

Created on: June 16, 2008   Last Updated: November 07, 2008

Rolling Rock direct from my hometown in Western Pennsylvania is a product known and distributed nationally and is easy recognizable by the bright green glass bottles with painted on labels. Rolling Rock makes five greatly known pale lager beers; Rolling Rock Black, Rolling Rock Bock, Rolling Rock Extra Pale, Rolling Rock Light, and Rolling Rock Red.

Rolling Rock Black as far as I know is only available in draft only. It's a darker lager than what Rolling Rock normally puts out. Rolling Rock Black pours in a rich brown color with a really thick light brown head that doesn't stick around for long, it disappears quickly. The aroma is amazing. It really smells like it has a roasted malty sweetness emanating from it. It's not until you take that first sip do you actually tastes the creaminess and the jolt of malt flavor. The taste is clean and crisp with a great aftertaste. The aftertaste isn't bad at all; it actually is faint and leaves you with the roasted flavor.

Rolling Rock Bock is much stronger than Rolling Rock Black. It's almost as if they took Rolling Rock Black and enhanced everything by 200%. Its a lot darker in color, has a fuller and richer texture. Its not creamy at all, it's more like a heavy sweet flavor that is overly abundant in grain and malt. Good luck when drinking this Rolling Rock Bock, I couldn't get past the first few sips.

Rolling Rock Extra Pale is about 4.5% alcohol by volume and isn't that bad of a beer. There is more rice used in the brewing process which leaves you with a smoother taste. When pouring it, it's very watery pale yellow and is highly carbonated. The aroma is pretty bad, but if you can get past the smell, you can notice that is very light bodied and does fill its rank as a Rolling Rock Beer. The aftertaste is probably the worst part, very sour.

Rolling Rock Red is amazing. The minute you pour it into the glass you can see the orange and caramel color that gives off a very large and foamy head to it. There are lots of bubbles! The aroma isn't bad, but really full and almost lures you in. The minute you crack open the bottle you smell the toasted caramel malt. The taste is very bold, rich, and even full-bodied. You can really taste the grain and the hops in a perfect mixture that doesn't over power you or sent your running for the toilet or a different beer.

Rolling Rock has won its place as one of America's great beers. Recently sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2006, Rolling Rock is still fighting strong and may one day return to its place of birth. So grab a bottle of Rolling Rock and taste a legend in the making!

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