According to Robinsons, the family-run brewery in Stockport (UK) making Iron Maiden’s Trooper Ale, demand for the brew is unprecedented in the company’s 175 year history.
Marketing director David Bremner says “for the first time in our history we’re brewing three times a day and six days a week” — which is apparently more than double their normal production. He also mentioned that they had not spent any money on advertising. Which, considering how rabid Iron Maiden fans can be, is not really surprising.
The ale is not yet available, but can be pre-ordered on the beer’s web site. Yes, the beer has it’s own web site.
The latest band to launch their own beer is NWOBHM veterans Iron Maiden.
Produced by UK brewery Robinsons, the traditional British ale is named after Iron Maiden’s classic track The Trooper. It will be available in British pubs in May, and at Download Festival 2013 in June.
Bruce Dickinson said: “I’m a lifelong fan of traditional English ale, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when we were asked to create our own beer.
“I have to say that I was very nervous. Robinsons are the only people I have had to audition for in 30 years. Their magic has been to create the alchemical wedding of flavour and texture that is Trooper. I love it.”
Well, you weren’t expecting him to say it was rubbish, were you? I’d love to hear from anyone who gets to try this beer.
If you are fortunate enough to live in or are visiting Sweden, you can now buy a beer named after classic Swedish doom band Graveyard.
The beer is called Hisingen Brew and the band had very specific criteria when choosing a beer to put their name on. Drummer Axel Sjöberg told Noisecreep:
Most beers taste good cold, but taste bad warm. There are situations where you wind up drinking beer that is warm, whether you buy it in a store and then take it to party and then drink it at the party. Or at a festival, when you are asleep in a tent. The beer is there but it’s warm and not good. Your stomach turns upside down. So we wanted it to taste good in all temperatures.
If that’s not a genius move I don’t know what is — I’ve suffered through many a warm festival beer myself! Props to Graveyard for placing the happiness and well-being of their fans in such high regard. I would very much like to sample this brew.
I was at Metalcamp in Slovenia last month (this is not the place for a festival write up, but if you haven’t been and you like sun, pristine river beaches, partying and metal, you WANT to go, trust me), and next to the bin at one of the beaches I spied this:
The tagline — “German Beer, Australian Hardrock” is a good one, because Australian beer and German hard rock would be a pretty bad combination!
OK just joking. German hard rock is pretty good. I’m not going anywhere near the issue of Australian beer.
Anyway I thought I’d find out some more information about this brew — I was as surprised as anyone that I hadn’t written it up here yet. Seeing as it’s available in Germany only (and only since July) I couldn’t find a hell of a lot of information about it in English, other than it’s a 5% pilsener brewed in accordance with Germany’s Purity Law by Karlsberg (thank you Google Translate, mein deutsch ist scheisse).
While looking around for it, I also found this article on the Decibel Magazine blog: For Those About to Drink: AC/DC-Inspired Beers. I love “Track #3″, the image featured at the top of the post — very wink wink nudge nudge secret metal handshake insider stuff.
AC/DC is pretty universally loved, so there must be more of this kind of thing. Seen any others?
Although not quite at the Gene Simmons/KISS level of ridiculousness, Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilminster has been known to not be shy when it comes to trying to make a buck off the reputation of the loudest band in rock and roll. And why not — it’s certainly deserved and the music industry itself is certainly no goldmine.
After filming a commercial for Kronenbourg 1664 with a pretty cool slowed down version of the classic tune Ace of Spades, and adding to the existing Motörhead Vodka and Motörhead Shiraz, a Motörhead beer is being released — but you can only get it if you live in (or are visiting) Sweden. Called Bastards and brewed by Krönleins, the lager costs SEK19.90 — that’s £1.81, €2.35, or USD $2.87 and is only available through the chain ‘Systembolaget’.
The beer is described thusly:
“For all beer drinkers and hell raisers, fans of loud and fast rock and roll, no matter if you have no class or if you are a damaged case, this mean machine lager is fuel for any head banging opportunity.”
And that, my friends, is something to raise a glass to.
So, Michigan-based Founders Brewing Co haven’t really got anything concrete to link their 11% Devil Dancer brew to heavy metal — but someone there is obviously a Sabbath fan, and since when do metalheads need an excuse to buy beer?
According to Tim Traynor, the brewery’s New York representative:
It has no official satanic affiliation, but one would expect a beer so intense to be served at parties curated by the Dark One. We thought it fitting to pair an extreme beer with extreme music, especially since the bottle label resembles the cover artwork on Black Sabbath’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album.
The beer was released on July 2nd at a keg tapping and heavy metal party in Brooklyn. Apparently it’s quite hard to get and only brewed in a limited edition, so if you live in the area and want to get your hands on one check this article for a list of outlets.
In a move that was surely made just to give this blog something to write about, Jester King Craft Brewery in Austin Texas – a very new venture, by the look of it – has announced Black Metal Imperial Stout:
Black Metal Imperial Stout, a.k.a. Suds of Northern Darkness, a.k.a. Iron Sword, a.k.a. El Martillo del Muerte. Black Metal is a cruel and punishing beer fermented by the sheer force of its awesome will. We are pretty sure that Kreator wrote the song “Impossible Brutality” about this beer while drinking it during their Extreme Aggression Tour.
If you’re in the Austin area, here are some details of how you can get hold of some.
According to the brewer Jeffrey, the brew is “filled with huge flavors of roast, chocolate, burnt malt and alcohol and carries a hint of leather”. We’re a little worried about beer tasting of leather… I guess as long as it’s not sweaty old studded cod-piece leather it should be ok!
