British beer drinkers love low-alcohol session ales, the idea being you can have more pints and just generally spend more time at the pub drinking. You know, have a “session.” Iron Maiden wants you to drink a lot of its new Light Brigade Golden Beer (brewed by British brewer Robinsons)—and at 4.1% ABV, you sure as heck can pound these bad boys—because it supports a good cause, Help For Heroes. Says the accompanying press release: “The money raised [from sales of Light Brigade] will help the thousands of Servicemen and women who live with complex wounds and injuries—both physical and mental—and are looking to regain their purpose in life.”
So, other than the good karma to be gained from supporting this new Maiden brew, you may wonder whether it’s worth seeking out. Well, if you’d rather drink a lot of beer, rather than a full-flavored beer, then this may be the brew for you. A 4.1% ABV golden ale is going to be mostly about the honeyed, grainy malt character, with maybe a hint of fruit and a bit of bitterness on the finish. In a word, it’s probably pretty chuggable.
Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson developed the beer with Robinsons head brewer Martyn Weeks and it’s meant to be a lighter, more accessible and sessionable version of the first Iron Maiden beer Trooper.
The beer is set to hit shelves in the UK in February and will join the Trooper beer as a regular, year-round part of the Maiden/Robinsons lineup. It will inevitably find its way to the U.S., as well, no doubt.
Adem Tepedelen’s craft beer book, Decibel Presents the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers: An All-Excess Pass to Brewing’s Outer Limits, is now available in the Decibel online store.
