According to The Publican’s Morning Advertiser, Iron Maiden’s Trooper beer has sold 5 million pints since its launch in May 2013, with almost half of it brewed for the export market (Trooper is currently distributed in 40 countries).

As U.K. beer in general struggled to raise the bar, with sales dropping by nearly 5 percent last year, worldwide demand for Trooper ale has both stunned and delighted Robinsons.

Robinsons director of marketing David Bremner explains why he thinks Trooper is succeeding where others miss the mark: “Distinctiveness and authenticity is really important for us. If you look at the British beer market generally, it can be quite homogenous; although things are starting to change. Trooper has more to it than just taste it has its own unique character and personality that fans buy into, and this has been backed up by a complete marketing strategy utilizing tools such as social media to really drive interest around the brand. Trooper not only appeals to fans of Iron Maiden, it is appealing to a new group of customers who will try traditional British beer perhaps for the first time. On top of that, rather than appearing gimmicky, we are raising the profile of Robinsons and perhaps all traditional British brewers.”

“I don’t drink mainstream standard lager,”Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson told beer writer Pete Brown last year. “If I was thirsty in a pub with no real ale, I’d rather have a lime and soda. But anyway, we haven’t positioned Trooper as a beer from a metal band — it’s a brand of beer brewed by Robinsons that we’ve developed with them. They’ve had six generations of brewers there, they’ve got some highly respected beers, and what they don’t want is a bunch of rock stars coming up and duffing up their reputation, because they’re still going to be there in another two or three generations.”

He added: “I’m a big Belgian beer fan as well. I love the Trappist beers — they have such a great tradition over there. Their beers are unique as well, like our real ales. I just hate bland beers. I can’t stand Budweiser. They’re the Great Satan, and they’re trying to shut down one of my favourite Czech breweries. There’s something I instinctively dislike about Budweiser. I won’t have it in the dressing room when we’re touring.”

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Footage From ‘Evening With’ ‘Nicko McBrain’ [Iron Maiden] Events Posted Online [Nov. 2011]
‘Nicko McBrain’ Talks ‘Maiden England’ Tour, ‘Trooper’ Beer [Sept. 2013]