You’ll drink to this
Dropkick Murphys are a band, a brand and a lifestyle. Obviously they need their own beer. Thankfully, the people at Magic Hat Brewing Co. agree. This week, just in time for the Dropkicks' U.S. tour — which concludes in mid-March with four sold-out House of Blues shows — and St. Patrick's Day, the band and brewery released Barroom Hero Pub Ale. For the band's fans, who generally enjoy an adult beverage or five, the beer is sure to be a hit. But for the band members, a few of whom are sober, the beer is a curious addition to their catalog. “The idea was brought to us as a way to raise money for the band's foundation, the Claddagh Fund,” band leader Ken Casey said. “And they wanted this collaboration to be part of their responsible drinking campaign, so we thought it was a fun but good thing to be involved with, considering the positive message.”
The Vermont-based Magic Hat started fundraising last summer for Claddagh, which supports a range of charities, including drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, by donating $20,000 at the Dropkicks/Rancid show at the Brockton Fairgrounds. The brewer and its distributor, Craft Brewers Guild, will donate another $1 per case sold to the Claddagh Fund.
The brewer calls Barroom Hero a low-alcohol ale with a big flavor: a kind of roasted coffee aroma with smooth caramel and chocolate malt finish. Making sure the beer tasted great was important to Magic Hat's business and honor.
“You are going to see all these Irish reds and stouts everywhere around St. Patrick's Day,” Magic Hat representative Chris Duggan said. “We wanted to do something that stood out from those. This will.”
Magic Hat brought Dave
Norton of Cambridge's Pino
Brothers Ink tattoo studio to design the can. He kept the look very Dropkicks, something Casey appreciated considering he won't be drinking it.
“I leave (the drinking) to the experts,” he said. “But I do like the artwork and the can. I approve of the outside, but I leave the inside to others.”
The beer only rolled out this week, but it's already a hit. Magic Hat planned for it to be a three-month local release, but distributors across the country have signed on and the beer will be available at every venue the band plays between now and the House of Blues run, and the brewer will rerelease it this summer.
“This has already far exceeded everyone's expectations,” Duggan said.
He's talking about the beer, of course. But he could be talking about the Dropkicks.