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Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Dropkick Murphys are the latest Boston band to pair with a local brewery for their own brand of pale ale.
Barroom Hero Pub Ale is the result of the collaboration between the Celtic punk band and Vermont-based Magic Hat Brewing Company. And while it’ll certainly improve your drunken bagpipe skills, particularly in mid-March, the new brew is also designed to raise money for The Claddagh Fund, a foundation created by Ken Casey in 2007 to help support underfunded nonprofits.
Dubbed a traditional “pub ale,” Barroom Hero is dark amber in color, boasts a roasted coffee aroma and smooth caramel and chocolate malt finish. The packaging, which you can see below, was designed by Dave Norton, a Cambridge-based tattoo artist at Pino Brothers Ink, who took word from the band and brewer to incorporate the attributes of the Claddagh ring: Friendship, Love and Loyalty.
“We all agreed this was the perfect beer to join the band on their upcoming U.S. tour,” says Magic Hat head brewer Chris Rockwood. “It’s genuine, with body and flavor. Not another red ale or stout.”
Originally, Barroom Hero was intended to be a Massachusetts-only beer, but interest swelled to the point where Magic Hat is planning to release it later this month on a national level. And that’s good news not only for drinkers, but The Claddagh Fund as well.
Magic Hat kicked off the fundraising portion of Barroom Hero by donating $20,000 to Claddagh last August, when the Dropkicks played with Rancid at the Brockton Fairgrounds. In Boston, Magic Hat is donating .50 cents per case to Claddagh, which will be matched by their distributor, Craft Brewers Guild. There will be raffles and other undraising efforts by the brewery as the beer rolls out. “The Claddagh Fund has become the driving force behind what keeps the band so motivated,” says Casey in the press release. “After a while being a musician, it’s nice to have purpose, and hopefully this carries on long after the band’s done.”
Barroom Hero starts shipping this month, available for the band’s spring tour and string of St. Patrick’s Day shows. It’ll surface again through the summer in four-packs of 16 oz. cans and on draught.
Featured Dropkick Murphys photo by Jason Greenough for Vanyaland.
