From the bottle, Trooper pours very well, with a lively, thick head that slowly reduces to a light foam with very good (but not too much) carbonation that lends itself to a very refreshing ale.
The aroma is initially dominated by a malty warmth, followed by citrusy hop tones.
Warm, malt flavours remeniscent of a true Lancastrian bitter along with citrus notes dominate the taste from a blend of Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops (Robinsons regulars, especially Goldings), with a subtle hint of lemon rind and grapefruit. This is followed by a nice long bitterness. It could probably do with slightly more hoppiness, but that's just my personal opinion.
Taking its name from the Iron Maiden song 'The Trooper' which was inspired by Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, Trooper is an golden coloured British beer created by Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden and brewed at Robinsons Unicorn Brewery in Stockport.
Being a real ale enthusiast, Iron Maiden's singer Bruce has developed a beer which has quite a depth of character and he should be rightly proud.
According to Bruce:
"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."
According to Robinsons, the law in Sweden forbids “elements of war, weapons or aggression to be featured on an alcohol product.” so they have amended the label by focusing purely on Eddie’s face and are now very pleased that the amended label and pump clip design has been approved by the Swedish authorities.
Verdict: 4.5/5
p.s. There is also talk of AC/DC creating their own beer soon - could we see an all new 'Battle of the Bands' coming to a pub near you.?
Let's hope so...