Swedes forced to wait for Iron Maiden brew

Iron_Maiden_-_Piece_Of_MindHeavy metal rockers Iron Maiden have launched their own ale, but a bureaucratic hiccup may deny Swedish fans a taste. The special cask ale, named Trooper, is yet to be launched locally due to an issue with the label.

The government-owned chain of liquor stores, Systembolaget, thinks the design of the label, based on the cover of the band’s 1983 album Piece of Mind, might contravene Sweden’s alcohol laws.

Systembolaget’s Therese Elmgren said: “There has been a discussion about the label. The alcohol law stipulates how it can look. We therefore don’t yet know when it can be launched.”

The label is typical of Iron Maiden’s trademark album covers, featuring the skeletal figure ‘Eddie the Head’, sword in hand, on a battlefield. It’s unclear how this might fall foul of the alcohol laws.

So far the ale has been a runaway success with distributors in scores of countries applying to sell it, and the Cheshire based brewery is struggling to keep up with the pre-launch order of 250,000 pints for the UK.

Lead singer Bruce Dickinson said: “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”. It will be served at the Download festival where Iron Maiden will be performing on June 15th.