Skip the green beer for St. Patrick’s Day and try a Dropkick Murphys brew instead.
Just in time for the annual holiday, the Boston rockers have teamed up with New England’s own Magic Hat on a new collaboration that pays homage to the Celtic punk band. Dubbed the Barroom Hero Pub Ale, the special brew is an English, dark mild style of beer with a surprisingly low ABV of 4.2 percent.
The new offering is appropriately called a pub ale as the Vermont brewers wanted the Barroom Hero to remind people of beers they’d find at pubs across Europe.
“We wanted to find a beer that would be familiar to anybody who would’ve come out of that U.K. drinking culture,” says brewery manager Robert Kuntz. “We also wanted to make a beer, frankly, selfishly, that we’d enjoy drinking.”
Kuntz admits that he had “a lot of fun” working with the members of the Dropkick Murphys on the collaboration during the band’s recent trip to the brewery. The rockers played a big part in helping the Magic Hat team find the right flavor profile for the Barroom Hero.
According to Kuntz, the brew has a nutty, roasted flavor to it, as well as notes of chocolate and even a bit of a coffee, although there’s no actual coffee in it.
“This is a beer drinker’s beer,” Kuntz says. “It’s a very straight up, traditional recipe.”
In addition to the brew, the Dropkick Murphys are also getting their own doughnut courtesy of Kane’s Handcrafted Donuts. The Boston and Saugus shops will have special treats that are made with the Barroom Hero beer available through Sunday, March 18.
Proceeds from the Magic Hat collaboration will go to benefit the Claddagh Fund, a charity founded by Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey. The organization helps raise money for various underfunded nonprofits.
The Barroom Hero Pub Ale will be available at Dropkick Murphys shows throughout their spring tour, as well as in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans and on draught throughout the summer. Kuntz hopes that the special beer becomes popular enough to earn a spot as a regular offering from Magic Hat.
“We’re hoping it has legs way past this tour,” Kuntz says. “I honestly can see this being a beer for us year round.”
