Iron Maiden have just unveiled two new additions to their line of signature Trooper beers: the "Fear of the Dark" English stout and the "Trooper IPA," which will be released later in March in Europe.

Singer Bruce Dickinson again collaborated with Robinsons Brewery's head brewer Martyn Weeks. The two are the seventh and eighth beers to arrive under the Trooper name, which launched in 2013 and has since gone on to sell over 25 million pints around the globe.

"Trooper is close to seven years old and has exceeded all expectations for us as a brewery," began Weeks in an official statement. "These two new brews join an extensive lineup of beers that we have created in our collaboration with Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden," he went on, adding, "These are two new styles that we are proud to champion."

Dickinson offered his thoughts, explaining that Trooper is finally recognizing the undeniable popularity of the IPA brews.

"I’ve sampled so many different styles of beer around the world on my travels with Maiden and it’s hard to ignore how big IPA has become, and what an exciting style it can be," the singer enthused. "I’m a huge fan of both IPA and stout and they were the gaping holes in the Trooper range. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have asked us to do a 'Fear of the Dark' stout over the last few years!"

Weeks is equally excited to finally launch an IPA under the Trooper moniker as he stated, "An IPA is something we’ve always wanted to do with Trooper but had to wait until the timing and recipe were right. We are extremely proud of this brew, which marries together familiar American hoppy flavors with a fundamentally British backbone.

To many, the idea of making a darker beer named after Iron Maiden's 1992 album only seemed natural and Trooper brand manager Sam Kennerley completely agreed. "'Fear of the Dark' is something fans have been begging for since Trooper was first released and we’re proud to finally be rewarding their loyalty," he acknowledged.

Noting the success of their previously released porter, Kennerley explained, "Trooper 'Red ‘N’ Black' porter was one of our most popular releases so we knew there was a demand for new darker beers, and we are glad to be finally releasing a sessionable stout for all our fans to enjoy."

Both the "Fear of the Dark" English stout (4.5% ABV) and the "Trooper IPA" (4.3% ABV) are available for pre-order now (head here for the stout and here for the IPA) with current orders expected to arrive March 23 — bottoms up! As for fans in the U.S., a release is planned for a later date.

Maiden will be on the road from May through the end of July, taking the "Legacy of the Beast" tour to over a dozen countries. Head to this location to see all those stops.

Every Iron Maiden Song Ranked

 

More From Noisecreep